Swine Flu

Image from Yahoo News


I think that being a parent makes you a bit more paranoid about disease and infection. Most of us aren't worried about ourselves, rather we worry about our little ones coming down with something. A flu outbreak isn't supposed to be happening at this time of the year. We are supposed to be stocking up on sunscreen, finding out when the neighborhood pool opens up and figuring out if we can swing a trip to the beach this year. Instead we are being bombarded by media warnings about the swine flu outbreak. I have to admit that I am reading and watching each news update in the hopes of understanding what is going on. I came across a website that offered answers to some of the questions that I have. The website is Sky News and I think that it does a good enough job that I am going to share it with you. I have paraphrased some of the information for quicker reading.

What is swine flu? Does it come from a pig?
Swine flu is the name being given to the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus, which is a mutated virus that has parts of swine, avian and human flus.

It is also the name commonly given to the strain of more common influenza that usually infects pigs.

How do humans catch it and why is it happening now? Humans have been handling pigs for years so why is it popping up now?
Mutation, mutation, mutation.....This current strain of the H1N1 virus does infect humans because during mutation it was combined with parts of a human flu virus. It is spread through coughing and sneezing.

The original change to the virus is thought to have happened inside a pig, which was then caught by someone in close contact with it in Mexico.

What are the symptoms?
The symptoms are similar to a typical flu and include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, coughing and a sore throat. Some people have more extreme symptoms which may be as a result of the the virus being a new virus. We don't have any kind of natural immunity to it.

Should I get masks for my children?
Unfortunately mask offer very little protection against the swine flu. You are better off being extremely vigilant about washing hands and keeping surfaces clean.

How long does the virus survive outside of the body?
It survives for roughly 24 hours on hard surfaces, two hours on soft surfaces.