What is Swine Flu Influenza? and Swine influenza frequently asked questions

Infomation from the World Heath Organisation

Swine influenza frequently asked questions

27 April 2009

• What is swine influenza?

• What are the implications for human health?

• Where have human cases occurred?

• How do people become infected?

• Is it safe to eat pork meat and products?

• What about the pandemic risk?

• Is there a human vaccine to protect swine influenza?

• What drugs are available for treatment?

• What should I do if I am in regular contact with pigs?

• How can I protect myself from getting swine influenza from infected people?

• What should I do if I think I have swine influenza?

What is swine influenza?

Swine influenza, or “swine flu”, is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs,

caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. Morbidity tends to be high and

mortality low (1-4%). The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect

contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs. Outbreaks in pigs occur year round, with an

increased incidence in the fall and winter in temperate zones. Many countries routinely

vaccinate swine populations against swine influenza.

Swine influenza viruses are most commonly of the H1N1 subtype, but other subtypes are

also circulating in pigs (e.g., H1N2, H3N1, H3N2). Pigs can also be infected with avian

influenza viruses and human seasonal influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses.

The H3N2 swine virus was thought to have been originally introduced into pigs by

humans. Sometimes pigs can be infected with more than one virus type at a time, which

can allow the genes from these viruses to mix. This can result in an influenza virus

containing genes from a number of sources, called a “reassortant” virus. Although swine

influenza viruses are normally species specific and only infect pigs, they do sometimes

cross the species barrier to cause disease in humans.

What are the implications for human health?

Outbreaks and sporadic human infection with swine influenza have been occasionally

reported. Generally clinical symptoms are similar to seasonal influenza but reported

clinical presentation ranges broadly from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia

resulting in death.

Since typical clinical presentation of swine influenza infection in humans resembles

seasonal influenza and other acute upper respiratory tract infections, most of the cases

have been detected by chance through seasonal influenza surveillance. Mild or

asymptomatic cases may have escaped from recognition; therefore the true extent of this

disease among humans is unknown.

Where have human cases occurred?

Since the implementation of IHR(2005)1 in 2007, WHO has been notified of swine

influenza cases from the United States and Spain.

How do people become infected?

People usually get swine influenza from infected pigs, however, some human cases lack

contact history with pigs or environments where pigs have been located. Human-tohuman

transmission has occurred in some instances but was limited to close contacts and

closed groups of people.

Is it safe to eat pork and pork products?

Yes. Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating

properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The

swine influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160;F/70;C, corresponding

to the general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat.

Which countries have been affected by outbreaks in pigs?

Swine influenza is not notifiable to international animal health authorities (OIE,

www.oie.int), therefore its international distribution in animals is not well known. The

disease is considered endemic in the United States. Outbreaks in pigs are also known to

have occurred in North America, South America, Europe (including the UK, Sweden,

and Italy), Africa (Kenya), and in parts of eastern Asia including China and Japan.

What about the pandemic risk?

It is likely that most of people, especially those who do not have regular contact with pigs,

do not have immunity to swine influenza viruses that can prevent the virus infection. If a

1 International Health Regulation (2005) http://www.who.int/ihr/about/en/

swine virus establishes efficient human-to human transmission, it can cause an influenza

pandemic. The impact of a pandemic caused by such a virus is difficult to predict: it

depends on virulence of the virus, existing immunity among people, cross protection by

antibodies acquired from seasonal influenza infection and host factors.

Is there a human vaccine to protect from swine influenza?

There are no vaccines that contain the current swine influenza virus causing illness in

humans. It is not known whether current human seasonal influenza vaccines can provide

any protection. Influenza viruses change very quickly. It is important to develop a

vaccine against the currently circulating virus strain for it to provide maximum protection

to the vaccinated people. This is why WHO needs access to as many viruses as possible

in order to select the most appropriate candidate vaccine virus.

What drugs are available for treatment?

There are two classes of such medicines, 1) adamantanes (amantadine and remantadine),

and 2) inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (oseltamivir and zanamivir).

Most of the previously reported swine influenza cases recovered fully from the disease

without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines.

Some influenza viruses develop resistance to the antiviral medicines, limiting the

effectiveness of treatment. The viruses obtained from the recent human cases with swine

influenza in the United States are sensitive to oselatmivir and zanamivir but resistant to

amantadine and remantadine.

Information is insufficient to make recommendation on the use of the antivirals in

treatment of swine influenza virus infection. Clinicians have to make decisions based on

the clinical and epidemiological assessment and harms and benefit of the treatment of the

patient2. For the ongoing outbreak of the swine influenza infection in the United States

and Mexico, the national and the local authorities are recommending to use oseltamivir or

zanamivir for treatment of the disease based on the virus’s susceptibility profile.

What should I do if I am in regular contact with pigs?

Even though there is no clear indication that the current human cases with swine

influenza infection are related to recent or ongoing influenza-like disease events in pigs,

it would be advisable to minimize contact with sick pigs and report such animals to

relevant animal health authorities.

Most people are infected through prolonged, close contact with infected pigs. Good

hygiene practices are essential in all contact with animals and are especially important

during slaughter and post-slaughter handling to prevent exposure to disease agents. Sick

animals or animals that died from disease should not be undergoing slaughtering

procedures. Follow further advice from relevant national authorities.

2 For benefits and harms of influenza-specific antivirals, see

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/guidelines/pharmamanagement/en/index.html

Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly

handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The swine

influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160oF/70oC corresponding to the

general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat.

How can I protect myself from getting swine influenza from infected people?

In the past, human infection with swine influenza was generally mild but is known to

have caused severe illness such as pneumonia For the current outbreaks in the United

States and Mexico however, the clinical pictures have been different. None of the

confirmed cases in the United States have had the severe form of the disease and the

patients recovered from illness without requiring medical care. In Mexico, some patients

reportedly had the severe form of the disease.

To protect yourself, practice general preventive measures for influenza:

• Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and

cough.

• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly.

• Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and

keeping physically active.

If there is an ill person at home:

• Try to provide the ill person a separate section in the house. If this is not possible,

keep the patient at least 1 meter in distance from others.

• Cover mouth and nose when caring for the ill person. Masks can be bought

commercially or made using the readily available materials as long as they are

disposed of or cleaned properly.

• Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after each contact with the ill

person.

• Try to improve the air flow in the area where the ill person stays. Use doors and

windows to take advantage of breezes.

• Keep the environment clean with readily available household cleaning agents.

If you are living in a country where swine influenza has caused disease in humans, follow

additional advice from national and local health authorities.

What should I do if I think I have swine influenza?

If you feel unwell, have high fever, cough and/or sore throat:

• Stay at home and keep away from work, school or crowds as much as possible.

• Rest and take plenty of fluids.

• Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when coughing and sneezing

and dispose of the used tissues properly.

• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly, especially after

coughing or sneezing.

• Inform family and friends about your illness and seek help for household chores that

require contact with other people such as shopping.

If you need medical attention:

• Contact your doctor or healthcare provider before travelling to see them and

report your symptoms. Explain why you think you have swine influenza (for

example, if you have recently travelled to a country where there is a swine

influenza outbreak in humans). Follow the advice given to you for care.

• If it is not possible to contact your healthcare provider in advance, communicate

your suspicion of having swine influenza immediately upon arrival at the

healthcare facility.

• Take care to cover your nose and mouth during travel.

What should I do if I am in regular contact with pigs?

Even though there is no clear indication that the current human cases with swine

influenza infection are related to recent or ongoing influenza-like disease events in pigs,

it would be advisable to minimize contact with sick pigs and report such animals to

relevant animal health authorities.

Most people are infected through prolonged, close contact with infected pigs. Good

hygiene practices are essential in all contact with animals and are especially important

during slaughter and post-slaughter handling to prevent exposure to disease agents. Sick

animals or animals that died from disease should not be undergoing slaughtering

procedures. Follow further advice from relevant national authorities.

Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly

handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The swine

influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160oF/70oC corresponding to the

general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat.

How can I protect myself from getting swine influenza from infected people?

In the past, human infection with swine influenza was generally mild but is known to

have caused severe illness such as pneumonia For the current outbreaks in the United

States and Mexico however, the clinical pictures have been different. None of the

confirmed cases in the United States have had the severe form of the disease and the

patients recovered from illness without requiring medical care. In Mexico, some patients

reportedly had the severe form of the disease.

To protect yourself, practice general preventive measures for influenza:

• Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and

cough.

• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly.

• Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and

keeping physically active.

If there is an ill person at home:

• Try to provide the ill person a separate section in the house. If this is not possible,

keep the patient at least 1 meter in distance from others.

• Cover mouth and nose when caring for the ill person. Masks can be bought

commercially or made using the readily available materials as long as they are

disposed of or cleaned properly.

• Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after each contact with the ill

person.

• Try to improve the air flow in the area where the ill person stays. Use doors and

windows to take advantage of breezes.

• Keep the environment clean with readily available household cleaning agents.

If you are living in a country where swine influenza has caused disease in humans, follow

additional advice from national and local health authorities.

What should I do if I think I have swine influenza?

If you feel unwell, have high fever, cough and/or sore throat:

• Stay at home and keep away from work, school or crowds as much as possible.

• Rest and take plenty of fluids.

• Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when coughing and sneezing

and dispose of the used tissues properly.

• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly, especially after

coughing or sneezing.

• Inform family and friends about your illness and seek help for household chores that

require contact with other people such as shopping.

If you need medical attention:

• Contact your doctor or healthcare provider before travelling to see them and

report your symptoms. Explain why you think you have swine influenza (for

example, if you have recently travelled to a country where there is a swine

influenza outbreak in humans). Follow the advice given to you for care.

• If it is not possible to contact your healthcare provider in advance, communicate

your suspicion of having swine influenza immediately upon arrival at the

healthcare facility.

• Take care to cover your nose and mouth during travel

Our main First Aid Instructor Training Website

For more information on first aid instructor training see our website where you will find more detailed information.

New AED course on its way

We are developing a new AED course that will be launched shortly. If you would like to know more then let us know and we can send information accross when it is available.

It is aimed at the refresher and new AED/CPR course and in it’s final stages.

http://www.itg-first-aid.com

Should You Fear Swine Flu?

Are you afraid of swine flu? Would you like to share your fears or questions with others?

With increasing numbers of deaths in Mexico, and more incidents of possible swine flu being identified across the United States, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and other parts of the world, we seem to have no control over this advancing disease, giving us reason to fear it. But should we really fear the swine flu?

Full information please visit http://patients.about.com/od/patientempowermentissues/a/fearswineflu.htm

Items we speak about on the courses that you may need to buy

I have put together some items that we speak about on the Instructor courses that you can get cheaply. Have a look they seem cheap to me. You can buy them from other places but al in one place here.

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Excellent site for First Aid Information and Advice

Have a look at the about.com site where you will find information on just about any subject but in particular the first aid section is a valuable source of information for any instructor or provider of first aid. Its worth having a look through the site and increasing your background knowledge.

Have a look and bookmark at http://firstaid.about.com/

Will urine relieve the pain of a jellyfish sting?

Question: Will urine relieve the pain of a jellyfish sting?

Answer: Have a look at this article it answers lots of questions

See: http://firstaid.about.com/od/bitesstings/f/07_JellyfishPee.htm

First Aid to Ear Problems and Injuries

If a person’s ear is bleeding after he or she has suffered a blow to the head and the person is unconscious, immediately medical attention is necessary. If the person is conscious, you should inspect the ear to look for the source of the bleeding and treat the injury accordingly.

Sometimes an ear injury can look worse than it really is; a surface cut can cause profuse bleeding and can appear to be serious, but you should treat the injury only for what it is a cut. Once you’ve ruled out simple cuts or head injuries, you can begin ear aid.

Before we get into some of the injuries that can occur in the ear, let’s go over the three NEVERs in ear first aid care. When you’re helping someone with an ear injury, make sure you:

• Never put anything inside a damaged ear.
• Never try to stop the bleeding. This is one case when bleeding is encouraged. If you try to stop it, the blood can back up and seep into the inner ear. Stuffing cotton balls in the ear to clot fluids is a definite no-no!
• Never shake, jiggle, or thump a person’s head to restore hearing. Contrary to what you might see in cartoons, people are not pinball machines.

Contrary to popular belief, swimmer’s ear that uncomfortable, swollen feeling with the accompanying swishing sound does not come from too much water in the ear or from eardrum damage caused by too much swimming. It’s an inflammation or infection of the outer ear canal. Swimmer’s ear can be caused by bacteria, or, like athlete’s foot, it can also be a fungus.

The main symptom of swimmer’s ear is pain, with possible swelling, redness, and itchiness. Over time, the ear can become clogged, resulting in a loss of hearing. There can also be a drainage of pus from the ear.

You should make an appointment with your doctor; in the meantime, there are a few things you can do to ease the pain of swimmer’s ear:

• Place a heating pad (set to medium) on the ear to help ease the soreness.
• Sit up as much as possible, even propping yourself up in bed with pillows. This allows blood to drain away from the ears so there’s less stuffiness.
• Drink lots of water and juice. Liquids not only help flush away infection, but the act of swallowing helps clear your ear canals.
• Chew gum. Chewing a piece of gum or food (and yawning) also helps clear the ear canals and ease the pain.
• Take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication such as Motrin or Advil. Tylenol, too, will help control the pain.

Although it sounds crazy, an insect buzzing around your head can fly into your ear and become stuck. And insects are only one of the many foreign objects that can enter the ear and cause damage. Many children also have the delightful habit of testing out their nimble fingers and dexterity on tiny toys, jacks, beads, food, or coins and putting them compactly and complacently in their ears.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to removing foreign objects from the ear:

1. If the object is a live insect, put a drop or two of mineral oil, baby oil, or vegetable oil in the ear canal. The oil will kill the insect.
2. If you can clearly see the object in the person’s ear, remove it carefully with a pair of tweezers, but only if the object is near the surface.
3. If you cannot see the object clearly or if it’s lodged in the ear canal, tilt the sufferer’s head to the same side as the injured ear.
4. Gently shake his or her head in this position.
5. If this doesn’t work, leave the victim alone. Attempting to remove a deep or embedded object can damage the ear. Call for professional help.

Even if you get the foreign object out of the ear, you should seek medical help. With an otoscope (an instrument that magnifies the eardrum), a professional can determine whether all the material has been removed.

Check out edubook. com as they have loads more advice there.

Cures For Heartburn – 7 Simple Tips That Will Cure Your Heartburn

Cures for heartburn are plenty and easy to come by. Sometimes though, it can be a little confusing as to what works best. We are readily looking for the best methods to help us cure our discomfort of burning chest pain. In this article, I will be sharing seven simple cures for you to follow.

7 Simple Cures:

1) Fennel seeds. Put two teaspoons of fennel seeds in boiling water and make it as a tea. It will relieve and soothe you of any pain.

2) Ginger root. Eating ginger root helps in digestion and it relieves you from any discomfort.
You can stead it and steep it in tea.

3) Peppermint. Peppermint is great for digestion. All you have to do is to chew on the leaves.

4) Rhubarb. You can stew the rhubarb and add some sugar, because it is a little sour.

5) Eat raw vegetables. Eat smaller meals and add as many vegetables as you can. Also, add some fresh pineapple or papaya, which will help in digesting your food and neutralize your stomach acid.

6) Antacids. These are good only as a temporary relief. They may have some side effects. If you rely and use them too much, they can offer you some harmful mineral imbalances.

7) Don’t eat before bed time. Make sure you don’t eat anything for a couple of hours before going to bed. When you do go to bed, you could also try to elevate your pillow. This will keep your head raised and allow any stomach acid to lower in the esophagus.

More info and some book advice  ezinearticles. com /?Cures-For-Heartburn-7-Simple-Tips-That-Will-Cure-Your-Heartburn&id=2202304

How would you treat a penetrating eye injury?

Penetrating eye injuries are serious and can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. A common cause is pieces of metal flying off at high speed from metal to metal contact eg hammering metal fencing, vehicle accidents and using other tools etc.

Signs & Symptoms

·        Object lodged in eye

·        Pain

·        Feeling a blow to the eye ( eg whilst hammering)

FIRST AID

DO NOT attempt to remove an embedded foreign body.

DO NOT wash out the eye or use antibiotic ointments.

Cover with an eye shield rather than a pad to prevent direct pressure on the cornea (front covering of the eye).  The bottom half of a clean plastic drink cup is effective if an eye shield is not available.

Send patient to the nearest GP, hospital or ophthalmologist for medical attention.

The injured person must not eat or drink before being examined.

TREATMENT AND CARE

The doctor may use local anaesthetic drops to relieve the pain. Treatment will depend on the severity of injury most likely you will require transfer to a metropolitan or regional hospital for surge

Injuries to the eye can cause blindness, therefore it is very important that proper care be taken to prevent injury. NEVER put direct pressure on the eyeball or object. The steps to caring for a penetrating eye injury are:
1) Gently place the victim on his or her back.
2) DO NOT attempt to remove the object from their eye.
3) Place a sterile dressing around the object, without applying direct pressure.
4) Stabilize the object as best you can, such as by placing a cup over the object. If the object would stick out the cup, punch a hole in the cup so that the object can fit through it.
5) Apply a bandage around the head and eye.
6) Call 999 or bring the person to the nearest emergency room for further treatment.