Swine Flu
Don’t panic at the pandemic
It has been a while since the world was faced with a challenge with a pandemic. When people got the news of a new kind of a flu it was already spreading around in more than one country around the world. WHO raised the alert to five from three on a scale of six. A phase five alert means human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. The move comes after a 23-month-old Mexican child died in Texas. Many might think that as the name suggests it is spread through pigs and Bangladeshi people being Muslim in majority would not get affected. Facts denote that this is not entirely true. One of those who died in Mexico was confirmed to have been a Bangladeshi who had been in the country for six months. Authorities are searching for his brother who is believed to have left after visiting Mexico, and is suspected of being sick. It does not matter whether you eat pork or not. This influenza which originates in pigs has the ability to be transferred from pigs to human and then from human to human. And the World's Public Health Community was alerting us about a 'Pandemic Flu' since the emergence of 'Avian Flu' (H5N1) virus. But now it came as 'Swine Flu' with the quick mutating characteristics of human to human transmission (H1N1). What is "Swine Flu"?
Swine Flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. It is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. Signs and symptoms
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in humans the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. The 2009 outbreak has shown an increased percentage of patients reporting diarrhea and vomiting. A diagnosis of confirmed swine flu requires laboratory testing of a respiratory sample (a simple nose and throat swab). Prevention
Prevention of swine influenza has three components: prevention in swine, prevention of transmission to humans, and prevention of its spread among humans. We need to focus on the third component now. Influenza spreads between humans through coughing or sneezing and people touching something with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth. Swine flu cannot be spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food. The swine flu in humans is most contagious during the first five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can remain contagious for up to ten days. Recommendations to prevent spread of the virus among humans include using standard infection control against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitisers, especially after being out in public. Experts agree that hand-washing can help prevent viral infections, including ordinary influenza and the new swine flu virus. Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows little particles of virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitisers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria. Anyone with flu-like symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work or public transportation and should see a doctor to be tested. Social distancing is another tactic. It means staying away from other people who might be infected and can include avoiding large gatherings, spreading out a little at work, or perhaps staying home and lying low if an infection is spreading in a community. How to be protected
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. Treatment
WHO recommends the use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses. However, the majority of people infected with the virus make a full recovery without requiring medical attention or antiviral drugs. The virus isolates that have been tested from the US and Mexico are however resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. If a person gets sick, antiviral drugs can make the illness milder and make the patient feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms). Need to do
It is now an absolute necessity to stay alert at all entry points to the country. People needs to be checked for flu like symptoms specially with people arriving from countries known to have confirmed or suspected cases of the Swine Flu. Confirmed cases are found at Mexico, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Israel and Austria. Bangladesh being one of the densely populated countries of the world would be in a dangerous situation if the pandemic reaches here. Like other countries of the world, Bangladesh needs to be vigilant and have a plan of action if hit by this pandemic, otherwise there would be nothing much left to be done for. Be alert, don't panic the pandemic. The writer is an epidemiologist and public health expert in risk communication working for the World Health Organisation. But the article does not reflect the organisational stand point.
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