The Pig's Revenge

What is H1N1? It's a virus which has gene segments from the swine, avian and human flu virus. Scientists have christened it influenza-a (h1n1) virus, commonly known as swine flu.

What's A Pandemic? An epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through human populations across a large region. On June 11, the who declared h1n1 a pandemic.

Symptoms: Similar to seasonal flu. The patient will have fever, cough, sore throat, body ache, headache, chills, difficulty in breathing and fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting.

Treatment: Tamiflu is the market name for Oseltamivir. It is the only medication currently available.

Do's

• Avoid meeting people for the first week if you have just returned from an affected country
  
• Report family and friends to a doctor if they have common flu symptoms
  
• Keep a distance from people who have symptoms of influenza
  
• Wash your hands frequently and cover your mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing

• Shake hands, hug and kiss socially or use other greetings which involves physical contact
  
• Take medicines such as Tamiflu without consulting a physician
  
• Cough or sneeze directly into bare hands

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