Swine Flu: Symptoms and treatment. Is there a vaccine?

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs. It was isolated in 1930. It is caused by Influenza type A which brings about the disease in pigs. This happens on a pretty regular basis and doesn’t cause many deaths in pigs. The pigs certainly get ill and it happens with a large number of pigs usually in the fall and winter months of the year. That is when most of the human population gets their versions of influenza injections as well, better known as “the flu shot”.

Every year the flu vaccines that are received by humans are just a bit different. The virus used to make our flu injection is grown in a lab dish to make a vaccine that most likely matches the strain of the influenza that is expected that season. The strains of flu morph every season and although the symptoms of the flu are the same or mostly similar to the last year’s strain, the vaccinations can be targeted to the specific strain or species of the virus that will affect people that year. If a person get the vaccination and still gets ill with the flu it is said that it is possible the person got a strain of the flu that was more severe or not covered in the vaccination the person received. It is impossible to cover every variation of a virus that is continually changing.

Viruses can change constantly and that is the same of the swine flu. Pigs can become infected with other viruses that have reassorted or “swapped genes” and a new strain of the virus is born. Pigs can get infected with avian (bird) flu, human and other strains of swine flu from other pigs too and then the reassorting/ gene swapping begins again creating a new subtype of that virus.

There is a vaccine to protect pigs from the virus but currently no vaccine to protect humans from catching swine flu. A seasonal influenza vaccination grown and manufactured for humans will only partially protect a person. Since there are 4 substrains of swine influenza type A, the seasonal flu shot will give a person only partial protection from only one of the variations of the swine flu but not against the main species of the swine flu that we are seeing in the world news in the past week or so.

The symptoms of swine flu closely mimic the symptoms of human influenza. Coughing, fever, runny nose, fatigue, headache and a loss of appetite are consistent with both human and swine influenzas. Additional symptoms which may require being seen by a physician include chills, nausea, congestion, sore throat, lethargy, a fever over 101 degrees, vomiting and diarrhea which can bring about dehydration and put the sick person at additional risk. This will usually land the person a night or two in the hospital with IV fluids and meds. Swine flu doesn’t usually infect humans but this does occur when a person has close proximity with pigs that are infected and then is around other people. The person can catch the swine flu virus from the pigs that are infected and it is then passed on from an infected person to others through coughing, sneezing and casual contact. Just as in human influenza, if a person touches something which has the flu virus on it and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth they can then contract that virus.

With most viruses there is a window period called “shedding”. That would be the ideal time where sputum (a respiratory sample coughed up) is obtained and sent to the CDC for examination. During this shedding period, there has not been sufficient time for the body to send out any protection and the virus can be more readily identified. Shedding a virus is much like shedding old dead skin cells and can easily spread a virus during that time frame. For adults shedding a virus occurs most likely 4-5 days after the infection is received. The antigen can be identified most easily during that window period of shedding.

When an antigen, the invader disease state that infects the person, enters the body, there is an antibody response to that antigen or invader. That is when our little soldier cells (white cells) respond to the invading infection and build more and more little soldier cells to fight the infection. Children may shed longer due to decreased antibody loads due to age or vaccinations received thus far in their little lives. This antigen/ antibody response usually takes care of the invader and we get better but those persons who are compromised health wise have a much harder time of it. Persons with compromised pulmonary functions, diseases that do not allow for full recovery such as HIV and cystic fibrosis are also at increased risk and should take all precautions to avoid catching swine flu.

So how do we as a community protect ourselves against the swine flu?

Education. Education. Education.

Every year Health Departments around the country preach the gospel of Good Community Health through hand washing, cough control and sneeze protection for those around us. These are the 3 main things a person can do to protect themselves from almost any invader disease state. Just like condoms add barrier protection for those who use them, we, as a community, are asked to make a barrier of our own sniffles and sneezes to avoid passing our germs to the next person. Make it a practice to wash hands often, especially with children who don’t think to wash their hands and often share toys, food and germs. As adults it is necessary for us to make good examples of ourselves and teach our children good hand washing practices to avoid spreading diseases. This applies to avoiding passing a cold to avoiding passing on swine flu. Carry hand sanitizing gels or wipes if you feel you will be where there may not be adequate facilities for hand washing. Kleenexes now come in varieties where they capture germs on the tissues and the germs are disposed with the tissues. Zinc is always a good option for staying healthy. Sleep and a proper diet can also help, but barrier methods and cleanliness work the best for not passing on germs and infections.

If you or a loved one comes down with an illness that you suspect could be the swine flu it may be best to see a physician if the symptoms begin to mimic a worse illness than just a regular flu. If there is fever, persistent coughing that sounds like a barking, fever, vomiting or diarrhea, go to a healthcare professional and get checked out. An ounce of prevention is worth a lot in this situation, but when that fails, is there a pound of cure to be had?

Testing has shown that the human swine influenza H1N1 (the main strain of swine influenza) can be treated with the antivirals oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). If you suspect you may have had contact with someone who has any symptoms of the swine flu it may be necessary to be on antiviral therapy to avoid spreading the disease and to recover. If there are any further questions or concerns about the state of your health and swine flu, please contact your healthcare professional for early treatment.

FACTBOX: Swine Flu

BANGALORE — U.S. health officials are investigating a strange new type of swine influenza that has infected at least seven people and which is expected to be found in more.

Here are some facts about the virus and flu viruses in general:

* The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1.

* It is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. The new flu virus contains DNA typical to avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses.

* Flu viruses mutate constantly, which is why the flu vaccine is changed every year, and they can also swap DNA in a process called re-assortment. Most animals can get flu but viruses rarely pass from one species to another.

* From December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza were confirmed, all but one among people who had contact with pigs. There was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

* Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of seasonal influenza — sudden onset of fever, coughing, muscle aches and extreme tiredness. Swine flu appears to cause more diarrhea and vomiting than normal flu.

* People rarely catch avian flus. Notable exceptions include the H1N1 strain that caused the 1918 pandemic and H5N1 bird flu, which has killed 257 out of 421 infected in 15 countries since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

* Seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally in an average year.

* When a new strain of flu starts infecting people, and when it acquires the ability to pass from person to person, it can spark a pandemic. The last pandemic was in 1968 and killed about a million people.

* In 1976 a new strain of swine flu started infecting people and worried U.S. health officials started widespread vaccination. More than 40 million people were vaccinated. But several cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe and sometime fatal condition that can be linked to come vaccines, caused the U.S. government to stop the program. The incident led to widespread distrust of vaccines in general.

Swine Flu Symptoms: Was Obama Exposed to Swine Influenza?

Here are the symptoms of ’swine flu’ just in case you are getting nervous. The Mexican swine flu has all the elements of a global pandemic although the odds of such an historic catastrophe remain small. Cases of swine influenza have already been reported in dozens of countries with thousands sick and over 200 dead in Mexico in just the first week.
Swine Flu Symptoms
Symptoms of Mexican swine flu might include some of the following factors:
–cough
–congestion
–fever
–sore throat
–lack of appetite
–headaches
–nausea
–body aches and pains, particularly in the joints.
–Weakness, fatigue, low levels of energy.

See a doctor if you suspect that you have swine influenza as exhibited by any pig flu symptoms.

U.S. President Barack Obama was exposed to swine flu on his trip to Mexico last week. Obama was greeted by archeologist Felipe Solis at a museum in Mexico City where they warmly embraced. Felipe Solis was dead the next day from what was described then as swine flu symptoms, although local health officials changed the diagnosis to non-descriptive “pneumonia” for apparent diplomatic reasons.

Reports are that Obama knew about the outbreak three days before his visit but decided to go anyway. His imprudence may have been pushed by criticism for having never visited Mexico during his short lifetime before the presidency.

Obama may never feel the symptoms of the bug but because of his exposure he may have been a contagious carrier of the deadly disease back into the United States. There is a chance he infected others. Do not expect the White House to confirm such an interesting scenario even if true.

And luckily for the nation, do not expect the president to get sick. The vast majority of people exposed to any flu strain including the swine flu do not exhibit symptoms of illness. However do not expect Barack Obama to visit Mexico again soon!

The fact that our president can be so easily exposed (and expose others) means we should all be aware and take reasonable precautions.

Swine flu symptoms are similar to the symptoms of other flu strains but the effects are often more pronounced. They will ravage elderly patients and the young harder than others, and those with weakened immune systems will be most vulnerable.

The disease is airborne so it is normally transmitted by coughing or sneezing, or through ventilation systems inside buildings. A mask is not a bad idea, particularly when visiting the sick or you are confined in close proximity with other people like in an airplane. See much more information here.

There is no swine flu vaccine yet. You are not protected if you got a flu shot this year. Flu shots only protect against a few strains of the flu which are expected to be most dangerous in a given year. The pig flu was not predicted by disease experts so they have not even developed serum for it.

The odds of a global pandemic from swine flu are small. Clearly there is panic particularly in Mexico today. Many cases have already been reported in the United States in the last week, although cases of influenza are always reported. Still, if you have swine flu symptoms go see a doctor right away.

And avoid the White House for the time being. A video explaining the symptoms of swine flu is below.