Thursday, October 18, 2012

Swine Flu: Symptoms, Mode of transmission & Prevention

Swine Flu:- One of the recent killer diseases spreading around the world. from this diseases pigs are infected and which are generally different from human viruses. While rarely flu can spread from pig to human and human to pig. n 2012, some of the flu viruses making pigs and people sick are Influenza A Variant Viruses H3N2v and H1N2v. A number of human infections with a variant influenza A H3N2 virus ("H3N2v") have been detected in the United States since August 2011. They  have also detected an H1N2v influenza virus which  is a different variant influenza virus from the H3N2v virus, but has been similar in transmission and symptoms. These variant influenza viruses are viruses that do not usually infect people but that occur in pigs and that are very different from human seasonal H3N2 and H1N2 viruses. The symptoms and severity of H3N2v and H1N2v illness have been similar to seasonal flu.

Mode of transmission :-
1. Most commonly, human infections with variant viruses occur in people with exposure to infected pigs (children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry).
2. While there is no evidence at this time that sustained human-to-human transmission of "2012 Swine Flu" is occurring, all influenza viruses have the capacity to change and it's possible that this virus may become widespread.
3. H3N2v is not transmissible by eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs


Sign & Symptoms :-

1. Some symptoms of Swine flu 2012 are similar to seasonal flu.
2. Influenza symptoms come on quickly in the form of fever, dry cough, sore throat, headache, extreme tiredness, stuffed-up nose, and body aches. These symptoms can be severe and put you in bed for several days.
3. Influenza is caused by a virus that attacks the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death.
4. Persons with increased risk for severe infulenza illness include:
Children younger than 5 years, people 65 years or older&Pregnant women.
5. People with certain chronic medical conditions (like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems, and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions).


Prevention:

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and running water before and after exposure to animals.
2. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
3. Always wash hands thoroughly after contact with farm animals, pets, animal feces, and animal environments.
4. Never eat, drink or put things in your mouth in animal areas.
5. Don’t take food or drink into animal areas.
6. Never take toys, pacifiers, spill-proof cups, baby bottles, strollers or similar items into animal areas.
7. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
8. Persons at high risk for influenza complications should avoid swine exposure:-Persons at high risk include: Children younger than 5 years, people 65 years or older, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic medical conditions (like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems, and neurological or underdevelopment conditions).
9. Avoid close contact with pigs that look or act ill.
10. Watch your pigs for signs of illness and call a veterinarian if you suspect they might be sick.
11. Avoid contact with pigs if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
12. Avoid contact for 7 days after symptoms begin or until you have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, whichever is longer.
13. Take appropriate protective measures if you must come in contact with pigs if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, or if you must be in the vicinity of pigs known or suspected to be infected with influenza viruses.
14. Protective measures include wearing protective clothing, gloves, masks that cover your mouth and nose, and other personal protective equipment.
15. Always cover coughs and sneezes, and wash your hands often.
16. If you must come in contact with pigs while you are sick, or if you must come in contact with pigs known or suspected to be infected, or their environment, you should use appropriate protective measures (for example, wear protective clothing, gloves, masks that cover your mouth and nose, and other personal protective equipment) and practice good respiratory and hand hygiene.


Treatment:- If you have flu symptoms, follow regular recommendations for seeking treatment for influenza.  
1. If you have symptoms of flu and are very sick or worried about your illness contact your health care provider.
2. If you go to a doctor for flu symptoms following direct or close contact with swine, tell your doctor about this exposure.
3. If you are at greater risk of serious flu-related complications, it’s best to contact your doctor as soon as possible. (The majority of recent H3N2v cases have been in children.)
4. Health care providers will determine whether influenza testing and possible treatment are needed.
5. Your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs that can treat the flu, including H3N2v or H1N2v. These drugs work better for treatment the sooner they are started.
 6. If you are prescribed antiviral drugs by your doctor, you should finish all of the medication, according to your doctor’s instructions.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Types of Diseases

Types of diseases: Generally there are two types of diseases in medical practices. They are communicable diseases and non communicable diseases.
Communicable diseases :- The diseases which can be transferred from one suffered person to healthy person via vector  or any means of transport like, mosquito, air, etc. is known as communicable diseases. If one suffered from these kind of diseases around his area may suffer others people too if he or she do not take any safety measure to be prevented from. Such as; common cold, HIV/AIDS etc.
Non communicable diseases:- The diseases which can not be transferred from one suffered person to other via any agent or environment are known as non-communicable diseases such as; cancer, diabetes etc.

In the recent period most of  communicable diseases are playing the role to minimize the life expectancy of human being in the least developing  countries in the world. So,we need to think over it to find the way to control over them. For the control of the diseases we need to remember always that the proverb"Prevention is better than cure". Only this phrase can control and minimize the world death rate of human population. So main thing to control the diseases is to know about the route of diseases caused and mode of transmission. If we can find the modes of transmission we can minimize the chance of transmission and will automatically controlled. By following the proverb like " An apple in a day keeps a doctor away" are also be very useful for those kind of diseases which are suffered due to poor immunization. So that it is wise way to know about the symptoms, causative agents, mode of transmission and way of prevention of the respective diseases on right time.So paying the attention towards the prevention is better way to save your money from health treatment after suffering from any diseases. In the recent world most of diseases are due to health habit, food choices, daily life, profession etc. So being a educated we can be keep in touch with the diseases rather than health because if we kill the diseases means we save our health.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Health & Diseases:Definition and types

The recent world is an exercise to improve the health status of the people around the world. The country having high economic growth rate are being able to maintain the health status of their people where poor country are not being able to even feed their appetite mass. So it is very sad to hear that some people are being under over nutrition where some are suffer from malnutrition. May be due to biodiversity and different health practice and earning practice of the individual and of government around the world's country. And in fact health is determined by economic as well as others many factors around the environment so we need to study about the health and diseases deeply to control over them and to improve the quality of life.

Health :- According to WHO: "Health is a state of complete physical and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." But it is also criticized by many more NGO's ,ING O's and by other scholar's. They are not satisfied with the definition of health by WHO. They say that health is not a state but dynamic process. To be healthy is an just utopian creation of human mind So it means that in the world nobody can be healthy completely .

Diseases:-  The word diseases broadly to any condition that impairs normal physiological action of body.. Generally this term is use to meant the infectious diseases, which are clinically evident diseases that result from the presence of the pathogenic microbial agents, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, multi-cellular organism, and aberrant proteins known as prion. An infection that does not and will not produce clinically