Top 7 Things You Should Know About Swine Flu:

As of now, there are about 1400 cases reported from Mexico with about 100 deaths so far. Swine flu has now been reported from Canada, Mexico, United States, New Zealand and several European countries. In the US, there are about 40 reported cases from 5 states – New York, Ohio, California, Texas and Kansas - New York City leads all states with 28 confirmed cases. The World Health Organization’s director-general, Margaret Chan, said the outbreak of the never-before-seen virus is a very serious situation and has “pandemic potential.”

Top 7 Things You Should Know About Swine Flu:
Incubation is short – 1 to 3 days but period of communicability (i.e. you can giev it to others) – extends from the day before onset of symptoms to the time when all symptoms are gone or at a minimum 7 days after symptom onset.
Swine Flu is an Influenza A Virus – it will be positive on rapid screens for Influenza A.
Tamiflu and Relenza both are likely to be efficacious if used within the first 48 hours of illness. Amantadine and Ranantidine have not been helpful in prior swine flu cases over the years and therefore should not be used.
There is a significant difference in clincal manifestation between Mexico and US. The mortality rate in Mexico is impressive while symptoms appear to be mild in other countries despite the virus being identical in the US and Mexico.
The swine flu virus identified is a fusion of genes from swine flu, avian flu and human flu. It is a novel virus strain and does have the potential to cause a pandemic as happened with Spanish flu in 1918.
The US has declared a public health emergency and is recommending that Americans avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
The disease is not transmitted by eating pork. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What of President Obama’s meeting with a man who apparently succumbed to Swine Flu hours later? Well, it has been a week since he visited the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City Thursday, where the meeting took place and he is fine. You can bet the house that he was under tight medical surveillance during that time and given anti-viral medications (Tamiflu/Relenza) immediately upon discovery of that info.

“The president’s trip to Mexico has not put his health in any danger,” said spokesman Robert Gibbs.

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by Sarah Fox