With the current fear of a swine flu pandemic, lots of concern around the world has been focused on how to avert and otherwise avoid the swine flu.  Most of the information is common sense and follows along the lines of prevention and treatment of the common flu.

So how did swine flu start?

The transmission and start of swine flu use to jump from pig to pig and only in extraordinary cases transmit to humans. The origins of swine flu might have been that humans first transmitted the influenza disease to pigs before they contracted their own strain. The influenza season brings a assortment of influenza viruses resulting in the bigger risk of spread and infection from pigs to humans, causing cross-species transmission. Known swine flu viruses are the H1N1 subtype as well as less popular subtypes like H1N2, H3N1 or H3N2.   Therefore, a pig can be infected by more than type of virus at the same time.

Infection Threat

Human to human infection was once limited to a close group of inhabitants, before the Mexico incidents on April 2009. Prior to that swine influenza was passed from contaminated pigs that had direct contact to human, mostly their owners.

Safety – Ingestion of Pork?

It is safe to eat pork. So far, no documentation is available indicating a link between safely prepared pork and human swine flu infection. The swine flu virus is destroyed by cooking temperatures of in the order of 160 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Vaccine Protection Against The Swine Flu Virus?

Up to now (End of April 2009) there are no vaccines known protecting individuals from this influenza virus ailment. Each year there is usually an flu vaccine being released, however it is unclear if this flu protection works on the swine flu bug. Please, do not take risks and visit your health care professional at any symptoms of influenza illness.

Earlier] swine flu infections have been cured with no treatment at all.

The influenza virus is widespread and follows a pattern of seasonal occurrence. In some cases it has developed resistance towards antiviral drugs and therefore reducing the effectiveness of treatment.

So far in Mexico or the United States, health officials have recommended the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for treatment.  Make an informed decision by visiting your local health centre or professional in case of observed symptoms of the virus.

What Are Typical Symptoms of Swine Flu Virus?

Acute respiratory tract infections of any kind throughout the influenza season could be an indication for swine flu infection. Even mild symptoms should be taken seriously, especially by children, elderly people, pregnant or any physically compromised individuals like patients or people on some type of medication program. Please try to find your next nearest health information, be it from your doctor or any qualified health practitioner.

How To Decrease The Risk Of Infection?

Avoid individuals who seem to have the flu, especially those with signs of fever or coughing.

Eat healthy foods and drink 100 % fruit liquids or filtered water. Avoid uncooked meat, especially pig, cooked as stated above should be okay.  Practice recommended health habits like physical fitness as much as possible.

Should someone in your family unit be infected make sure you take that person to the hospital or doctor for advice and treatment. If it’s not possible keep that person at least 3 feet away from others.

Improve the circulation of air in the room where the sick person is staying. Use doors and windows, if possible, for the ventilation.

Keep the area clean from dirt or any open cans, dustbins etc. Do not forget to cleanse your hands properly each time after contact with the infected person. COVER MOUTH AND NOSE permanently with professional masks from your local authority or pharmacy. They must be clean and unused.

Prevention of swine flu is easier than you think.  First, do not live in fear.  This alone will weaken your immune system.  Living a healthy daily life is the best preventitive measure.  The stronger your immune system, the less likely you will contract the flu.

Good luck and excellent health!

Sometimes people are confused when they see the telltale signs of a shingles rash. “Looks like I have a spider bite,” some people say initially. Then, later, they surmise, “Perhaps it’s just hives — an allergic reaction to something.” As the rash begins to spread, they wonder, “Have I come into contact with poison sumac, poison oak or poison ivy perhaps?” The easiest way to eliminate these other suspects is to understand that the herpes viruses are unique in that they are accompanied by pain. Other allergic reaction rashes are itchy, but they don’t physically hurt.

By the time you notice the red patches of the shingles rash on your skin, you have already had an active herpes virus in your system for one or two days. The shingles painful rash develops on one side of the face, chest or abdomen, where the nerves have been carrying the virus. The area where the rash develops is usually red, swollen and painful. The blistering is a brighter red and clusters together to form a “band-like” pattern around the body. During this time, an infected person could transmit the chickenpox virus to people who have never had it before. After three to five days, the blisters will scab over and the contagiousness phase is over. Within 2-4 weeks, the scabs fall off and the skin begins to heal.

There are several things a patient can do at home to reduce the itching and pain of the shingles rash. The sores can be cleansed with anti-bacterial soap and lukewarm water once or twice each day. Patients should be cautious not to scrub vigorously, however, or the rash could spread to other parts of the body. Once the washing and rinsing cycles are complete, it’s best to let the skin air-dry. Cool compresses with chilled ice packs may be put on to relieve pain and itching. Anti-itching treatments like calamine lotion will provide relief, and an aluminum acetate solution helps to dry up the blisters. Bandages may be placed on the painful rash to prevent spreading, although the scabs may take slightly longer to heal this way. Patients are advised to wear loose fitting clothing to prevent further agitation of the lesions.

In addition to treating the shingles rash, doctors will often prescribe pain medication. Over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil and Tylenol are often used. Patients who develop postherpetic neuralgia (10-15% of shingles patients) may require heavier drugs to alleviate their pain and suffering. Antidepressants (amitriptyline), topic anesthetics (lidocaine patches), opioids (codeine), anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin) and topical creams (capasaicin) can also be prescribed to reduce pain.

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Shingles pain shoots down the nerves at an alarming speed, leaving a wake of itching, pain and numbness behind. Soon the telltale scabs appear, oozing and crusting over before healing. Sometimes even after these repulsive marks disappear, the pain persists with a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). “Shingles patients suffer from a lot of pain, sometimes even needing narcotic pain relievers,” explains Joseph Jorizzo, MD, professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The first sign of a chickenpox virus reactivation is a burning sensation on the nerve paths where the virus is traveling. Since the nerve paths run in half-circles around the body, the burning, itching, tingling shingles pain occurs on one side of the face, chest or abdomen only. Within the first 24 hours, patients will notice a fever and enlarged lymph nodes. Within 48-72 hours, the skin rash appears like small blisters on top of swollen, red skin. Unlike chickenpox, which spreads all over the body from finger tips to toes, shingles are confined to smaller areas on the face, abdomen and chest. After three to five days, the rash has reached its peak and is now beginning to burst, turn into sores and slowly scab over. After two to three weeks, the scabs fall off, leaving the skin to heal. For many people, the rash region is extremely painful for weeks or months after the scabs have gone. Something as simple as having a shirt touch the skin can send waves of nerve pain radiating around the body.

Shingles pain is often much worse than it needs to be because many patients don’t get to the doctor soon enough for antiviral therapy. Dr. Karl Beutner explains: “On the first day they have a little back pain, and then on the second day they notice a little rash and think maybe it’s a spider bite. On day three, they notice more pain and the rash gets worse, so they call the doctor and maybe get in on day six or day seven.” However, the most effective treatments are administered 48-72 hours after the onset of shingles symptoms, he says. So just when should patients call a doctor? Beutner says, “If you have pain, and then a rash, that’s an important signal. There are very few other rashes that are actually painful. If you have a painful, blistering rash, that means you need to get in to the doctor sooner rather than later.”

The US Food and Drug administration just approved a new drug aimed at treating shingles pain. The Quentza patch delivers a synthetic form of the hot substance found in chili peppers. Strangely enough, clinical studies showed that a one-hour application of up to four patches reduced PHN pain for up to 12 weeks. Since this medication is non-narcotic, it is unlikely to cause drowsiness or interact with other drugs, as many other shingles medications might. The most common side effects were redness at the application site, increased blood pressure and some itching.

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