Swine Flu (H1N1 flu)

Symptoms

Swine flu signs and symptoms in humans are similar to those of other flu strains:

·         Fever

·         Cough

·         Sore throat

·         Runny or stuffy nose

·         Body aches

·         Headache

·         Chills

·         Fatigue

·         Diarrhea

·         Vomiting

Swine flu symptoms develop about one to three days after you're exposed to the virus and continue for about seven days.

When to see a doctor

It's not necessary to see a doctor if you're generally healthy and develop flu signs and symptoms, such as fever, cough and body aches. Call your doctor, however, if you have flu symptoms and you're pregnant or you have a chronic disease, such as emphysema or a heart condition.

Causes

Influenza viruses infect the cells lining your nose, throat and lungs. The virus enters your body when you inhale contaminated droplets or transfer live virus from a contaminated surface to your eyes, nose or mouth.

You can't catch swine flu from eating pork.

Risk factors

If you've traveled to an area where many people are affected by swine flu (H1N1 flu), you may have been exposed to the virus, particularly if you spent time in large crowds.

Swine farmers and veterinarians have the highest risk of true swine flu because of their exposure to pigs.

 

Complications

Influenza complications include:

·         Worsening of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and asthma

·         Pneumonia

·         Neurological signs and symptoms, ranging from confusion to seizures

·         Respiratory failure

Treatments and drugs

Most cases of flu, including H1N1 flu, require only symptom relief. If you have a chronic respiratory disease, your doctor may prescribe additional medication to help relieve your symptoms.

The antiviral drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are sometimes prescribed to reduce the severity of symptoms, but flu viruses can develop resistance to them. Some researchers recommend further study on both of these drugs due to uncertainty about their effects beyond the initial reduction in symptoms.

To make development of resistance less likely and maintain supplies of these drugs for those who need them most, antivirals are reserved for people at high risk of complications.

High-risk groups are those who:

·         Are hospitalized

·         Are younger than 5 years of age, particularly children younger than 2 years

·         Are 65 years and older

·         Are pregnant or within two weeks of delivery, including women who have had pregnancy loss

·         Are younger than 19 years of age and are receiving long-term aspirin therapy, because of an increased risk for Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease

·         Have certain chronic medical conditions, including asthma, emphysema, heart disease, diabetes, neuromuscular disease, obesity, and kidney, liver or blood disease

·         Are immunosuppressed due to certain medications or HIV

Lifestyle and home remedies

If you develop any type of flu, these measures may help ease your symptoms:

·         Drink plenty of liquids. Choose water, juice and warm soups to prevent dehydration. Drink enough so that your urine is clear or pale yellow.

·         Rest. Get more sleep to help your immune system fight infection.

·         Consider pain relievers. Use an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), cautiously. Also, use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers.

Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 3, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.

Remember, pain relievers may make you more comfortable, but they won't make your symptoms go away faster and may have side effects. Ibuprofen may cause stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers. If taken for a long period or in higher than recommended doses, acetaminophen can be toxic to your liver.

Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends flu vaccination for all people older than 6 months of age. An H1N1 virus is one component of the seasonal flu shot for 2013-2014. The flu shot also protects against two or three other influenza viruses that are expected to be the most common during the 2013-2014 flu season.

The vaccine will be available as an injection or a nasal spray. The nasal spray is approved for use in healthy people 2 through 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

These measures also help prevent swine flu (H1N1 flu) and limit its spread:

·         Stay home if you're sick. If you do have swine flu (H1N1 flu), you can give it to others starting about 24 hours before you develop symptoms and ending about seven days later.

·         Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Use soap and water, or if they're unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Flu viruses can survive for two hours or longer on surfaces, such as doorknobs and countertops.

·         Contain your coughs and sneezes. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. To avoid contaminating your hands, cough or sneeze into a tissue or the inner crook of your elbow.

·         Avoid contact. Stay away from crowds if possible. And if you're at high risk of complications from the flu — for example, you're younger than 5 or you're 65 or older, you're pregnant, or you have a chronic medical condition such as asthma — consider avoiding swine barns at seasonal fairs and elsewhere.

·         Reduce exposure within your household. If a member of your household has swine flu, designate only one household member to be responsible for the ill person's personal care.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/