Swine Flu Pandemic Declared: Important Updates

The swine flu pandemic was officially declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 11, 2009. It was an anti-climatic announcement in the medical community, as the criteria for a pandemic had appeared to have been met for several days prior to the official announcement. It is speculated that the delay in the announcement was to make certain all safeguards and procedures were in place prior to telling the public, who is prone to panic at the mere hint of epidemic, let alone pandemic. Declaration of a pandemic has serious political and economic ramifications; therefore, it is never a hasty decision, even when the definition of a pandemic is met.

According to WHO the definition of an influenza pandemic is as follows:

"An influenza pandemic can be defined as a global epidemic of influenza and it occurs when a new influenza virus (i.e. an influenza virus subtype that is not circulating widely in human beings) emerges and starts spreading in a similar way to normal influenza - through coughing and sneezing. Because the virus is new, the human immune system will have little or no pre-existing immunity. People who contract pandemic influenza are thus likely to experience more serious disease than that caused by normal influenza".

This is the first pandemic in over 40 years. To date, there have been over 30,000 reported cases. Thus far, swine flu has killed 144 people, 27 of those persons in the United States.

Try to keep in mind that a pandemic has to due with how far a disease has spread not how virulent (deadly) the disease is. Although the declaration of a pandemic has finally been declared, experts state that most persons that contract swine flu have a mild illness that requires minimal medicinal care. "However the H1N1 swine flu virus is striking young and middle aged people more frequently and in around two per cent of cases the disease had rapidly progressed to life-threatening pneumonia" according to Dr Chan, the director of the WHO.

Presently, one of main concerns is that the number of those infected by the pandemic continues to flourish hospitals will be inundated by those seeking medical care. This will stress an already overburden health care system in which there is an ever increasing shortage of medical workers, physicians and nurses. In third world nations, there is little access to health care outside the doors of the often distant hospitals.

A concern of swine flu further mutating and combining with other types of seasonal flu is an ever present risk. It is expected that there will be an increase in the numbers of cases of the flu when schools resume in the fall. In the United States, seasonal flu shots are typically given in mid to late October or the beginning of November. High risk individuals such as the immunocompromised, children, those with respiratory conditions, elderly and health care providers need to give serious consideration to receiving a flu shot. Check with your health care provider, for specific instructions in order to stay healthy, during the current disease outbreak.

The first line of defense against swine flu, as with most diseases, is hand washing.

When washing hands with liquid soap (bar soap can harbor germs) scrub hands for at least 20-30 seconds; this is about the length of time it takes to sing the ABC's. Use alcohol based hand sanitizer when hand washing facilities are not available. Adequate sleep, a nutritious diet and exercise help boost the immune system.

Swine flu symptoms closely mimic those of seasonal flu; if you experience flu like symptoms, contact your health care provider within the first 24-48 hours for instructions on what to do. DO NOT GO TO THE DOCTORS OFFICE OR HOSPITAL unless you are directed to do so. Stay home if you are ill; speak with your employer before anyone at your office or workplace becomes ill to find out what work if any can be performed at home in case of flu. If you have the flu it is important to avoid some of the dangerous complications associated with the flu by preventing dehydration; make certain if ill, you are hydrating with juices or other liquids.

The best places to keep update on swine flu are:

www.who.int/
www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/
www.pandemicflu.gov/

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine-flu/5509851/Millions-of-Brits-could-be-infected-with-swine-flu.html
www.who.int/
www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/
www.pandemicflu.gov/