Swine flu facts and advice

Ok Swine flu is not H5N1 (birdflu) and even if it was the numbers of deaths caused by swine flu need to be put into some sort of perspective. So here are the swine flu facts and advice.

Forget the drivel in the news, in an an average year in the UK 12000 DIE of the flu..

Common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year worldwide, far more than the current outbreak of swine flu.. Let common sense prevail.

The facts are, the population of Mexico is more than 109,000,000, and the deaths from Swine flu, actually confirmed as Swine flu by the WHO are just 7…..

>>> As for the much Hyped TAMIFLU forget it doctors in the US are not even considering using it, as normal flu remedies work just as well..So do not be tempted to buy it of the web, not only is it rubbish but you will get riped off…

PROFESSOR JOHN OXFORD, VIROLOGY EXPERT AT BARTS AND THE LONDON

If the avian flu H5N1 virus had spread from human to human like this then I would be extremely worried. It would be top of my Richter scale.

But this swine flu worries me less because as a population we have a basic immunity to H1N1. Outside of Mexico there have been no deaths, so it doesn’t seem so aggressive.

And not only are we coming up to the summer, which makes it less likely for these viruses to spread as well, but Britain has enough antiviral drugs for half of the population.

So we should not panic in any way. This does not look as though it is going to be a virus that sweeps the world and causes huge mortality.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

A: About one to four days usually elapse between the time a person is infected and the onset of symptoms. Influenza normally causes symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, headaches and body aches, fever, chills, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

Swine flu causes the same symptoms, and may be difficult to distinguish from other strains of flu and respiratory illnesses.

Severe cases of flu that lead to death are normally seen in very young and very old people whose immune systems are too weak to fight off the virus. Adults with severe illness may also have difficulty breathing, dizziness, confusion, or severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Several countries have restricted travel to Mexico and many tour operators have cancelled holidays.

Other countries are resisting calls to implement travel bans or close borders, on the grounds – backed by the WHO – that there is little evidence of their efficacy.

The Foreign office is still offering this travel advice: We now advise against all but essential travel to Mexico.

So there you have it nothing to relay concerned about, unless you are selling news papers