What is swine flu and how to treat it?

Swine flu is the same respiratory disease as the common flu, but it differs from it in some symptoms and, of course, consequences. Swine flu is very easy to catch, so doctors classify it as a highly contagious disease. This type of flu was discovered by the American doctor Richard Shoup back in 1931, but we learned about it relatively recently. It is called "swine" flu because it was very common among domestic animals, in particular, pigs. Although birds and, as it turns out, people can also get sick with it. How can you recognize swine flu in yourself or others and how to treat it?

The most important thing about swine flu

We learned about swine flu relatively recently, as it was spread mainly in farms in Kenya, Europe, the USA, as well as Taiwan, Japan and China. With the development of trade, some diseases that were previously unknown to us in practice migrated to us. Swine flu is a rather tricky disease that can mutate and change its symptoms. Therefore, it is difficult to come up with a suitable vaccine to combat it - the virus is constantly changing its characteristics.

Doctors have come up with a classification for swine flu. It is classified as a particularly dangerous group - A, it is given only to those types of diseases that are capable of causing an epidemic and which are very widespread.

If you are going to make a vaccine against swine flu, you first need to determine what virus caused it. The fact is that the vaccine that was made last year, if the nature and type of the virus changes, may be completely useless in a year.

Risk groups for swine flu

1. Children are especially susceptible to this disease – they belong to the high-risk group. Children under two years old and children over five years old are most susceptible to this disease.
2. The second risk group is the elderly, especially after 65 years of age.
3. The third risk group is pregnant women
4. The fourth risk group is people with chronic diseases. These diseases include blood diseases, cancer, lung diseases, especially chronic ones, asthma, diabetes, kidney diseases, liver diseases, nervous system disorders, brain disorders and weakened immunity.

It is important to know that swine flu can affect not only these risk groups, but also completely healthy people. Therefore, if you find symptoms of this disease, you will need to see a doctor immediately.

Symptoms of Swine Flu

The most typical symptoms of swine flu are fever and chills. Fever, high – up to 40 degrees – temperature. In this case, a person or animal can die. But with modern medical care, mortality from swine flu is low – up to 4% of those infected.

If a person has all or some of these symptoms, there is a chance that you have been infected with swine flu. It is worth knowing that not everyone who gets the flu has a high temperature. So, based on these symptoms, you can suspect that you or your loved ones have swine flu.

• Elevated temperature
• Severe cough - dry or wet
• Nasal congestion or runny nose
• Aches and pains throughout the body
• My head hurts
• The face may become red.
• A person may have chills
• Very fast fatigue
• Vomiting and diarrhea

Here are some warning signs that should prompt immediate medical attention.

What flu symptoms should a person seek immediate medical attention for?

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As for children

• Breathing too quickly or with significant difficulty
• The skin changes color to gray or bluish
• The child does not want to eat or drink
• The child has severe vomiting that does not stop for a long time.
• The child is lethargic, does not want to wake up, is inactive
• The child is too nervous, reacts with aggression to any actions of adults
• Symptoms stop for a while and then attack with renewed vigor.
• The child has a cough and a high fever.

Alarming Symptoms of Swine Flu in Adults

• The person is choking or has difficulty breathing.
• There may be pain in the chest or abdomen, there may be a feeling of pressure in these parts of the body
• A person may have attacks of dizziness, sometimes sudden
• Consciousness may be clouded
• Vomiting can be very severe and last for quite a long time.

Flu symptoms may stop and then attack the patient again.

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What is the difference between swine flu and bird flu?

Bird flu, which is called the H5N1 virus, killed a lot of patients – more than half of those who fell ill. Swine flu, many people recover even without serious treatment, although its viruses change faster.

Swine Flu Subtypes

Swine flu is divided by doctors into subtypes. The most common of them is the H1N1 subtype. It is assigned the highest - sixth degree of danger, according to the international classification. This means that the H1N1 flu virus is capable of causing large epidemics, which are called a pandemic. But this does not mean that the swine flu virus infects entire cities in practice. It is simply possible if people are not treated and not vaccinated against the flu.

There are also other subtypes of swine flu - H1N2, as well as H3N1 and H3N2. All of these types of flu are spread by airborne droplets (sneezing, coughing, unwashed hands, etc.).

Experts at the World Health Organization believe that the ability of the flu strain to change could lead to a combination of viruses. This could pose a higher mortality rate for humanity if the infection spreads.

The forecasts are that if new aggressive forms of swine flu spread, human losses could increase significantly approximately six months after the start of the epidemic. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor your health and consult a doctor in a timely manner if suspicious symptoms occur.

Treatment of swine flu

If a person has swine flu or suspects that they have symptoms, they should first of all avoid contact with other people, since the swine flu virus is transmitted by airborne droplets. In a mild form of the disease, it can go away on its own within a week.

If your symptoms indicate a severe form of flu, you should contact your local doctor or an ambulance. To determine what disease caused your suffering, the doctor will conduct a thorough diagnosis.

How is swine flu treated?

Antiviral drugs are prescribed to treat it, since swine flu is caused by viruses. These drugs may be similar to those used to treat regular flu. This will help to cope with the complications that flu can bring if you suffer it on your feet or do not treat it at all.

It is very important to stay in bed when treating the flu and to consider the possible risk of relapse of other diseases that a person has recently suffered from. You cannot decide for yourself whether or not to prescribe antiviral drugs and which ones. This decision must be made by a professional – your attending physician.

Antiviral drugs used to treat swine flu may include zanamivir and oseltamivir. Over-the-counter medications should not be used against flu without a doctor's recommendation.

How long does it take for a person to recover from swine flu?

It depends on the individual characteristics of the person. As a rule, with the right approach to treatment, the disease goes away in 7-10 days. But you must make sure that you are already healthy and will not infect others. An indicator of recovery will be a normal working condition without weakness, headache, increased fatigue, cough and fever. If you had a fever, you should stay at home for at least a day after it has passed.

It would be useful to know that after you have had the flu, you need to take precautions. First of all, wash your hands thoroughly, treat door handles with disinfectants at home, and wear an antiviral mask in public transport. And turn away when other people cough or sneeze, and try not to come into contact with sick adults and children.

Swine flu is a rather serious disease. Therefore, you need to protect your health with additional preventive measures to avoid getting sick, take vitamins on time and avoid contact with sick people.