Swine Flu
Swine Flu Outbreak Info
April 28, 2009, 21:08
Unless you’ve been living in a cave you know by now that there has been an outbreak of a novel influenza virus that potentially could cause a pandemic. In North America, the seasonal flu season is about over and here in South Carolina influenza cases have been relatively rare. The current H1N1 virus also known as Swine Flu seems to be a mutated flu with features of avian, human, and swine flu viruses. As of this writing (28 April 2009) there have been about 2,000 infections known in Mexico with about 152 deaths suspected from the flu in Mexico. Elsewhere there have been clusters of cases mostly among people who had recently travelled to Mexico with the largest cluster occurring among students of a private school in New York City where over 40 cases have been confirmed.
There have been no confirmed deaths from this virus outside of Mexico and many of the deaths within Mexico have not been fully confirmed to have been caused by the flu virus though some have been confirmed.
It is not yet known why almost all cases of this virus outside of Mexico have resulted in mild illnesses yet many of those in Mexico have been more severe. It may be that the epidemic just started earlier in Mexico and there could be far more cases in the community than have yet been reported and thus just statistically more deaths would naturally occur in that setting. Other possibilities may include genetic susceptibility or other unknown factors.
To date, the virus itself, seems identical between the cases in Mexico and those reported elsewhere in the world which would indicate that host or statistical factors are most likely the explanation for seemingly different mortality rates. Most experts believe there will be deaths outside of Mexico just as are seen every year with seasonal flu which is estimated to cause upwards of 30,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.
It should be noted that many people, including some healthcare workers use the word “flu” to describe a variety of minor illnesses that are not related to true influenza or flu infections. The real flu is spread through contact with respiratory secretions typically spread through coughs and physical contact with cough droplets that contain active virus. The virus can survive on surfaces for up to an hour and it is generally felt that you can catch the flu if you are within 6-7 feet (2 meters) of an infected person who is coughing.
The real flu causes a cough, sore throat, sinus pain, headaches, body aches, and fever typically to 102 F or higher. Patients become symptomatic within 48 hours of exposure to the virus and are felt to be contagious from the day before the onset of symptoms until about 7 days after symptom onset. Many patients keep a cough for up to a month after a flu infection and are profoundly weak and ill for the first week. Patients who die of the flu typically develop influenza pneumonia which is a life threatening infection that causes low oxygen levels and increased work of breathing and can frequently lead to respiratory failure and need for life support in an intensive care unit. The flu can kill even young healthy people but people with other cardiac or pulmonary illnesses are at increased risk of trouble or even death even if they do not develop the full influenza pneumonia.
Prevention of the flu typically includes taking a flu shot but the current and last year flu shots were not tuned to this new Swine flu virus and will not help in this case. Drug companies have started working on a new vaccine to protect against Swine flu but this will take months to develop and the shot must be administered about 4 weeks prior to exposure to be effective. Additional preventive measures are to stay at least 6 feet away from anyone who is infected and to use good hand washing technique including washing your hands after contact with anyone who might be sick or after coughing or sneezing.
Routine antibiotics do not help the flu as the flu is caused by a virus and antibiotics are not effective. There are two antiviral medications that can help prevent or shorten the course and severity of flu and they require a doctor’s prescription. They are fairly expensive but can help. When treating an actual infection with flu though, the antiviral medications must be started within 3 days of symptom onset to do any good and should be taken for a total course of 5 days.
For more information, check out the Centers for Disease control website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
Don Elton, MD
There have been no confirmed deaths from this virus outside of Mexico and many of the deaths within Mexico have not been fully confirmed to have been caused by the flu virus though some have been confirmed.
It is not yet known why almost all cases of this virus outside of Mexico have resulted in mild illnesses yet many of those in Mexico have been more severe. It may be that the epidemic just started earlier in Mexico and there could be far more cases in the community than have yet been reported and thus just statistically more deaths would naturally occur in that setting. Other possibilities may include genetic susceptibility or other unknown factors.
To date, the virus itself, seems identical between the cases in Mexico and those reported elsewhere in the world which would indicate that host or statistical factors are most likely the explanation for seemingly different mortality rates. Most experts believe there will be deaths outside of Mexico just as are seen every year with seasonal flu which is estimated to cause upwards of 30,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.
It should be noted that many people, including some healthcare workers use the word “flu” to describe a variety of minor illnesses that are not related to true influenza or flu infections. The real flu is spread through contact with respiratory secretions typically spread through coughs and physical contact with cough droplets that contain active virus. The virus can survive on surfaces for up to an hour and it is generally felt that you can catch the flu if you are within 6-7 feet (2 meters) of an infected person who is coughing.
The real flu causes a cough, sore throat, sinus pain, headaches, body aches, and fever typically to 102 F or higher. Patients become symptomatic within 48 hours of exposure to the virus and are felt to be contagious from the day before the onset of symptoms until about 7 days after symptom onset. Many patients keep a cough for up to a month after a flu infection and are profoundly weak and ill for the first week. Patients who die of the flu typically develop influenza pneumonia which is a life threatening infection that causes low oxygen levels and increased work of breathing and can frequently lead to respiratory failure and need for life support in an intensive care unit. The flu can kill even young healthy people but people with other cardiac or pulmonary illnesses are at increased risk of trouble or even death even if they do not develop the full influenza pneumonia.
Prevention of the flu typically includes taking a flu shot but the current and last year flu shots were not tuned to this new Swine flu virus and will not help in this case. Drug companies have started working on a new vaccine to protect against Swine flu but this will take months to develop and the shot must be administered about 4 weeks prior to exposure to be effective. Additional preventive measures are to stay at least 6 feet away from anyone who is infected and to use good hand washing technique including washing your hands after contact with anyone who might be sick or after coughing or sneezing.
Routine antibiotics do not help the flu as the flu is caused by a virus and antibiotics are not effective. There are two antiviral medications that can help prevent or shorten the course and severity of flu and they require a doctor’s prescription. They are fairly expensive but can help. When treating an actual infection with flu though, the antiviral medications must be started within 3 days of symptom onset to do any good and should be taken for a total course of 5 days.
For more information, check out the Centers for Disease control website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
Don Elton, MD