Swine flu virus has killed up to 149 people in Mexico and infected people in the US and Europe, as the world moved closer to its first flu pandemic in 40 years.

The last outbreak, a “Hong Kong” flu pandemic in 1968, killed about million people.

What is Swine Flu?

Based on Wikipedia description, Swine influenza (also swine flu) refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV).

Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in humans (a strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1) is believed to have undergone such a mutation.

In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medicines.

Of the three genera of human flu, two are endemic also in swine: Influenzavirus A (common) and Influenzavirus C (rare). Influenzavirus B has not been reported in swine. Within Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus C, the strains endemic to swine and humans are largely distinct.

Prevention of spread in humans

Recommendations to prevent spread of the virus among humans include using standard infection control against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. Vaccines against the H1N1 strain in the 2009 human outbreak are being developed and could be ready as early as June 2009.

Experts agree that hand-washing can help prevent viral infections, a surprisingly effective way to prevent all sorts of diseases, including ordinary influenza and the new swine flu virus. Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows little particles of virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria. Anyone with flu-like symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work or public transportation and should see a doctor to be tested.

Social distancing is another tactic. It means staying away from other people who might be infected and can include avoiding large gatherings, spreading out a little at work, or perhaps staying home and lying low if an infection is spreading in a community.

Very simply, if you are normally healthy and well, bed rest, a mild pain reliever and lots of fluids are the best treatment. You can take paracetamol (adults can use aspirin) to control fever, muscle aches and pains. Within days, your body will rid itself of the virus. If you do not seem to be improving, see your doctor in case you need treatment for complications from the flu. Avoid alcohol and tobacco smoke as much as possible.
Antibiotics, designed to kill bacteria, cannot fight the virus – these drugs have no role in treating influenza if you are healthy. Your doctor might advice antibiotics if you have developed bacterial complications as a result of having flu. There are now at least four antiviral drugs for influenza which can reduce the length of symptoms by one to two days but the virus tends to develop resistance to these quite expensive drugs. The two most common ones are oral oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and the inhaler, zanamivir (Relenza).

Vaccination is the only active way to prevent and control influenza. It can prevent the flu in 70 per cent to 90 percent of young, healthy adults. You can still get the flu after having a flu vaccine but you will be far less sick than someone who has not received the vaccine. The vaccine reduces the severity of the symptoms and protects you from other viruses that sometimes feel like the flu.
Different types of flu vaccines have been available and used for more than 60 years. The difficult aspect of vaccine development is that the influenza viruses are constantly changing, so that the vaccines must also be changed annually to target the most recent circulating flu viruses. Scientists need about four months to develop a new vaccine that protects against a new virus.
There is no single vaccine that can be used to protect you from flu forever. While flu viruses can become resistant to antiviral drugs, they have not yet developed resistance to flu vaccines. Last winter in the USA, the influenza A (H3H2) virus was the predominant flu virus and it caused a more severe flu season.
Because the flu vaccine is only effective for one year and viruses vary from year to year, you should have a flu shot every year. Immunity does not develop immediately after your vaccination. The flu vaccine takes about 14 days to provide its greatest protection. Ask your doctor about getting vaccinated before the flu season arrives. Here in Australia, the vaccine is usually available from March each year.
If you’re not in one of the groups recommended to get the flu shot you still choose to be immunized. Your GP will write a prescription which will cost whatever the pharmacist charges. This year, US health authorities are recommending that all children aged six months to 18 years receive an annual influenza vaccination. These recommendations have nit yet been introduced in Australia. You can still ask your doctor for advice.
Our three kids already got the shots but we parents not yet so I guess by this month we can have it for prevention.

Flu starts when an influenza virus enters your body through your nose and mouth, although the virus does not start an infection in everybody who is exposed to it. To make you ill, a virus needs to get into your respiratory tract (the passages from your nose and mouth into your lungs).
The virus can be spread by coughs and sneezes spraying droplets on to surfaces, especially in crowded, enclosed spaces. These viruses can survive outside the body for some time, especially in cold and dry weather. If you touch droplets containing a virus for a respiratory disease, and then touch your face near your nose or mouth, the virus can enter and move down your respiratory tract. This is the most common way to catch the flu.
It usually takes between one and four days for you to develop flu symptoms after the influenza virus enters your body through your nose or throat. You are infectious from the day before you develops symptoms until seven days after symptoms start.

About three days after being exposed to the virus, the symptoms of the fly usually develop suddenly. Symptoms are similar to those caused by cold viruses, but they tend to be more severe and to last longer:
* Fever (temperature of 37-40 Degrees Celsius or higher)
* Aching in muscles and joins all over the body
* Headache
* General feeling of being very ill
* Dry cough
* Blocked or runny nose
* Lack of appetite
* Extreme tiredness
* Chills and sweating

Medical scientists are predicting that avian flu (bird flu H5H1) may be be next year major pandemic to occur on our planet. This flu is a very infectious disease of birds caused by the Influenza A virus.
All birds are susceptible to the flu but wild ducks, domestic chickens and turkeys are particularly at risk to a very fatal type of the virus. Control of the outbreak means quarantining infected farms and the destruction of domestic poultry flocks, resulting in a great economic loss to farmers and governments.
The major concern for world health authorities is that the bird flu will mix with a human flu virus and mutate rapidly, forming a new viral strain deadly to humans by human-to-human contact.
Population will not have immunity to the new virus and will be susceptible to severe illness and death before a vaccine can be developed to protect them.
They have been recent alarms of bird flu being transmitted directly to humans in Indonesia, Vietnam, HongKong and Egypt in 2008; internationally 238 people have now died from avian flu, with most of these deaths being in Indonesia and Vietnam. Almost all of these cases have been caught from birds flu in Australia. Health authorities here closely monitor the situation in neighbouring countries and are well prepared for any Australian outbreak of this flu.