All you wanted to know about Swine Flu
By
Shivani Yadav
The pandemic of swine flu has reached the capital. So far, 22 cases have been reported. Out of these, 13 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals, namely, Ram Manohar Lohia (8),
What is swine flu?
It is an infection of a host animal by any one of several specific kinds of microorganisms called Swine Flu Virus. A SIV is any strain of flu family of viruses i.e. usually hosted by pigs. The strain causing infection in the present epidemic is H1N1.
How does it spread from pigs to human beings?
People working in pig farms are at an increased risk of transmission if they don’t wear gloves and masks while working with sick animals and inhale the contaminated suspended droplets in the air. Veterinarians and meat processing workers are at a risk of infection, but it is very low.
Does every person in contact with an infected swine get the disease?
No. not every person gets infected as our blood produces antibodies against the virus. Also, it can’t be spread by pork products since virus is not transmitted through food.
How does the flu spread? Is it contagious?
An infected person’s oral or nasal secretions may get suspended in the air while speaking, coughing or sneezing. When these droplets are inhaled by a healthy person (within three feet vicinity), he gets infected. Or a person may touch something with the virus on it and then touch their own mouth or nose. Evidence shows that the virus can linger on tabletops etc. and get transferred to fingers.
What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
Symptoms are the same as those of common flu, which are, sudden fever, cough, sore throat, body ache, headache, chills and fatigue. This year, increased number of patients have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.
How can swine flu be diagnosed in human beings?
The doctor takes samples from the nose and throat of the suspect with cotton swabs. They are put in test tubes containing virus culture media. These are sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases where they undergo Polymerase Chain Reaction to amplify viral DNA in order to diagnose the disease. The results are available within 24 hours.
How can an infected person be treated?
The treatment has two parts, specific treatment, given to the patient and prophylaxis treatment, given to the contacts. Contacts are the people in close contact with an affected person, sufficient enough to catch the disease. The drug used is Oseltamivir (tamiflu). The patient is given 2 doses for 5 days, while the contacts are given 1 dose for 10 days. Supportive treatment may be given for the symptoms, fever, cough etc. However, any person who is a suspect must be immediately isolated i.e. his movements should be restricted till either he is proven to be unaffected or has been treated adequately so as to make him non-infective.
How do doctors treating swine flu patients protect themselves?
The patients are kept in isolated wards. The doctors attending them are required to wear a head-cap, goggles, gloves, gown and plastic boots. Very importantly, they wear a N95 mask that filters 95% of all suspended viruses.
Lastly, how can we prevent the spreading of this disease?
To protect ourselves from any viral disease, we should use a handkerchief while coughing and sneezing and wash our hands regularly. If any of the above explained symptoms are observed, immediately seek help from a govt. hospital and don’t just rely on home remedies.
(As told to Shivani Yadav)
2 comments:
Useful Article. Can you please post more such articles on common ailments?
We at The Standpoint will keep the needs of our readers in mind. We will definitely try our best to publish articles on 'common ailments' in our next issue.
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