Swine Flu : Cause , Symptoms , Prevention and Treatment

Swine flu also been called as Pig flu is an infection that is been caused by Swine Influenza virus which are generally hosted by an pig.Generally the SIV strains are the influenza C virus and the subtypes of the influenza A virus known as H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.

Generally it is an infectious disease caused by the transmission of swine influenza virus from pigs to humans, causing sometimes producing antibodies in blood.If transmission cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic swine flu, which is an infectious disease that is transmitted from animals to humans or from humans to animals.



Generally it happens to the people who have intense exposure to pig.
Swine flu is due to a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 whose origin is still unknown . It has genes closely related to swine influenza virus.
Studied that this strain can be transmitted from human to human.

Symptoms

Generally transmission of a swine flu virus from pigs to humans is called zoonotic swine flu.The smptoms are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness.



Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.Some of the symptoms are also diarrhea and vomiting.The most common cause of death is respiratory failure, pneumonia , high fever, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Prevention

The transmission from pig to human is in swine farms where farmers are in close contact with live pigs. Generally this exposure does not able to infect humans , but may happen, so farmers are advised to use a face mask when dealing with infected animals. Vaccines on swine limits swine to human transmission.

Swine flu 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 the virus is not transmitted through food.Prevention from standard influenza will lead to prevention from swine flu.Washing of hands with soap and water.Disinfecting household surfaces, with a diluted chlorine bleach solution.Vaccines are been developed which would be available by June 2009.Anyone with flu symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work.

Treatment

If a person becomes sick with swine flu, antiviral drugs can make the illness milder and make the patient feel better faster. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).Beside antivirals, palliative care, at home or in hospital, focuses on controlling fevers and maintaining fluid balance.Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of Tamiflu or Relenza for the treatment of infection with swine influenza viruses.