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The symptoms and signs of swine flu A(H1N1) are similar to those of seasonal flu. The most commonly reported are high temperature and dry cough, although fever may not be present, in some cases.
Other swine flu symptoms andsigns include chills, fatigue, headache, lack of appetite, lethargy, muscle aches, nausea, runny or blocked nose, sore throat and, in some patients, diarrhea and vomiting.
How does the swine flu infection develop?
Headache and feeling feverish are, usually, the first symptoms of swine flu. High fever then develops. This may reach temperatures as high as 104 °F (40 °C) within just a few hours, and is often accompanied by muscle and joint aches, cough, sore throat and running nose with sneezing.
Fast Facts
The symptoms of swine flu and seasonal flu differ from those of bird flu A(H5N1), which also has pandemic potential.
Dr. David Hui, of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, says the majorsymptoms of A(H5N1) infection are persistent cough, high temperature, and difficult breathing. Other symptomsinclude sputum (i.e., a mixture of saliva and mucus) with blood, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. “In contrast,” he says, “upper respiratory tract symptoms, such as rhinorrhoea [runny nose] and sore throat, are relatively less prominent in human H5N1 infection when compared to seasonal influenza.” Symptoms like headache and muscle aches are usually rare.
People with swine flu can pass the virus to others from 24 hours before they show the first symptoms to up to one week after.
Experts suggest that some people develop a mild or asymptomatic form of swine flu because they have some immunity. This has probably been acquired after contact with similar H1N1 viruses during past seasonal fluepidemics.
Asymptomatic and mild cases have been reported also among individuals with bird flu, during the 1997 Hong Kong flu outbreak and, more recently, in Indonesia.
How severe are the symptoms and how long do they last?
Symptoms of swine flu vary from very mild to severe, including life-threatening respiratory illnesses requiring hospitalization, like pneumonia. Most of the swine flu cases reported so far are mild, and resolve – with or without treatment – within a week or two.
Is there a treatment for swine flusymptoms?
People with swine flu are given antiviral drugs – either Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir). These are prescription medications that attenuate the symptomsof the infection and help you feel better sooner. In order to be effective, antivirals need to be taken within 48 hours from the first appearance of symptoms. So, if you think you might have swine flu, tell your doctor right away.
What are the complications of swineflu?
Like signs and symptoms, the complications of swine flu are similar to the complications of seasonal flu. These include life-threatening conditions, such as heart failure and pneumonia. However, for seasonal flu, complications are more likely to occur in adults aged 65 and over, while for swine flu, younger people appear to be the most at risk.
Related topics from the download
From Chapter 1
The Infection Process
One of the most important things to understand about
influenza illnesses is how the virus causing them is passed on.
That’s because the way the virus spreads contributes to how
serious the problem will be. As a rule, the easier a virus passes
from one organism to another, the faster the
... continued
From Chapter 13
Children are Particularily at Risk
So, how do you protect your children from swine flu, or any
other flu virus? Ideally, you should try to prevent them from
becoming ill in the first place. This can be done by teaching
them to avoid touching, or playing with, anything that you
believe might be infected, including pets
... continued
From Chapter 13
Keeping influenza A(H1N1) at bay
You can prepare your own alcohol-based handrub yourself.
There are two ways to do this, according to the World Health
Organization, depending on the alcohol you decide to use:
ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol) or isopropanol (also called
isopropyl alcohol).
From Chapter 15
What about pets?
For many people, the family pet is part of the family. So it’s
critical you understand the risk to your beloved pet and learn
how to keep your animal healthy.
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Post PandemicPost Pandemic Phase:
In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus. At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly.
NOW AVAILABLE
Pandemic - Surviving the New Killer Virus
By Lorena Tonarelli & Chris Barber
Your hands-on guide to:
- Avoid infection
- Protect your children
- Learn about antivirals
and the H1N1 vaccine - Facilitate recovery if you
have flu - Become self sufficient
- Store supplies and use
them efficiently - Make your home safe
- Be financially secure
- Maintain a healthy
lifestyle - Prepare for the worst;
much deadlier viruses
could be coming your
way soon.
FREE DOWNLOAD
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