Questions and answers about the swine flu
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Consultagripe@gmail.com NOTICE: It is important that anyone (any country), who have flu symptoms, and traveled from South America or from Mexico, consult a doctor or a health center.
Twenty-eight questions and answers about the swine flu
28 How much time can pass from the infection until symptoms appear? usually two to five days. 27 How long is the incubation period? Can pass at that time? flu incubated for 24 to 48 hours. And generally, is contagious a day before the onset of symptoms. The period of greatest risk of infection occurs when patients are and with symptoms (symptomatic). Anyway, it is possible that a patient is still asymptomatic, can infect people who are near you. 26 Why are only people dying from the flu in Mexico? The reasons are not entirely clear and the government is still investigating, but are very important for the rest of the country and around the world to prevent and manage the disease. - The first reason might be gaps in the health system, deficiencies in the health system. disadvantaged people without insurance or medical coverage and unable to pay attention, remain conspicuously displayed. When the virus affects people with weakened immune system, in precarious conditions, with poor nutrition or poor health system, it can cause a secondary bacterial infection that causes serious complications, including death. Assess whether the swine flu really is the cause of death or whether those who died were patients with other underlying diseases, with poor immune systems.
- Secondly, it may be due to delayed diagnosis. detection of swine influenza in a Canadian patient, who had just returned from Mexico, and confirmation by specialists from the city of Atlanta (USA), placed on notice that the Mexican government as was thinking at that moment, the common cold. - also may have been determining the time it took to identify the type of flu. Perhaps the virus is not necessarily very violent because, once it has begun to address adequately the number of deaths was decreasing. 1 What does the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to increase the health alert, three to four?
means that the virus is transmitted easily from person to person the other and could be in a new stage: the beginning of a pandemic.
At this time, the virus is already widespread geographically and the main action is recommended to governments is the alleviation of disease by antiviral drugs.
over this action is recommended (mitigation) rather than trying to contain the virus.
2 How is the level that is attributable to viral outbreaks?
WHO is based on these criteria:
- The appearance of an unknown illness;
- The potential to spread across borders and countries.
- Have high rates of infection and mortality (which are recorded many patients and many deaths)
- The potential to change world trade and international travel
- To produce great difficulty for countries to contain the outbreak.
- A source accidental, intentional or deliberate.
If additional criteria are met, it will raise the alert level:
Phase 1) virus circulating among animals but have not caused any human infection
2) The virus affecting domestic and wild animals, has infected a person, so it can be considered a potential pandemic threat
3) The virus affects small groups of people and is given for the first time, the transmission from human to human, and not only from animals to humans. However, they are sporadic cases and under certain circumstances.
4) The power of the virus to spread between people is checked and is capable of causing 'community outbreaks. " This significantly increases the risk of a pandemic.
5) is characterized by the spread of virus from human to human by at least two countries in the same region.
6) pandemic phase. The outbreak of disease has occurred in most countries in different regions. Reaching this level means that the pandemic is underway, has begun.
3 What are the recommended drugs to mitigate the disease?
At this moment, the most common is oseltamivir.
is a selective antiviral against influenza viruses, flu, cold or flu. It is produced by the laboratory
Roche and its trade name Tamiflu.
From the technical point of view, his action is based on the inhibition of neuraminidase present in the virus, that are responsible for releasing the virus from infected cells, thus promoting its spread.
This medication decreases the symptoms of patients with recently acquired influenza and reduce the incidence of symptoms of influenza, bacterial infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis.
It comes in capsules and administered 75 mg capsule every twelve hours for five days.
Importantly, this medicine does not replace the flu vaccine
4 Can today produced a vaccine?
Laboratories began trying to create a specific vaccine against swine flu, but at least six months can take its production and will also produce it long enough to cover the huge global needs.
5 What is the situation now?
We face a complex situation and its evolution is unpredictable.
In the initial stages of any disease, any cold or flu in particular, there is always some uncertainty and confusion.
The world should be aware to reports given by world experts as they are studying the virus, its behavior and in turn, will suggest what action to take.
For the government of Mexico this week is critical to stop the spread of the virus, because it is assumed that from the epidemiological point, it takes 10 days to cut the chain of transmission.
6 What real risk exists for each one of us?
In the coming days is likely to register an increasing number of suspected cases among travelers who have been in Mexico and the U.S.. and, upon their return, submit a picture clinically compatible with influenza. If there are any doubts, it is time to consult a doctor.
Many of them do not have, and it is even possible that they may have another virus other than influenza.
7 What preventive measures should be taken?
remember basic hygiene rules like washing hands. For those returning from Mexico or the U.S. at this time and do not have any clinical symptoms, it is a normal life.
Travelers who have symptoms after returning from a travel in areas at risk, you should consult your doctor.
8 What are the measurements?
The aim of the measures is to reduce the risk of a possible new influenza strain, which did not originally exist in each country, could be introduced and spread.
9 How will the situation?
The flu is characterized by its unpredictability.
We can not make predictions.
It is possible that this is a new strain that usually causes mild disease and is contained in certain parts of the world without extending in particular.
swine flu spreads from person to person, but it is not known if transmission is very effective.
normal flu occurs every year around the world a large number of cases.
In a low percentage, the flu have complications.
10 What is actually the flu?
Until now know that is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a virus, which frequently causes outbreaks in these animals.
is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Many animals often get sick but its mortality is generally low (up to 4%).
The virus is spread among pigs by aerosol and by direct and indirect contact.
The most frequent virus type H1N1, but also circulating among pigs other viruses such as H1N2 or H3N1. Outbreaks among pigs normally occur frequently, mainly in autumn and winter.
11 How People can get sick from flu?
swine influenza viruses do not usually infect humans.
There had been occasional cases, usually among people who have direct contact with infected pigs, as workers in farms and fields.
clinical presentation is wide, variables have signs and symptoms, from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia.
As the clinical presentation of classical swine influenza in humans is similar to the flu (fever, cough, headache ...) and other acute respiratory tract infections, most cases have been detected by chance, through the system surveillance common flu.
mild or asymptomatic cases may have escaped detection, so that they know the real extent of the disease among humans.
12 Can easily spread among humans?
apparently are multiplying cases of the virus spreading from human to human, probably in the same way as seasonal flu or flu, through coughing or sneezing infected persons.
The flu can spread quietly and people who are infected can spread the virus even before they begin to show symptoms.
One of the biggest problems is that it causes flu-like symptoms of the flu, as do dozens of other viruses and bacteria.
fever, headache, muscle aches, dry cough, extreme fatigue, all of these symptoms may be caused by numerous other infections.
13 What are the symptoms of flu?
These are similar to those of flu: fever, cough, sneezing, tiredness, fatigue, lack of appetite.
14 Does the same swine influenza virus is making people sick in Mexico, Canada, Spain, the United States and other countries?
Apparently, the Mexican virus samples are equal to the virus in the United States and Canada.
This is a mixture of human virus, influenza virus swine virus in North America and North America, Europe and Asia.
15 Are there drugs to treat swine flu in humans?
are four drugs approved in the U.S. to treat the flu, but the new virus has shown some resistance.
Antiviral drugs for flu are available in some countries prevent and treat the disease effectively.
There are two classes of agents: adamantane (amantadine and remantadine) and neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir).
Most previous cases of swine flu was fully recovered from the disease without requiring medical attention or antiviral drugs.
The information is insufficient to make recommendations on the use of antivirals in the prevention and treatment of swine influenza infection.
Doctors must make decisions based on clinical and epidemiological assessments and damage assessment / treatment and benefits to the patient. For the current outbreak in the U.S. and Mexico, national and local authorities recommend using oselatmivir (the currently used) or zanamivir for treatment and prevention of disease, based on the susceptibility profile of the virus.
16 A flu vaccine protects against flu?
flu vaccine this season, used this year, probably will not provide protection against the most recent swine influenza virus.
there a vaccine for pigs, but not for humans.
flu viruses change very quickly and the match between the vaccine and circulating viruses is very important to give adequate immunity to the vaccinated people.
therefore need to select virus twice a year for the flu vaccine.
The current influenza vaccine produced under WHO guidelines for viruses of swine flu.
not known whether the influenza vaccine can provide cross-protection against current flu outbreak.
17 Are We in Latin America, Europe or the rest of the world, we must do something special?
recommended routine actions to prevent infectious diseases: wash hands frequently, cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, and avoid close contact with sick people.
If you are sick should stay home and limit contact with others.
18 What about traveling to that area?
not strictly intends not to travel, but the governments of Chile and Spain for example, recommend avoiding travel.
other hand, advises everyone to be vigilant about the disease, take precautions and protect themselves against infection, for example washing your hands.
19 Is it safe to eat pork sausages and derivatives?
Yes
Swine flu is not spread to people through consumption of pork processed or prepared properly or through other pork products. The swine flu virus is killed by cooking at temperatures of 70 ยบ C.
20 Is there a real risk of a pandemic (worldwide epidemic)?
is likely that most people, especially those who have no regular contact with pigs, do not have immunity to swine influenza viruses that can prevent infection from this virus. If a swine flu virus spread efficiently among humans achieved, could cause a pandemic.
The impact of a pandemic caused by this type of virus is difficult to predict: it depends on the virulence of the virus, immunity between people, that could confer cross-protective antibodies to the flu. The swine influenza virus can lead to a hybrid virus mixing with a human flu virus and cause a pandemic.
21 What are the countries affected so far?
Mexico, Canada, Spain and the United States are the only countries that have confirmed cases.
Guatemala, Peru, France, Italy, Israel, New Zealand have cases under consideration.
22 Why the World Health Organization is on alert?
Because there are human cases associated with an animal flu virus, but also by the geographical of individual outbreaks and unusual by the age groups affected, the WHO said in a statement.
This is a new virus not only for humans but for the world, said officials of the Ministry of Health Canada.
Approximately 80% of this virus is related to some North American strains of influenza and the remaining 20% \u200b\u200bis a Eurasian strain of influenza was detected for the first time in Thailand. It has now been reconfigured into something completely new but it is not known how this change occurred.
virus (H1N1 or influenza A) is the first time that an avian strain is, two pig strains and a human strain in the virus.
This type of virus that the human immune system is unknown, may have the characteristics necessary to trigger a flu pandemic.
23 "The disease affects people of all ages?
specialists are finding that so far most of the dead were between 26 and 44 years.
All very good health. This seems to be the difference in the deadly flu affects the elderly and children.
24 How to confirm the diagnosis of infections with influenza or swine influenza in humans?
usually collect a sample of respiratory secretions between the first 4 to 5 days of illness. Since this is the time when an infected person is more likely to spread the virus, although sometimes the younger ones, can spread the virus for 10 days or more.
Later, for identification of swine influenza virus type A is necessary to send the sample to the laboratory.
25 What are the measures of prevention and hygiene?
- Do not create panic. Instead, bring serenity and tranquility to disseminate information and knowledge.
- Wash your hands frequently is very important.
- when you cough or sneeze on others to do so and if you cough on your hands, immediately wash
- When you sneeze, cover your mouth with the angle of the arm, not your hand.
- In case of an influenza symptoms, consult a physician.
- Avoid places of concentration of people.
- Do not share food, cups and cutlery.
- Ventilate and allow the entry of sun into the house, offices and all enclosed places.
- Keep the kitchen the bathroom, toys, telephones or frequently used objects.
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