Facts about Swine Flu

[daffy654]

WHAT IS SWINE FLU AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM ORDINARY FLU?
Swine flu is a respiratory disease and has some elements of a virus found in pigs. There is no evidence of this disease circulating in pigs in the UK and scientists are investigating its origins.
Swine flu has been confirmed in a number of countries and it is spreading from human to human, which could lead to what is referred to as a pandemic flu outbreak.
Pandemic flu is different from ordinary flu because it's a new flu virus that appears in humans and spreads very quickly from person to person worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring cases of swine flu globally to see whether this virus develops into a pandemic.
Because it's a new virus, no one will have immunity to it and everyone could be at risk of catching it. This includes healthy adults as well as older people, young children and those with existing medical conditions

HOW DOES SWINE FLU SPREAD?
Flu viruses are made up of tiny particles that can be spread through the droplets that come out of your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
When you cough or sneeze without covering your nose and mouth with a tissue, those droplets can spread and others will be at risk of breathing them in.
If you cough or sneeze into your hand, those droplets and the germs in them are then easily spread from your hand to any hard surfaces that you touch, and they can live on those surfaces for some time. Everyday items such as door handles, computer keyboards, mobile and ordinary phones and the TV remote control are all common surfaces where flu viruses can be found.
If other people touch these surfaces and then touch their faces, the germs can enter their systems and they can become infected. That's how all cold and flu viruses, including swine flu, are passed on from person to person.

Continued in next post...........

[daffy654]

WHAT CAN I DO TO PROTECT MYSELF AND OTHERS AGAINST FLU?
The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to follow good hygiene practices. These will help to slow the spread of the virus and will be the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and others from infection.
When you cough or sneeze it is especially important to follow the rules of good hygiene to prevent the spread of germs:
Always carry tissues.
Use clean tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze.
Bin the tissues after one use.
Wash your hands with soap and hot water or a sanitiser gel often.
There�s a simple way to remember this:
CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
There are some other useful actions you can take now to prepare in case swine flu becomes more widespread:
Set up a network of �flu friends�.
Flu friends are neighbours, friends and relatives who can help you if you get ill. For example, they could collect medicines, food and other supplies for you, so that you don�t have to leave home if you are ill.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Some of the symptoms are the sudden onset of fever, cough or shortness of breath. Other symptoms can include headache, sore throat, tiredness, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, runny nose or loss of appetite.
It is important for us to make sure that you have upto-
date advice. This will include further information on how to access antiviral drugs, should the virus become more widespread in the UK. The Swine Flu Information Line on 0800 1 513 513 will be updated regularly.

[zzxxee]

usefull daffy xxxx

[marval]

Thanks daffy, good to have the facts.

[Lonnie]

Thanks for this info daffy, very useful.

[dot.haukes]

ok anecdotal but my son's GF was diagnosed by her GP over the phone last thursday but he told her he would not send her the medication as the side effects can be worse than the actual flu.
She is 19 and has been on bed since thursday and cannot move properly and feels exhausted and gets dehydrated quickly. My son goes each day to sit with her whilst her mum is at work. The doctor did not quatantine her family etc.
she works in a Spar shop ;parttime., has just finished college for the summer before going to leeds uni and she returned from turkey 2 weeks ago and so she doesn;t know how she got it exactly.
my son seems fine and has not shown any symptoms as yet.
all she is taking is fluid and paracetamol on doctors continued advice