BY aarrieta
Fourteen Q&A on swine flu
1 What is swine flu?
It is a respiratory syndrome on pigs caused by a virus, which causes frequent epidemic on these animals.
It is a highly contagious respiratory syndrome. Many animals usually get it but its mortality rate is low (4%).
The virus transmits through pigs by aerosol and through direct and indirect contact.
The most frequent strain is the H1N1 type, and there are also other viruses such as the H1N2 or the H3N1. The outbreak among pigs its produced frequently specially in the fall and winter.
2 Can people get the swine flu?
The virus of swine flu does not usually affect human beings.
There have been cases occasionally, commonly among people that have direct contact with infected pigs as farm or field workers.
It can present with different symptoms from an asymptomatic infection to a severe pneumonia.
3 Can it be spread among humans?
There have been cases of transmitting the virus from one human to another, probably the same way as a common season cold through coughing, sneezing of the infected people.
4 Which are the symptoms of the swine flu?
They are similar to the common cold: fever, coughing, sneezing, tiredness and lack of appetite.
5 Is it the same virus in Mexico and United States?
Apparently the traces of the virus in Mexico are the same as the one for the virus in the US.
This is a mix of a human virus, bird flu, and swine flu.
6 Are there medications to treat the flu in humans?
There are two classes of such medicines, 1) adamantanes (amantadine and remantadine), and 2) inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (oseltamivir and zanamivir).
Most of the previously reported swine influenza cases recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines.
Some influenza viruses develop resistance to the antiviral medicines, limiting the effectiveness of treatment. The viruses obtained from the recent human cases with swine influenza in the United States are sensitive to oselatmivir and zanamivir but resistant to amantadine and remantadine.
Information is insufficient to make recommendation on the use of the antivirals in treatment of swine influenza virus infection. Clinicians have to make decisions based on the clinical and epidemiological assessment and harms and benefit of the treatment of the patient2. For the ongoing outbreak of the swine influenza infection in the United States and Mexico, the national and the local authorities are recommending to use oseltamivir or zanamivir for treatment of the disease based on the virus’s susceptibility profile
7 Is there a human vaccine to protect from swine influenza?
There are no vaccines that contain the current swine influenza virus causing illness in humans. It is not known whether current human seasonal influenza vaccines can provide any protection. Influenza viruses change very quickly. It is important to develop a vaccine against the currently circulating virus strain for it to provide maximum protection to the vaccinated people. This is why WHO needs access to as many viruses as possible in order to select the most appropriate candidate vaccine virus.
8 The people who live in Argentina and Latin America should do something special?
It is recommended the Soutine actions to prevente any infectious illness: washing hands frequently, covering mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing and avoiding close contact with sick people. If you get sick you must stay home and limit the contact with others.
9 And what about travelling to the area?
It is not strictid limit to travel, but Chile for example recommends avoiding travelling in general and Spain proposes to be informed about the measures to take according to the region you are travelling to.
On the other hand it is recommended to be alert on the illness, to take precaution and to proctect agains infections, for example washing hands.
10 Is it safe to eat pork and pork products?
Yes. Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The swine influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160_F/70_C, corresponding to the general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat.
11 What about the pandemic risk?
It is likely that most of people, especially those who do not have regular contact with pigs, do not have immunity to swine influenza viruses that can prevent the virus infection. If a swine virus establishes efficient human-to human transmission, it can cause an influenza pandemic. The impact of a pandemic caused by such a virus is difficult to predict: it depends on virulence of the virus, existing immunity among people, cross protection by antibodies acquired from seasonal influenza infection and host factors.
12 Which are the countries that have been affected?
Outside of Mexico and United States, only countries that have registered case, the authorities of Peru, Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Nicaragua, Brazil, Costa Rica have activated sanitary plans.
13 Why is the WHO on alert?
Because there human cases associated to a virus of an animal flu, but also because of the geographical extensión of the different outbrakes, as well as the age of the affected groups, the WHO explained on a press release.
This is a new virus not only for humans, but for the world authorities from the Health Ministry of Canada stated.
Approximately 80% of this virus is related to a northamerica influenza virus and the 20% to a euroasian virus that was initially detected in Thailand. Currently, it has reconfigurated to become something completely new but it is not known how this change was produced.
14 What are the preventive measures?
– Washing hands frequently
– When coughing or sneezing dont do it next to other people and wash hands inmediately.
– When sneezing cover the mouth with the arm angle not with the hand
– In case of having flu symptoms visit a doctor
– Avoiding crowded places.
– Not sharing food, glasses or cutlery.
– Ventilating and allowing the sun Light into the house, the office and all indoor places
– Keeping the kitchen, the bathroom and toys, phones and frequently used objects clean.
More information at www.redsolidaria.org.ar and Centro de Desarrollo Comunitario (CDC)