Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
How 2009 Swine Flu Is Transmitted
How 2009 Swine Flu Is Transmitted
First of all it is absolutely not transmitted by eating pork, bacon, sausage or any pork meat product. Even if the pig was exposed to the new 2009 Swine Flu, cooking the meat would kill the virus. Some countries have reacted hysterically to the 2009 Swine Flu by slamming their borders shut against imported pork and pork products from countries where there have been cases of influenza found. There is no basis for the restriction.
As stated above the flu is an influenza virus and can't live long outside the host. Viruses can be transmitted in a number of ways. The HIV virus is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids. Small pox, a virus deadly in the past, is contracted through lengthy exposure to an infected person. The 2009 Swine Flu is spread through respiratory droplets.
Of the cases diagnosed so far none of them have been attributed to exposure to pigs.
To become infected with 2009 Swine Flu you must be standing within about 3 to 6 feet of an infected person. Just passing by someone on the street won't get you infected. The virus is carried through the air in respiratory droplets. The droplets are released through sneezing, coughing or just breathing. These droplets can land on a hard surface and live up to 24 hours or on a soft surface and live less than 30 minutes. The UV exposure of the surface and air temperatures affect how long the virus will live as well.
Even exposure to someone with swine flu doesn't mean you'll get sick. The human body has wonderful defenses. If only a few cells are infected the body produces and secretes something called interferons. These are proteins and are designated alpha, beta, or gamma interferon. These particular proteins interact with the cells adjacent to the infected cells to make them more resistant to viral infection. This natural defense often works to stop the virus dead in its tracks. The interferon does not kill the virus but makes the cells more resistant to the viral invasion. Later on, you may not even have known that you were infected at all.
Sometimes however the virus is stronger and spreads to more cells and you start feeling sick. At that point the immune system begins to fight by killing the viruses that are outside of the cells and the infected cells themselves.
Symptoms start 1 to 2 days after exposure and the person is the most infectious at that point. However the person can infect others before any symptoms show up.
First of all it is absolutely not transmitted by eating pork, bacon, sausage or any pork meat product. Even if the pig was exposed to the new 2009 Swine Flu, cooking the meat would kill the virus. Some countries have reacted hysterically to the 2009 Swine Flu by slamming their borders shut against imported pork and pork products from countries where there have been cases of influenza found. There is no basis for the restriction.
As stated above the flu is an influenza virus and can't live long outside the host. Viruses can be transmitted in a number of ways. The HIV virus is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids. Small pox, a virus deadly in the past, is contracted through lengthy exposure to an infected person. The 2009 Swine Flu is spread through respiratory droplets.
Of the cases diagnosed so far none of them have been attributed to exposure to pigs.
To become infected with 2009 Swine Flu you must be standing within about 3 to 6 feet of an infected person. Just passing by someone on the street won't get you infected. The virus is carried through the air in respiratory droplets. The droplets are released through sneezing, coughing or just breathing. These droplets can land on a hard surface and live up to 24 hours or on a soft surface and live less than 30 minutes. The UV exposure of the surface and air temperatures affect how long the virus will live as well.
Even exposure to someone with swine flu doesn't mean you'll get sick. The human body has wonderful defenses. If only a few cells are infected the body produces and secretes something called interferons. These are proteins and are designated alpha, beta, or gamma interferon. These particular proteins interact with the cells adjacent to the infected cells to make them more resistant to viral infection. This natural defense often works to stop the virus dead in its tracks. The interferon does not kill the virus but makes the cells more resistant to the viral invasion. Later on, you may not even have known that you were infected at all.
Sometimes however the virus is stronger and spreads to more cells and you start feeling sick. At that point the immune system begins to fight by killing the viruses that are outside of the cells and the infected cells themselves.
Symptoms start 1 to 2 days after exposure and the person is the most infectious at that point. However the person can infect others before any symptoms show up.
What's Dangerous About 2009 Swine Flu (H1N1)
This new "swine flu" passes easily from human to human (not from pig to human). There is no vaccine to prevent this new strain of influenza. Vaccinations work by introducing a weakened or dead strain of the virus into the body. The body builds up an immunity to the weakened or dead virus. When the full strength live virus tries to invade the body the body can fight back with the previously produced antibodies.
Antibiotics are only useful for secondary bacterial infections. They have no effect on viral infections. None at all. Nada. Nothing. Don't think taking a series of antibiotics will prevent or treat swine flu, or any other virus for that matter.
While influenza is normally not a serious health risk there have been epidemics that have had fatal and far reaching effects. The influenza pandemic of 1917 - 1920 killed more people than the black plague, estimates range from 20 million to 50 million. Pandemic means that the disease has a wide geographic distribution. Most influenza viruses are air borne within a limited 6 foot range, which means you do not need to physically come in contact with an infected person to be infected yourself.
As of June 12, 2009 the World Health Organization released the following information:
74 countries have officially reported 29,669 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
The United States Government has reported 13,217 laboratory confirmed human cases, including 27 deaths. Mexico has reported 6291 confirmed human cases of infection, including 108 deaths.
The very first documented case of 2009 Swine Flu is of a 5 year old boy in Mexico in early April. The boy lived in a small village of 3000 people in La Gloria in the state of Veracruz. Flu outbreak was reported in the village. Only the boy tested positive for swine flu. The village was next to a pig farm owned by the U.S. company Smithfield Foods. None of the pigs tested positive for swine flu or exhibited swine flu symptoms.
A new influenza strain can be dangerous if it spreads quickly and mutates as it goes. The body has no chance to build up an immunity and the medical community hasn't time to develop a vaccine. Since the first case was reported April 2 the 2009 Swine Flu has spread to 4 continents and 11 countries in a little more than 4 weeks. That rate of infection is potentially dangerous. Keep in mind that while there may be less than 1000 cases officially documented there could be 100 times that many people actually infected. There is no regulation or law that says a person must see a doctor if they have flu symptoms or that the doctor must test for the flu. Many cases go unreported.
Previous flu viruses have an average infection rate of one person infecting two other people. Doesn't sound like much does it? Look at it this way: if each person infects two other people within a 48 hour period (average length of time to become infected) by the end of 30 days that one person will have caused the infection of over 130,000 others. Within 45 days the rate accelerates and nearly 17 million people will have become infected. A flu outbreak can quickly reach massive proportions.
Antibiotics are only useful for secondary bacterial infections. They have no effect on viral infections. None at all. Nada. Nothing. Don't think taking a series of antibiotics will prevent or treat swine flu, or any other virus for that matter.
While influenza is normally not a serious health risk there have been epidemics that have had fatal and far reaching effects. The influenza pandemic of 1917 - 1920 killed more people than the black plague, estimates range from 20 million to 50 million. Pandemic means that the disease has a wide geographic distribution. Most influenza viruses are air borne within a limited 6 foot range, which means you do not need to physically come in contact with an infected person to be infected yourself.
As of June 12, 2009 the World Health Organization released the following information:
74 countries have officially reported 29,669 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
The United States Government has reported 13,217 laboratory confirmed human cases, including 27 deaths. Mexico has reported 6291 confirmed human cases of infection, including 108 deaths.
The very first documented case of 2009 Swine Flu is of a 5 year old boy in Mexico in early April. The boy lived in a small village of 3000 people in La Gloria in the state of Veracruz. Flu outbreak was reported in the village. Only the boy tested positive for swine flu. The village was next to a pig farm owned by the U.S. company Smithfield Foods. None of the pigs tested positive for swine flu or exhibited swine flu symptoms.
A new influenza strain can be dangerous if it spreads quickly and mutates as it goes. The body has no chance to build up an immunity and the medical community hasn't time to develop a vaccine. Since the first case was reported April 2 the 2009 Swine Flu has spread to 4 continents and 11 countries in a little more than 4 weeks. That rate of infection is potentially dangerous. Keep in mind that while there may be less than 1000 cases officially documented there could be 100 times that many people actually infected. There is no regulation or law that says a person must see a doctor if they have flu symptoms or that the doctor must test for the flu. Many cases go unreported.
Previous flu viruses have an average infection rate of one person infecting two other people. Doesn't sound like much does it? Look at it this way: if each person infects two other people within a 48 hour period (average length of time to become infected) by the end of 30 days that one person will have caused the infection of over 130,000 others. Within 45 days the rate accelerates and nearly 17 million people will have become infected. A flu outbreak can quickly reach massive proportions.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
What is 2009 Swine Flu Influenza A (H1N1)
What is 2009 Swine Flu Influenza A (H1N1)
The influenza virus currently called 2009 Swine Flu, influenza A (H1N1), is actually an influenza virus that is a combination of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that derives from one strain of human influenza, one strain of avian (bird) influenza, and two separate strains of swine influenza. The origins of this new strain are unknown at this time.
Previous to April 2009 Swine Flu had been limited to pigs aka swine. It is possible for humans to catch true swine flu but it has happened rarely. The human has to be around infected swine on a regular basis. The virus passes from pig to human. There have been different varieties or strains of swine flu through the years. Currently there is a vaccination to prevent swine flu in pigs but not in humans.
Swine flu was first diagnosed in pigs in 1930. Almost 50 years later in 1976, a little over 200 soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey, came down with swine flu. From that time until 2005 there were few cases reported, less than one per year. From 2005 through January 2009 there were only 12 cases reported.
The 2009 Swine Flu influenza A (H1N1) is different than historic swine flu. In April 2009 the number of reported cases began to rise, causing concern that a serious outbreak of a new swine flu, now called Swine Flu Influenza A (H1N1) might be in its initial stages.
Viruses Are Nasty Creatures
Viruses are structures that only replicate or reproduce themselves within a host cell. Outside a host cell they are dormant. Scientists do not agree on whether viruses should be considered a life form or be classified as biochemical mechanisms. They only "live" for short periods of time outside the host cell if "live" is defined as maintaining the ability to reproduce themselves inside a host cell. Perhaps better terms than live or dead when talking about viruses would be active and de-activated. Viruses are not susceptible to treatment with antibiotics.
Why are viruses so dangerous to the host cells? The virus has a limited amount of DNA information for use in reproducing itself but it doesn't have all the necessary biological materials. Once it enters the host cell it uses that host's material to replicate itself thousands of times, destroying the host cell and invading other cells within the host. The viruses can leave the host cell a few at a time called "budding," or all the viruses can leave at once called "lysis."
The only purpose of a virus is to replicate itself. It can only replicate itself inside a host cell. As it replicates the host cell is destroyed. One virus can replicate itself thousands of times inside one host cell, thereby setting up the destruction of thousands of other host cells.
Every living organism, plant, animal, or bacteria matter, is susceptible to viruses. The saving grace is that specific viruses can only find the genetic material they need to replicate within specific organisms. To make matters worse there may be a hundred different viruses with the capability to infect one specific organism.
The really bad news is that viruses can evolve and mutate. One virus has the capacity to reproduce itself hundreds of thousands of times. Each reproduction can lead to a small change, or mutation, within the virus. Even if 90% of the reproduced viruses are faulty the remaining 10% are functioning. Some of the mutations may mean they can infect other organisms besides the original host. The influenza virus is notorious for doing exactly that. The avian influenza mutated to be able to infect humans in the early 2000's. And that brings us to the 2009 Swine Flu.
The influenza virus currently called 2009 Swine Flu, influenza A (H1N1), is actually an influenza virus that is a combination of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that derives from one strain of human influenza, one strain of avian (bird) influenza, and two separate strains of swine influenza. The origins of this new strain are unknown at this time.
Previous to April 2009 Swine Flu had been limited to pigs aka swine. It is possible for humans to catch true swine flu but it has happened rarely. The human has to be around infected swine on a regular basis. The virus passes from pig to human. There have been different varieties or strains of swine flu through the years. Currently there is a vaccination to prevent swine flu in pigs but not in humans.
Swine flu was first diagnosed in pigs in 1930. Almost 50 years later in 1976, a little over 200 soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey, came down with swine flu. From that time until 2005 there were few cases reported, less than one per year. From 2005 through January 2009 there were only 12 cases reported.
The 2009 Swine Flu influenza A (H1N1) is different than historic swine flu. In April 2009 the number of reported cases began to rise, causing concern that a serious outbreak of a new swine flu, now called Swine Flu Influenza A (H1N1) might be in its initial stages.
Viruses Are Nasty Creatures
Viruses are structures that only replicate or reproduce themselves within a host cell. Outside a host cell they are dormant. Scientists do not agree on whether viruses should be considered a life form or be classified as biochemical mechanisms. They only "live" for short periods of time outside the host cell if "live" is defined as maintaining the ability to reproduce themselves inside a host cell. Perhaps better terms than live or dead when talking about viruses would be active and de-activated. Viruses are not susceptible to treatment with antibiotics.
Why are viruses so dangerous to the host cells? The virus has a limited amount of DNA information for use in reproducing itself but it doesn't have all the necessary biological materials. Once it enters the host cell it uses that host's material to replicate itself thousands of times, destroying the host cell and invading other cells within the host. The viruses can leave the host cell a few at a time called "budding," or all the viruses can leave at once called "lysis."
The only purpose of a virus is to replicate itself. It can only replicate itself inside a host cell. As it replicates the host cell is destroyed. One virus can replicate itself thousands of times inside one host cell, thereby setting up the destruction of thousands of other host cells.
Every living organism, plant, animal, or bacteria matter, is susceptible to viruses. The saving grace is that specific viruses can only find the genetic material they need to replicate within specific organisms. To make matters worse there may be a hundred different viruses with the capability to infect one specific organism.
The really bad news is that viruses can evolve and mutate. One virus has the capacity to reproduce itself hundreds of thousands of times. Each reproduction can lead to a small change, or mutation, within the virus. Even if 90% of the reproduced viruses are faulty the remaining 10% are functioning. Some of the mutations may mean they can infect other organisms besides the original host. The influenza virus is notorious for doing exactly that. The avian influenza mutated to be able to infect humans in the early 2000's. And that brings us to the 2009 Swine Flu.
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