Swine Flu Primer
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.
Precautions
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
Don’ts
- 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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