| Airfree and virus |
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| What is swine flu? |
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| It is a respiratory disease caused by the virus Influenza A called H1N1. It is different from the human H1N1, which has been circulating in the last few years, as it contains genetic material of the human, avian and swine viruses, including elements of the swine flu in Europe and Asia. |
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| Does this flu have a cure? |
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| It can be treated. |
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| How does the virus spread? |
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| According to registered cases in the last few years, people who had direct exposure to pigs were found to be infected, but there are no records that the same infection happened in the current pandemic. It is thought that the virus spreads in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. |
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| What are the symptoms? |
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| The symptoms in humans are similar to the ones of the common flu and include fever of above 38°C (100ºF), loss of appetite and cough. Some people with the swine flu also have reported catarrh, sore throat and nausea. |
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| Is the swine flu infection common in humans? |
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| In the past, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) registered 12 cases of human infections of the swine flu, all in people who had contact with pigs. These cases showed no evidence of a virus transfer between humans. |
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| Can people catch the swine flu from eating pork? |
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| No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. The Mexican government and the WHO (World Health Organization) denied any risk of food infection from eating pork. According to the CDC, cooking pork to an internal temperature of 71ºC (160°F) kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses. |
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| What To Do if You Get Flu-Like Symptoms? |
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| People who show the virus symptoms can take influenza medications and see a doctor in case the symptoms continue showing, in order to take an antiviral drug. |
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| How about people who returned from a trip? |
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| If a person was in a country where there have been confirmed cases with the swine flu, like Mexico, within the last 10 days and shows symptoms, the same person should go to a doctor and get tested in order to identify the virus type. Places with many people should be avoided while waiting for the test results. |
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| What is the difference between the swine flu and the common flu? |
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| The swine flu shows the same symptoms as the common flu does, but can cause heavy vomiting and diarrhea. The common flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people every year, mainly the elderly population. Most people die from Pneumonia, and the virus might kill for unknown reasons. Infections can also worsen due to bacteria. |
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| How can a human infection with the swine flu be diagnosed? |
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| To diagnose an infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first four to five days of illness, when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus. Some people, however - especially children - may shed virus for 10 days or longer. |
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| Is there a vaccine against this illness? |
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| The normal flu vaccines are being changed every year in order to immunize against new virus varieties. According to Mexican authorities, which quote the World Health Organization (WHO), the existing vaccine for humans is for a strain before the virus, which is not so efficient for the virus. However, as the confirmed death cases show, it is possible that more vulnerable people – children and the elderly – have been spared due to taking vaccines more regularly than young adults. |
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| Is the common flu vaccine efficient against the swine flu? |
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| This is unknown. It can have the effect – even if partial - of prevention, when considering the fact that the cases of Mexico happened mainly to young adults. In Mexico, children up to the age of 3 and adults of the age above 50 are taking a routine vaccine against the human flu. |
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| Are there medications available to treat this illness? |
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| According to lab tests, the antiviral medications Tamiflu and Relenza, which were used to treat the avian flu, are efficient against the H1N1 virus and according to the CDC, have shown positive results. |
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| Why is the WHO in a state of alert? |
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| Because there are human cases associated with the animal flu, but also because cases are extended geographically including people of ages which are not common to infected groups. The swine flu represents a major risk of a pandemic in a large scale since the avian flu emerged in 2003. |
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| Is this a new type of swine flu? |
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| As in a human, the flu viruses are continuously mutating in pigs, an animal which has sensitive receptors to the virus of the swine, human and avian influenza in their airways. Pigs turn into incubators which stimulate the appearance of new flu viruses through genetic combinations once contaminations happen simultaneously. These types of hybrid viruses can provoke the development of a new flu virus as virulent as the avian and as contagious as the human flu. |
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| Should tourists with planned trips to Mexico be worried? |
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| The WHO says that it is not required to change travel plans. Mexico also said that it would not see the necessity in closing the borders. However, the governments of countries like Italy, Poland and Venezuela are advising their citizens to postpone their trips with destinations to Mexico and the United States, which revealed registered cases of the swine flu. According to the WHO, closing borders and imposing restrictions on travels not would be necessary, as the virus had already spread. |
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| Am I running a risk travelling to affected countries? |
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| Sanitary entities have not published an alert yet justifying a travel cancellation. However, as a preventative measure, trips could be postponed. Those who travel to affected places, can use masks, should constantly wash their hands with soap and water and, among other procedures, should avoid participating in gatherings. |
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| What are the preventative measures to take when staying in affected places? |
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| Use masks, always wash your hands and avoid places with crowds, to name but a few. |
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| What is the incubation period? |
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| In average, it varies between 24 hours and 3 days. The Mexican media states up to two weeks. |
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| Can I get infected with the virus from a person which does not show the symptoms? |
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| Yes. The Influenza can be transmitted up to 24 hours before showing the symptoms. |
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| What are the most susceptible targets groups? |
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| People with some chronic illness or deficiency of the immune system are always more susceptible. |
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| How long does it take to get the exam result which detects the swine flu? |
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| Around 3 days. |
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