We are more at a greater risk from various strains of the flu virus than we have previously. First we had alarms over bird flu, and recently swine flu has become a major concern. Swine flu is a greater problem than bird flu was. It was feared that bird flu may mutate into a strain that might become infectious in humans, apart from a few isolated cases, this has not materialized so far.

Swine flu is of more concern, it has the ability to spread from person to person making it an extremely serious health problem.  Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1)) is an influenza virus that infects pigs. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs does not normally infect humans although it can happen occasionally.

Swine flu is particularly dangerous to humans because it is a previously unknown strain of virus. This means that no one has been in contact with this strain previously, which means no one has developed any immunity to this virus. With no built in immunity a disease is life threatening because our body is unable to defend against the virus. Absolutely everyone is vulnerable, including healthy adults and teenagers as well as young children and senior citizens.

Swine flu could easily give rise to a pandemic flu situation. A pandemic flu situation occurs when a flu viral strain develops that is dissimilar to previous flu strains that few, if any, humans have any sort of immunity to. This lets the flu virus to spread rapidly throughout the population.

Pandemic flu differs from seasonal flu as follows.  Seasonal flu happens yearly during the winter, with about 10 to 15 percent of the population are infected and most people recover in 1 to 2 weeks with no medical treatment. Ordinary flu is usually only of risk to the elderly and people with diseases that result in them being more open to implications from the infection.

Pandemic influenza affects many more people, it can be up to half the population, it is far more serious, people of all ages may be infected.

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of ordinary flu. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, a cough or shortness of breath. Symptoms that may also present themselves include headaches, sore throat, muscle aches, sneezing, chills, a runny nose, appetite loss and tiredness.

Precautions that can be taken. First, anyone with flu or cold symptoms needs to take a few easy precautions. The influenza virus is spread between people by the small droplets from the mouth and nose when someone sneezes or coughs. This is how viruses are spread through the population. Using your hands to cover your nose or mouth when you sneeze or cough is not effective enough. The germs remain on your hands, then everything you touch becomes contaminated. Other people can then touch these surfaces and become infected with the virus. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or disposable tissue. A tissue is better, this should be disposed safely as soon as possible, and always use a fresh tissue when you cough or sneeze again.

There are currently no vaccinations available to prevent anyone contracting swine flu. Swine flu is a new strain of virus. The annual vaccination against the normal seasonal influenza is not effective for swine flu. When the strain of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take several months to manufacture. By this time, it could have mutated into a different type again.

The best precaution you can take against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu is not guaranteed for the prevention of swine flu, but if you have been exposed to someone who has the flu virus, it can help to stop the virus making a person sick. If Tamiflu is administered within 48 hours of acquiring the swine flu virus, it may help in stopping the virus spreading through the body, thereby reducing the symptoms and the risk associated with the flu virus. Governments worldwide are stocking Tamiflu, these supplies will be used to treat key workers before the general population.

however you buy Tamiflu online, so if the situation arises you can protect yourself and family as much as is possible. It cannot be emphasized enough, Tamiflu needs to be administered as early as possible to be effective, delays in treatment will reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu.

Also, remember that swine flu is a global problem. If a pandemic outbreak becomes global it is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may become low and may not be enough to meet a huge worldwide demand.  Until such time that a vaccine is discovered and produced in the amounts needed, Tamiflu is the only really effective treatment for the swine flu virus, it would therefore be prudent to buy Tamiflu beforehand if you think you could be at risk.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information that is freely available in {the popular#the} press and medical journals concerned with swine flu. Nothing in this posting is intended to be or should be taken to be medical advice. For medical advice you should consult your healthcare worker.

Humans did not always eat meat

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