In 1918 flu pandemic a similar strain of type A H1N1 influenza virus had taken the lives of 20 to 100 million. Also known as Spanish flu, the flu pandemic spread to the Arctic and Pacific islands.Today, early 2009, the type A H1N1 influenza virus is of a novel strain and many virology believed that it is a hybrid strain from North American swine flu, North American avian flu, human H1N1 flu and swine flu from Asia and Europe. The evolution of this new strain was caused by complex mutation of the virus. It was either due to our lust for bacon or according toconspiracy theorist, the virus was genetically doctored for the profit of certain evil group.
Influenza virus consists of three major types, namely type A, B and C in which belong to the family of Orthomyxviridae. And each of type A virulent has two proteins attached to the surface of the virus, one is hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). There are all together 16 H and 9 N subtypes known in birds but only H 1, 2, and 3 and N 1 and 2 are commonly known in human. Type B and C virulent are not common as these types mutates 2-3x slower than type A, and because of limited host range (only seals and pigs) they have a lower chance to create a pandemic.
Type A influenza virus particularly originated from wild aquatic birds predominantly ducks, geese, and gulls. This type A avian influenza are commonly spread when these birds start to migrate to different regions of the world. So, can we really blame the pigs (swine) for this pandemic? How did avian flu evolve into swine flu? One resource mentioned that swine barns which usually get pond water to wash down the barns contains avian viruses. As a result, pigs became the host of the avian flu virus. But, pigs are also susceptible to infection from both avian host virus and human host virus. Sometimes when pigs contracted two viruses, these viruses will experience reassortment or antigenic shift in the pigs and this new strain of virus can ocassionally transmit to humans. The reason pigs are susceptible to both avian and human flu virus because the cells of the respiratory tract are susceptible to infection.
Below are the symptoms that we can watch out for or if you prefer, you can seek medical attention from "Dr. Gregory House" so that he can criticized how you are wasting his time. *grin*
1. Fever (38-39 deg C)
2. Sore throat
3. Cough
4. Nasal congestion
5. Chills and fatigue
6. Body aches
7. Headache
8. Occasionally vomiting and diarrhea
These symptoms may look vague and as far as I know, common cold also follows these symptoms. It is common even the 1918 influenza was initially misdiagnosed as dengue, cholera, or typhoid.
However, for children and particularly in the high risk groups which cover adults > 65 years of age, pregnant women, low immune system after organ transplant, people infected with diabetes, heart disease and HIV should seek immediate medical attention or advised to take vaccination from your local doctors. According to World Health Organization (WHO), a single dose of swine flu vaccine is enough to immunize adults and children over 10 years. In addition, regular flu vaccine will not be effective for this newly discovered strain of H1N1 virus. Also it means one needs to take two flu shots to be fully covered. In my opinion, vaccination is still under clinical trial and it is entirely up to the local government and health department to decide what is reasonable and who should take the shots.
If you suspect you have swine flu and doctors have vigilantly verified that, there are two types of prescriptions. They are anti-viral drug which are also known as neuraminidase inhibitors which basically stop the virus from spreading by disabling one of the proteins on the surface of the virus. One of the anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu is the most common prescription while the other is Relenza, which I think is a little sophisticated as it is administered to the respiratory tract by oral inhalation. And since my girlfriend is lactose intolerance, I also want to emphasize that each blister of Relenza contains powder mixture of 5mg zanamivir and 20mg of lactose. So, it is best to describe your lactose allergy to the doctors you visit.
To those who are healthy and still having fun outside, please be very cautious especially on your personal hygiene. As droplets of virus which are air-borne can always land on the things you touch. And under certain humidity and temperature conditions, the virus can survive for a longer period of time. So, be sure to:
1. Always wash hands
2. Use hand disinfectants
3. Avoid spitting
4. Covering nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing
5. Use surface sanitizing (at home you can use diluted bleach to wipe surface)
6. Use masks (those used in the hospitals, preferably N95 respirators)
References:
1. Ron A M Fouchier et al. “Animal influenza virus surveillance,” Vaccine, Vol. 21, Issue. 16, pp. 1754-1757,May2003.
2. Jason Gale, “Swine flu Source Traced to Birds and People; Don’t blame pigs,” Bloomberg, May 2009, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=axlmGLLc9Too&refer=europe
3. Michael Le Page, “Is swine flu a bioterrorist virus?,” NewScientist, April 2009, http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/04/is-swine-flu-a-bioterrorist-vi.html
4. Frank Jordans, “WHO experts: Single dose swine flu vaccine enough,” PHYSORG, Oct 2009, http://www.physorg.com/news176120744.html
No comments:
Post a Comment