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Several news about swine flu in most countries including the Philippines are occupying the headlines and newspaper banners. Another very alarming virus is now threathening the entire world. What makes this new virus more worrisome is how easily it appears to be able to pass from person to person. With cases popping up across the globe every day.
Local outbreaks of influenza-like illness were initially detected in three areas in Mexico and then soon in the US and Canada. Following the discovery of the new strain in the United States, its presence was quickly suspected on most continents, with over 1,600 candidate cases by April 27.
World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed their serious concerns about this new strain, because it can easily be transmitted among humans. (human to human) Technically, this influenza virus is no longer a swine flu. This new strain does not appear to be infecting pigs; it’s infecting humans. It was even more alarming for it was reported that this said virus had cause a relatively high mortality rate in Mexico and has the potential to become a flu pandemic.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Dr. Anne Schuchat calls this virus as “an unusually mongrelized mix of genetic sequences.” The new virus appears to be made up of four different flu viruses: North American swine influenza; a swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe; human influenza A; and a North American avian influenza.
In an article from The Los Angeles Times, facts about swine flu were revealed and it includes the following
- Swine flu viruses typically sicken pigs, not humans. Most cases occur when people come in contact with infected pigs or contaminated objects moving from people to pigs.
- Pigs can catch human and avian or bird flu. When flu viruses from different species infect pigs, they can mix inside the pig and new, mixed viruses can emerge.
- Pigs can pass mutated viruses back to humans and they can be passed from human to human. Transmission among humans is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu – by touching something with flu viruses and then touching their mouth or nose, and through coughing or sneezing.
- Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of seasonal influenza – sudden fever, coughing, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. This new strain also appears to cause more diarrhea and vomiting than normal flu.
- Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu although the CDC is formulating one. The seasonal influenza vaccine may help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses, like the one circulating now.
- People cannot catch swine flu from eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.
Since, Human-to-human transmission of swine flu is believed to occur the same way as seasonal flu, mainly through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus, it is advised to take extra care and avoid having contact with people infected with influenza. Wearing of gas mask and bringing alcohol based sanitizer could also help.
Meanwhile, Batangas is one of the homes of swine industry here in the Philipiines. As of now, there are no records yet about the spread of this virus in the country. But then again, it is always better to be ready and prevent the spread of this another fatal virus at this early. For owners of pigeries, maintaining proper sanitation and monitoring of pigs’ health is very much important.
Thank you for writing this, I can not find an information which is so clear and through up to now.
Thank you for writing this, I can not find an information which is so clear and through up to now.