Recently, the United States Department of Health and Human
Services declared a public health emergency in regards to swine influenza (swine
flu). The World Health Organization (WHO) has increased the swine flu pandemic
alert level to phase 5. A pandemic is an outbreak of an illness that is sudden
and that covers a large geographic area, such as a continent or the whole world.
Currently, swine flu has caused significant illness and several
deaths in Mexico; H1N1 has been reported in other countries throughout the
world. Cases of swine flu throughout much of the United States have been
identified and confirmed by lab testing. There has been one death from these
most recent cases of swine flu in the United States.
What is swine flu?
Swine flu is a very contagious respiratory disease in pigs that
is caused by a virus. Normally, viruses like swine flu are confined to pigs. It
is possible, however, that a particular strain of swine flu virus has mutated.
While scientists are not exactly sure how it happens, this particular strain of
swine flu (swine influenza virus subtype A H1N1 virus) has spread to humans and
is continuing to be spread by human-to-human contact.
What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of other
seasonal types of influenza virus, including:
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Body aches
- Headache
- Chills
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Sometimes, pneumonia or respiratory failure
- Worsening of existing physical conditions
People with swine flu might be slightly more likely to experience the gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, etc.) than people with the usual forms of the flu.
How is swine flu diagnosed?
Because of its similarity to other forms of influenza, swine flu
cannot be diagnosed only on the basis of symptoms. Your health care provider
will take a sample of mucus from your throat or mucus that has been coughed up.
The doctor will send the sample to a laboratory for testing.
How is swine flu treated?
In general, swine flu is treated in the same manner of as other
influenza viruses. It is advisable to stay at home and rest, take
over-the-counter products such as acetaminophen for pain and fever, and drink
plenty of fluids.
The prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu®)
and zanamivir (Relenza®) have been found to be effective against the
virus. For these drugs to be most effective, they should be taken within one to
two days of the start of symptoms. In addition, some health care providers might
prescribe these drugs to the infected person’s family members or others living
in close contact with the person in order to prevent the virus from spreading.