Swine Flu Causes & Symptoms

Swine Flu Causes & Symptoms

By: Anna Williams

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the swine influenza epidemic is growing in the United
States and across the globe each day. What's alarming to people,
about this new swine flu strain, is that there are severe
illnesses associated with it. The majority of humans are not
immune to this new virus, and you may hear news with regards to
more cases occurring, as it spreads worldwide.

There are no particular swine influenza symptoms that can
distinguish this new strain from other types of influenza. Some
patients, however, experience diarrhea, vomiting, and other
gastrointestinal symptoms.

The basic swine flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat,
headache, stuffy nose, chills, fatigue and body aches. These are
the same symptoms we get from the common seasonal flu that most
people get vaccinated against each year. But as of this moment,
there's no effective vaccine for swine influenza.

The main cause for swine influenza is the H1N1 virus. But the
new strain is a combination of avian flu, human flu, and swine
flu. This makes it deadlier than previous swine flu outbreaks,
and it's the reason why many countries around the world are
alarmed by the epidemic. According to the World Health
Organization report, there has been one confirmed death from
swine influenza in the United States, out of the 91 confirmed
cases.

People should not be afraid of pigs. You will not get it from
them. This swine flu strain is transmitted by contact from human
to human. Eating pork will not give you swine flu either. It is
just as safe as usual, to eat pork products, such as ham and
bacon. Just be sure that they are properly prepared. Meat should
be cooked at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius, to kill any
virus or bacteria. Eating pork will not give you swine flu -
just like eating poultry will not give you bird flu.

Swine flu can be transmitted via airborne droplets which are
released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can also
get it when your hands are exposed to germs, through touching
someone who has the virus, or by touching any surface that hosts
the swine flu virus.

The latest swine flu virus is a mutation that can be spread from
one person to another. Mexico is said to be the source of the
present swine flu epidemic. The death toll has surpassed the one
hundredth mark. And while its important to take cautionary
measures so that their family will be safe from this disease,
one should also remember that chances of getting the disease are
slim if you take proper precautions. And, statistically, your
chances of dying of it are even slimmer.

About the author:
Anna is a webmaster and a blogger who writes about clean living,
alternative health, and natural remedies. She is currently
posting a series of articles on Swine Flu on her blog. To find
out more, please view her next follow-up article,
http://livingclean.com/preventing-contraction-of-the-swine-flu/
. To learn more about how you can protect yourself from viruses
and illness, please visit http://livingclean.com/homeremedies