What is swine flu? Swine flu is a form of influenza. Swine flu usually only affects people in contact with pigs but a mutation occured. Instead of pig to human infections, the new mutated strain is now able to be infected from human to human. Swine flu is not transferred from eating pork, so pork consumption is still safe. Swine Flu is hard to diagnose because of the symptoms due shared with other forms of influenza. So Take care and go have a check if you felt any Flu symtoms.

Mutation and evolution of virus is a common threat everyone face now. It is really great to study virus because it can evolve quickly than any other organism in this world and everytime we have to come up with new antibiotic in order to stop this mutations.

hey just to help ya guys out the symptoms are fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, some people have reported coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea and vomiting and diarrhea.

This is not the first time that Swine Flu has run across the globe. It came through back in the 80's, if memory serves.

I had it and I can tell you that once you start feeling a little "odd" you have about 3 hours, tops, before you are unable to do anything. If you get ill with this, make sure someone is nearby at all times.

On the day I got it, I felt ill at about 4 pm, took the bus home and felt a little worse, so I ran into the store to get some Comtrex. The store was only a block from my home, and by the time I walked from the store to my home, I was hardly able to stop shaking. I sat down on the couch, and the next thing I remember was it was FRIDAY. Luckily I had someone who could take over feeding my kids because the next thing I remember was SUNDAY.

U.S. prepares for possible swine flu epidemic as global cases rise

The United States stepped up preparations for a possible swine flu epidemic, and Canada confirmed its first cases on Sunday as researchers worked to determine how contagious the virus could be.

Keiji Fukuda, the assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, called the outbreak "serious" on Sunday. Researchers are still trying to determine how easily the virus is transmitted person to person and it's too early to predict whether there will be a mild or serious pandemic, said Fukuda.

By Sunday afternoon, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said 81 deaths were suspected to be from the outbreak and 374 people remained hospitalized. Another 929 people have been examined and sent home, he said.

"These people have shown up at some medical institution in the country with respiratory symptoms that required to be studied and diagnosed," he said.

Mexico City closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus, and troops passed out filter masks outside the National Cathedral on Sunday morning. No masses were scheduled at the cathedral, but dozens of worshippers put on masks and went inside the church to pray on their own.

Canada confirmed six cases of mild illnesses on Sunday, and the United States reported 20. Meanwhile, Spain, Israel and New Zealand were investigating possible but unconfirmed cases.

According to the World Health Organization, a public health emergency is an occurence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.

At a White House news conference Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the emergency declaration is standard procedure -- citing that one was declared for the inauguration and for recent flooding.

In Washington, the head of the Centers for Disease Control said 20 cases had been confirmed in five U.S. states by noon Sunday. The largest number of cases was in New York, where the CDC confirmed cases in eight students at a preparatory school in that city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.

Another seven cases have been confirmed in California, two each in Kansas and Texas and one in Ohio, said Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director. Only one person has had to be hospitalized, but Besser said authorities are likely to see "a broader spectrum of disease" in the days ahead.

"Given the reports out of Mexico, I would expect that over time we're going to see more severe disease in this country," he said.

The U.S. government declared a public health emergency -- a step Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "sounds more severe than really it is."

"This is standard operating procedure and allows us to free up federal state and local agencies and their resources for prevention and mitigation," she said.

The outbreak "is of great concern to the White House," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, but, he added, "It's certainly not a time to panic."

"If you're sick, stay home, get treatment, go see a doctor," Gibbs told reporters. "The government is taking all the steps it needs to and must do to take the precautions to deal with whatever size and scope we may be facing," he said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military issued a worldwide caution, telling its medical personnel to be on the lookout for troops with signs of swine flu and reiterated the need for public health precautions.

The WHO ordered countries worldwide to look out for "unusual" outbreaks of flu following an emergency meeting Saturday. WHO official Gregory Hartl said the strain of the virus seen in Mexico is worrisome because it has mutated from older strains. iReport.com: Do you think we should be worried about swine flu?

"Any time that there is a virus which changes ... it means perhaps the immunities the human body has built up to dealing with influenza might not be adjusted well enough to dealing with this new virus," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association, which represents the U.S. airline industry, said the group is taking the matter seriously.

"This is a time for appropriate precautions but not panic," said ATA assistant general counsel Katherine Andrus. She said the industry group is following the lead of the CDC and is in regular contact with the agency.

Airport employees and flight crews are on the lookout for any passengers who show signs of illness, and procedures are in place for determining whether ill passengers may fly, Andrus said.

At Los Angeles International Airport, custodians have been instructed to pay additional attention to sanitizing door knobs, handrails and faucets in airport restrooms, according to a statement from Los Angeles World Airports.

"In addition, public education signs with general tips on preventing the spread of illnesses -- that are posted throughout the airport during regular flu season -- are being re-posted," the statement said.

The H1N1 strain of swine flu is usually associated with pigs. When the flu spreads person to person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off. Symptoms of swine flu include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the CDC said. Learn more about swine flu and how to treat it »

In New Zealand, officials said 22 students and three teachers, who returned from a three-week language trip to Mexico, may have been infected with the swine flu virus. The group remains quarantined at home, and Health Minister Tony Ryall said 10 students tested positive for influenza A -- the general category of strains that includes the H1N1 swine flu.

In Spain, six people, all of whom had recently returned from Mexico, were being isolated in hospitals, the country's health ministry reported. And in Israel, doctors are running tests on a man who recently returned from Mexico with light flu symptoms.

In London, a hospital spokesman said a British Airways crew member developed flu-like symptoms during a flight from Mexico City and was tested for swine flu, but the results came back negative. The flight attendant is back at work, British Airways told CNN. Video Watch CBC report on Canadian microbiologists' concerns »

Concerns over the virus have prompted Canada to issue a travel health notice, saying the public health agency was "tracking clusters of severe respiratory illness with deaths in Mexico." But Mexico's Tourist Board said Saturday there are no restrictions on travel to the country.

Neither Britain nor the United States have issued any travel warnings or quarantines. But South Korea said it will test airline passengers arriving from the United States, and Japan will convene a Cabinet meeting Monday to come up with measures to block the entry of the virus into the country.

Katherine Andrus, an attorney for the U.S. Air Transport Association, told CNN that the airline trade association was in regular contact with the CDC.

Andrus said airlines are following their own procedures to watch for ill passengers and crews have standard procedures for dealing with ill passengers. Any onboard communicable disease incidents must be reported to the CDC, she said.

"This is a time for appropriate precautions but not panic," she said.

From: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html

_________________
If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else? Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.
What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

The Swine Flue FAQ

1. Hasn't swine flu been around for a while?

Yes. Swine flu was first identified in 1930 when researchers isolated the virus in a pig. In 1976, more than 200 soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, got swine flu. From 1976 until 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received approximately one report every year or two of humans with swine flu. From December 2005 until January 2009, there were 12 cases of swine flu reported.

2. The folks who have it now, did they get it from pigs or people?

It appears that no one in the United States with swine flu had any contact with pigs. Dr. David Besser, the acting director of the CDC, said in a news conference Friday that among the first seven cases, no one had contact with pigs. In another press conference Monday, he added that investigators have looked to see whether any of the infected people had contact with pigs, and "we're not finding that linkage here."

3. Swine flu is transmitted from animals to humans. Does that happen a lot?

Yes. More than 200 "zoonotic diseases" are transmitted from animals to humans, including illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites. Rabies and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (better known as "mad cow disease") are two well-known examples.

4. Should I cancel my trip to Mexico?

Yes, you should, unless it's essential. That's the advice from a recent CDC travel warning.

5. Should I be freaking out?

A new virus spreading quickly around the world. Young, healthy people struck dead in Mexico. Should we all be panicking?

"Absolutely not," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Swine flu, he said, "is not spreading all that rapidly. Take the St. Francis School in New York. There's been very little transmission from the schoolchildren to family members, and it certainly hasn't spread throughout Queens."

But, Schaffner added, this doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to swine flu. "We should be alert, keep up with the information coming out daily, and take control by being attentive to your hygiene. Wash your hands very, very frequently and avoid people who are coughing and sneezing."

6. How close do you have to be to a sick person to get swine flu?

"You can acquire this infection if you're within the 'breathing zone' of a sick person, which is about three to six feet," Schaffner said. "And we usually mean being this close to someone in a confined space. We're not talking about fleeting contact. We're not talking about walking past someone in the street. You need sustained contact." If you think you might have sustained contact with someone who's ill, read this guidance from the CDC's Web site.

7. Yikes! Every day I'm that close to countless people -- at work, on the bus, at church, in a movie theater. Could I get swine flu from them?

Yes.

"If you're standing next to someone on a bus, or sitting next to someone or in front of someone in a theater, you could acquire the infection in that fashion," Schaffner said. That's why people with the symptoms of any kind of flu -- fever, diarrhea, body aches, vomiting, etc. -- are urged to stay home and away from groups of people.

8. Wasn't there a vaccine at one time? Is there one now?

Yes, a swine flu vaccine was given to 45 million people in 1976. There is no vaccine now, although researchers are working on one.

The 1976 vaccine wouldn't be helpful anyway, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy & Infectious Diseases.

"That was a completely different virus than the virus we are dealing with right now, completely different in the sense that the genes are different, and it doesn't have any relationship," said Fauci. "The designation of each one was called the swine flu, but from a viral standpoint and spreading it is quite, quite different."

There are two scientific articles about the swine flu outbreak and vaccination program in 1976:

•Reflections on the 1976 Swine Flu Vaccination Program

•Swine Influenza A Outbreak, Fort Dix, New Jersey, 1976

These articles are attached to this post below in .pdf form.

9. Many young, healthy people have become sick in the United States. Many of the dead in Mexico have been young and healthy. What's going on? Usually we think of flu as affecting the very young and the very old.

This sometimes happens with new viruses. For example, in 1918 when a new flu virus emerged, many of those stricken were young and healthy. One theory is that young people, who have strong immune systems, mount a particularly vigorous response to new viruses. But there's a potential side effect to the response: the body releases dangerous levels of signaling proteins, called cytokines, which can damage the lungs. Scientists believe these "cytokine storms" can be fatal.

10. Why are large numbers of people dying in Mexico, but not in other countries?

This is the big mystery doctors are trying to solve right now. Many infectious disease experts say it's most likely a matter of numbers: with more illnesses in Mexico, there are also more deaths. Other explanations: that in Mexico people have, in addition to swine flu, other viruses that make for a more deadly combination than swine flu alone. It's also possible that the virus infecting the rest of the world is a weaker version than the one in Mexico. Among the swine flu mysteries: Why only deaths in Mexico?

11. Could this new swine flu virus have been manufactured by bioterrorists?

That's the theory on some conspiracy theorists' Web sites. But experts don't believe it.

"If you were a bioterrorist you'd want to create something that's a lot more deadly than this," said Dr. Gerald Evans, an associate professor of microbiology at Queen's University in Canada. "The problem with influenza is that the second you put it into people, it replicates and mutates very quickly. Even if you created the perfect bioweapon, within a few generations of transmissions, it wouldn't do what you planned for it to do."

12. I get a flu shot every fall. Will that help protect me against swine flu?

"The short answer is that the CDC says it's very unlikely," Schaffner said. But he said it might be possible. "I think it's a bit of an open question whether repeated flu shots over years would provide a measure of protection."

13. I was in Mexico two weeks ago. Could I have contracted swine flu, and the symptoms just haven't shown up yet?

No. The incubation period of the swine flu is one to seven days.

"If you just traveled to Mexico and you're home and feeling well you should get on with your daily life and not worry about it," Evans said.

14. Can the swine flu virus live on inanimate objects? If someone with swine flu touches a doorknob, then I touch it, could I get swine flu?

Flu viruses can live on inanimate surfaces. So theoretically, you could get swine flu from touching a doorknob that was just touched by an infected person. However, that's pretty unlikely, according to Dr. Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.

"I personally would not have a major fear of environmental contamination," he said. "Virtually all influenza is transmitted from sneezing and coughing."

Schaffner agrees, adding that flu viruses don't survive in large numbers on surfaces. "A doorknob isn't a warm, nourishing environment for a virus," he said.

15. What should I do if I develop symptoms of swine flu?

Call your doctor -- don't just drive on over, Schaffner advised. "Follow the instructions of your doctor. He might not want you in the waiting room spreading germs to others," he said.

From CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30/ep.swine.flu.questions.answers/index.html

_________________
If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to an expanding outbreak caused by H1N1 (swine flu). CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.

CDC continues to issue and update interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. Early this morning, CDC provided interim guidance on school closures. Supplies from CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) are being sent to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.

Response actions are aggressive, but they may vary across states and communities depending on local circumstances. Communities, businesses, places of worship, schools and individuals can all take action to slow the spread of this outbreak. People who are sick are urged to stay home from work or school and to avoid contact with others, except to seek medical care. This action can avoid spreading illness further.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

* Fast breathing or trouble breathing
* Bluish skin color
* Not drinking enough fluids
* Not waking up or not interacting
* Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
* Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
* Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

* Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
* Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
* Sudden dizziness
* Confusion
* Severe or persistent vomiting

Have you been infected with it? Do you have a friend or loved one that has been effected by it?

It is just amazing how the word spread and how the panic began. Yes, a few people have died so far by complications because they had the flu--but I don't think the media should have reacted as they did---having breaking news and such.

Here is information about the H1N1 flu: Just follow the link:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/


You can prepare by making sure you wash your hands constantly. There really is no difference (in my opinion) than when it is regular flu season.