Swine Flu: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Introduction: 

Swine flu is commonly known as H1N1 flu or virus. It is an advanced strain of influenza causing virus and causes symptoms more or less like that of regular flu. The term Swine clearly indicates its relationship with a pig. This name was given to this typical flu due to its first reported case in pigs. However, it is important to note that one cannot become infected to H1N1 simply because of eating pork products.

This kind of flu isn’t too old, and its first case in a human being was reported in the year 2009. As soon as it came into existence, it spread like a pandemic. India was hit massively too. By May 2010, more than ten thousand cases of swine flu were positive alone in India with over a thousand confirmed deaths.

Fortunately though, by August 2010, WHO declared swine flu pandemic over and since then, this virus has been a regular human inhabitant like the common flu. It comes into existence and spreads in flu season and can be easily treated. The prognosis is excellent.

Predisposing factors of swine flu: 

Immediately after its occurrence in human beings, swine flu was seen to have a tendency to catch on to children above five years of age. This age group affinity is what differentiated it from other kinds of flu which usually affect either older adult or very young children. Although anybody who’s not being hygienic enough can catch swine flu, certain factors make an individual more susceptible to H1N1 virus. These factors are: 

a) Individuals with age over 65 years.

b) Children under the age of 5 years old.

c) Individuals exposed to long term Aspirin therapy

d) Immunocompromised individuals

e) Pregnant ladies.

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Causes of swine flu: 

The causative of swine flu is a modified strain of influenza causing virus. This virus was thought to infect only pigs although its presence in human has been reported; it is to note that the transmission can only take place either animal to animal or man to man. There is no route of transmission from animal to man. 

H1N1 is a highly contagious flu, and its antigens can spread from an infected person via their saliva or mucus particles. The modes of transmission of swine flu from an infected individual to a healthy person can be:

a) Sneezing

b) Coughing

c) Physical contact with germ-covered surfaces like doorknobs, tables, armchair, etc.

Symptoms of swine flu:

Since swine flu is caused by a strain of influenza causing virus, the symptoms produced are almost the same but of higher intensity. Symptoms of swine flu can include:

a) Vigorous coughing with a sore throat

b) Diarrhea with nausea and frequent vomits

c) Sore throat

d) Fatigue and severe body aches.

e) Fever with chills

Treatment of swine flu:

Following its outburst amongst human in the year 2009, swine flu receded afterward till its second outbreak in the year 2015 in India. Major Indian states including Rajasthan and Gujarat had tons of case being reported and proven positive. 937 cases were reported all year long with 218 unfortunate deaths. Even in the year 2019, there is a massive rise in the number of cases being reported as it shot up to 1669 cases accompanied by seven deaths until February 2019.

Following the increasing cases of swine flu, it is important for people to know what exactly its treatment is. The treatment plan of swine flu can be categorized under three approaches.

a) Self-healing: In maximum cases of swine flu, the disease does not have to be medically approached. The primary focus of infected individual should be of relieving the symptoms with home remedies and taking care that they don't spread the infection to other people in the home in any way.

b) Antiviral therapy: Since swine flu in a viral infection, the treatment approach includes a combination of oral drugs namely Oseltamivir and Zanamivir. However, since drug resistance is a major concern of medical practitioners these days, this drug therapy is reserved for those who are at risk of developing complications like pregnant ladies.

c) Vaccine: Since viruses are known to adapt quickly, a renewed combination of a flu shot is developed every year by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are two modes of vaccine administration, nasal and injectable intramuscularly. The vaccine administered nasally has ‘live viral' strands whereas the one injected has ‘killed viruses. A small dosage of this virus is injected into individual as a prophylactic treatment, our body's immune system fights it and then develop a resistance to it. This is the way all vaccines work. Nasal vaccines are preferred for individuals between the ages of 2 to 50 years. It is important to note that the vaccine shot does not help you in case you are already infected with H1N1.

Conclusion: Swine flu can be a serious infection and should be brought into medical attention as soon as the symptoms appear. In the case of no signs of complication, the individual would be just fine without any medical intervention.

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Ways to Enhance Your Brain Health

The human body consists of a number of parts and organs which have their own functions to perform. Together they help us in living a normal life but like every machine has a controlling part so does our body. This controller is known as the brain. It is the important work that it performs because of which it requires extra protection which is given in the form of a skull. No matter what work we do, it is the brain that sends the signals to each of the respective parts regarding what to do. Not only this, it is responsible for our memory, creativeness, and intellectual abilities. This is the reason that we need to take care of it and maintain its health.

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Eat Good Food:

Food is one of the basic necessities that we need for living. Nature has offered special food for each organ in bounties to us, and all we need to do is to eat them. Involve food which is good for your brain’s health, i.e. something which is rich in omega 3 such as salmon, trout, and sardines. Vegetarians may go for flaxseeds, walnuts, kidney beans, spinach, etc. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables as they are full of antioxidants which act as a shield for your brain cells. Drink green tea which is again a very good source of antioxidants. Try to limit the intake of food with saturated fat such as butter, red meat, etc. You may learn more about the proper diet through a chat with the professional doctor.

Have Fun:

Avoid stress as much as you can, learn to accept changes, forgive yourself and others. The reason is, stress is said to damage the hippocampus which is responsible for building up new cells in our brain. Whenever you feel overburdened, take a break, go for a walk, dance, sing, paint, do anything that makes you happy and contented. A very important note, do what you love and not something for which you have to force yourself without your own will. Spend quality time with family, go out for a movie with friends, laugh till your stomach aches. In short, say goodbye to stress and hello to healthy mental health. If you are unable to deal with mental stress, then you may get an online solution by doctors.

Stay Positive:

As it is said, change is the only constant, try to deal with it gracefully. No matter what, understand that no problem is more important than your own well-being. Be positive in whatever you do; this helps your brain remain relaxed and function properly. An unnecessary burden is injurious to your mental health; therefore, distance yourself from anything negative that seems like a threat to your mental peace.

Sleep Well:

Resting is important, and sleeping is a vital part of it. Generally, 8 hours of sleep is considered to be the ideal number of hours for an adult. Sleeping helps your mind freshen up, save important facts, and build new cells. It boosts creativity and improves one’s problem-solving skills which are very important in today’s era. One must have a proper sleep schedule and must try to go to bed happy to have a good sleep. In case you are having a problem in taking proper sleep because of undergoing stress, have a free online chat with the doctor.

Meditate:

In the current time, when life has become hectic and stressful, it is important to take out some time to connect with one’s own self.  Meditation is a great way to do this; it helps relieve stress and de-clutter one’s life, thus helping in gaining focus. This practice is said to increase the grey matter in the brain which contains neuron cell bodies which enhances the memory. It helps one remain calm and deal with life situations in a much-sorted way.

Be Active:

To remain fit physically, we do exercise, same way to make our brains healthy, we need to do exercise for it as well. Wondering how you can do it? All you need to do is solve puzzles, try to answer tricky questions, rejumble the sentences, do something creative, let the ideas fly when you do these activities, a positive change will be experienced by you. These kinds of activities help in raising the IQ level of our brain and thus in remaining active.

Reduce Alcohol and Quit Smoking:

Drinking alcohol in limit is fine but having it excessively is not at all a healthy choice. Studies show that people who drink a lot have a problem remembering things; the reason is that it affects your brain badly. Therefore, it is recommended that one must drink only in limit till it is fine for your health. Talking of cigarettes, it has been found that people who have a habit of smoking two packets or more in a day itself are likely to have twice the chances of suffering from dementia in their older days.

Indulge in Healthy practices:

Just like your body, the mind needs exercise too; they are incomplete without each other. A dysfunction in the body can affect the brains functioning by increasing stress level while the unhealthy mind can affect the functioning of the brain. There are a number of practices which should be followed to have a strong brain. The best way to have a healthy brain is by conducting regular intellectual exercises, taking a special healthy diet over regular intervals, and making meditation a part of life. Don’t forget to take a sound, timely sleep of 8 hours at least daily to let your brain relax and refresh.

Summary:

It has been observed that increased interaction with your family members by spending quality time with them can help you in remaining grounded and at peace. Making friends with people who bring out the best in you is yet another way of having mental well-being. Try and remain away from negative people as they may suck out the happiness from your life making you sad and angry. Having a good lifestyle becomes a habit over a period of time if you train your brain in a smart way.

If you have a habit of smoking and drinking excessively, then watch out, as it is not at all good for your brain. If you wish to have a good memory and protect yourself from the risk of dementia, throw away your cigarette right now. In the end, it all depends on how and what you do keep the controller of your body healthy!

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