Author: Roxanne Gordimer

Due to the rising interests and questions being posted to around the web I thought it might be helpful for some of you out there to gather some information on the facts about the swine flu outbreak.

1. The swine flu influenza transmission use to jump from pig to pig and only in rare cases transmit to humans. The origins of it might be that humans first transmitted the influenza virus to pigs before they developed their own. The influenza season brings a mix of influenza viruses resulting in the increased risk of transmission and infection from pig to humans, causing cross-species transmission. Known swine flu viruses are the H1N1 subtype as well as less popular subtypes like H1N2, H3N1 or H3N2. Therefore a pig can be infected by more than one virus type at the same time.

Infection Risk

Human-to –human infection was once limited to a close group of people, before the Mexico incidents on April 2009. Prior to that swine influenza was transmitted from infected pigs that had direct contact to human, mostly their owners.

Safety Consumption of Pork?

It is indeed still safe eating pork food. So far no documentation is available indicating a link between safely prepared pork food and human swine flu infection. The swine flu influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 70 degrees C or 160 F.

Any Vaccine Protection Against The Swine Flu Virus?

Up to now (End of April 2009) there are no vaccines known protecting human from this influenza virus illness. Usually each year they is an influenza protection vaccine being issued, however it is unclear if this influence protection does work on the swine flu virus. Please, do not take chances visit your health professional in any case of feeling typical symptoms of influenza infection.

Furthermore, it is recorded that previous swine flu infections have successfully been cured without any additional treatment, requiring no medical treatment at all.

The influenza virus is widespread and is a seasonal outbreak. In some cases it has developed resistance towards antiviral medication and therefore reducing the effectiveness of treatment.

So far in Mexico or the United States the health officials have recommended the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for treatment. But again, make an informed decision by visiting your local health centre or professional in case of observed symptoms on yourself or somebody you suspect within your social network.

What Are Typical Symptoms of Swine Flu Infection?

Acute respiratory tract infections of any kind well known throughout the influenza season could be an indication for swine flu infection. Even mild symptoms should be taken seriously, especially by children, aged people, pregnant or any physical weakened individuals like patients or people in some kind of medication program. Please seek your next nearest health information spot be it your doctor or any qualified.

How To Reduce The Risk Of Infection?

Please avoid the direct contact to pigs if possible. Should you be a pig farmer or dealer make sure the pigs you are around on a regular basis are checked by a veterinary and are labelled swine flu free. Clean your hands with soap every time after you were in contact with pigs.

Usually people like pig farmers are the ones who get infected as there are in a regular contact with them. Especially during slaughter is the exposure high. Please avoid sick animals and do not slaughter them on your own, but report them immediately to your local health authorities. This way you may avoid worse. The next best thing to do is to follow local and national news, especially from credible news sources like governmental health departments or respected NGO`s.

Furthermore, avoid people who seem to have catch flu, with fever symptoms or cough frequently.

Eat healthy food and drink 100 % fruits based liquids or just clean water. Avoid uncooked meat, especially pig, cooked as stated above should be ok. Just practice recommended health habits like physical fitness as much as possible. Together you reduce the risk of being infected and when infected you reduce the risk of illness or further deterioration.

Should someone in your family be infected make sure you take that person asap to the next clinic or doctor for advice and treatment. In case it’s not immediately possible keep that person at least 1 meter away from others, best into a separate room. Be there for the person, so he or she doesn’t feel abandoned which can lead to worsening situation.

Improve the airflow in where the infected person is. Use door or window for the breeze.

Keep the area clean from dirt or any open cans, dustbins etc. Do not forget to wash your hands properly each time after contact with the infected person. COVER MOUTH AND NOSE permanently with professional masks from your local authority or pharmacy and the like. They must be clean and unused.

Please note the information above was assembled from various credible sources, especially the World Health Organisation, a United Nations public health arm. However, in no case can it be regarded as sufficient or advisory for any action taken by you in case regarding the topic discussed here. It is for your basic information and education only, you are therefore, solely responsible for any action resulting from reading this. Only your local or national health authorities can advice you how to proper deal with infection and related, make sure you seek only expert advice and not just general basic information gathered from around the web like this one above. Healthy day, your activagers.com team!

About the Author:

Roxanne Gordimer is a travel, health and lifestyle expert working
for companies such as activagers.com and other social networks.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Swine Flu Facts- Everything You Need To Know!

Author: Sandor Cruz

Simple and Healthy Ways to Beat the Swine Flu

Swine flu, influenza A, h1n1 flu, whatever it’s called, this latest flu pandemic sure is scaring a lot of people out of their wits.

But should you be afraid of the big bad swine flu?

The swine flu scare has spawned different reactions from different countries, some expected, some extreme. In Mexico, swine flu masks have become part of the usual fashion. Even if it didn’t have a single case of swine flu, Egypt slaughtered some 300,000 pigs.

In the U.S., President Barack Obama has mobilized substantial federal resources to fight swine flu, saying that since little is known about the latest flu strain, the government should take all necessary precautions in the event that the virus turns into something worse.

Among the measures taken included asking schools with confirmed cases of the flu virus to close for up to two weeks and to distribute 25 percent of the country’s 50 million courses of antiviral treatment to all states.

Obama also asked Congress for $1.5 billion if additional measures need to be taken to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Though the Centers for Disease Control described the status of swine flu in the U.S. as being in the “prepandemic period,” acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser said he expects more deaths as the disease moves forward.

So far, ONLY three persons have died in the U.S., the latest being a Texas man with an underlying heart condition.

The Great Bird Flu Hoax author Dr. Joseph Mercola believes that this is not the first time that the U.S. is overreacting on a flu outbreak. Do you remember the 1976 swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, New Jersey? Hundreds were infected and a soldier died but was it enough to justify then President Ford’s mass vaccination response? Thirty ended up dead after taking flu shots while many others were paralyzed due to Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Maybe 1976 is too far off. How about the Bush government’s warning that bird flu will kill two million Americans? So far, less than 300 people have died worldwide from avian influenza.

Dr. Mercola isn’t trying to say that these deaths were meaningless; every doctor’s goal is to save lives and help people become as healthy as possible. What he is saying is that oftentimes, the response in situations like this is almost always motivated by fear.

The fear that will result in massive flu shot and flu drug sales for big pharmaceutical companies.

Despite its ineffectiveness as an antiviral, the CDC recommends the use of popular flu drug Tamiflu, which is banned in Japan after being linked in the deaths of 14 children.

Studies show that Tamiflu can only reduce flu symptoms by 24 to 36 hours, and even increases the risk of secondary bacterial infections for some patients on it.

Tamiflu ingredients include saccharin sodium, a chemical sweetener linked to cancer; sodium benzoate, which, when combined with vitamin C, forms the carcinogen benzene; and propylene glycol, a food grade antifreeze.

By the way, Tamiflu costs over $100 and its reported side effects include convulsions, cough, delirium, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

On the other hand, if you were to use the regular flu shot, it also contains dangerous substances, including mercury, formaldehyde and phenol.

But there’s no need to put your health at risk. Dr. Mercola has never used any anti-flu medication in his life yet he has never gone down with the flu in over 20 years. Here are his simple ways to avoid all types of flu:

* Optimize your vitamin D levels – Mercola believes that vitamin D deficiency is likely the real culprit behind the seasonal nature of the flu. If you experience flu-like symptoms, you can take 50,000 units of vitamin D3 per day for three days to help treat the infection.

* Optimize your intake of Omega-3 fats – The omega-3 fats DHA and EPA help enhance your immune system and are crucial in maintaining good health.

* Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods – Sugar is a natural enemy of your immune system. It may be present in foods you may not suspect, like processed fruit juices, so it would be wise to avoid processed foods of all kinds.

* Beat Stress – Manage your stress levels because stress wears out your body physically and emotionally, leaving you susceptible to disease.

* Rest – Don’t take your body for granted. It will be harder for you to beat the flu if you’re always tired or fatigued.

* Wash your hands regularly – Proper washing of hands will help reduce your risk of getting sick from communicable diseases like the flu. Avoid touching your eyes and nose when your hands are dirty or if you’ve come in contact with a sick person.

* Exercise – Your circulation and blood flow increases when you exercise and allows the components of your immune system to spread out better, increasing its chances of detecting and fighting an infection before it spreads.

* Eat garlic – Garlic has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.

About the Author:

Sandor Cruz is a runner, swimmer and active sports enthusiast. He keeps fit and healthy by following a natural and organic lifestyle. He is a big fan of the works of New York Times Best-Selling Author Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Simple and Healthy Ways to Beat the Swine Flu

Author: Quality Debt Leads

The Swine Flu outbreak these days alarm the public because of its rapid spread, first in Mexico, then in the US and some other nearby countries. Now it continues to spread even to Middle East and Asia-Pacific countries. Swine flue has been affecting human beings before but it has never been so disturbing as the present outbreak.

In the midst of this epidemic, people should be aware of some basic details to prevent acquiring the said fast-killing flu.

What is Swine Flu?

From its name, swine influenza is a viral disease trasmitted among pigs. This is a respiratory disease that circulates within pig populations, but certain outbreaks occur on cold season, on winter and fall, just like how ordinary flu affects human beings.

How is it transmitted to people?

Swine flu infects human beings and over two thousand cases of affected individuals confirm that swine flu is indeed something to be taken seriously. Normally, swine flu is not transmitted to humans. But within the bodies of swines, a process called the antigenic shift make swine flu a very contagious disease not only among pigs but also among us, people.

Pigs are not only carriers of ordinary swine flu viruses, they are also carriers of other animals’ viruses- such as of birds and of human beings. This ordinary human flu can turn into a human-infecting swine flu once combined with other flu viruses. As different types of viruses are being carried by pigs, viruses may reassort and swap genes with each other to develop a new strain of flu virus. This evolved virus is now being responsible for the present swine flu epidemic.

What are the symptoms and effects of swine flu?

Swine flue affects people people like the ordinary flu such as sore throat, cough, nasal congestion, fever, headache, chills body aches, and fatigue. Some patients also reported diarrhea and vomiting as symptoms.

Although swine flu is curable with some drugs, about 150 deaths that were caused by swine flu have been reported.

What should we do?

To prevent swine flu, peolple should take personal health precautions such as cleaning one’s hands and other hygenic practices. Since swine flu appears to be just like an ordinary flu, it would be wise for people, whether they think they have swine flu or not, to cough and sneeze on tissue papers and properly dispose them on trash cans. People should also refrain from touching their lips, eyes and nose unless their hands are really clean.

Swine flu is not transmitted by eating pork since swine flue viruses are killed in meat-cooking tempearture. However, one should still be careful when eating or drinking. It would be safe to make sure that one’s food are safe from germs.

There are antiviral drugs against swine flu such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir). These can be taken for both prevention and cure of swine flu.

With a proper way of facing this present health threat, people will prevent being infected by this epidemic.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Basic Things You Need to Know about the Swine Flu Outbreak

Author: Sandor Cruz

Simple and Healthy Ways to Beat the Swine Flu

Swine flu, influenza A, h1n1 flu, whatever it’s called, this latest flu pandemic sure is scaring a lot of people out of their wits.

But should you be afraid of the big bad swine flu?

The swine flu scare has spawned different reactions from different countries, some expected, some extreme. In Mexico, swine flu masks have become part of the usual fashion. Even if it didn’t have a single case of swine flu, Egypt slaughtered some 300,000 pigs.

In the U.S., President Barack Obama has mobilized substantial federal resources to fight swine flu, saying that since little is known about the latest flu strain, the government should take all necessary precautions in the event that the virus turns into something worse.

Among the measures taken included asking schools with confirmed cases of the flu virus to close for up to two weeks and to distribute 25 percent of the country’s 50 million courses of antiviral treatment to all states.

Obama also asked Congress for $1.5 billion if additional measures need to be taken to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Though the Centers for Disease Control described the status of swine flu in the U.S. as being in the “prepandemic period,” acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser said he expects more deaths as the disease moves forward.

So far, ONLY three persons have died in the U.S., the latest being a Texas man with an underlying heart condition.

The Great Bird Flu Hoax author Dr. Joseph Mercola believes that this is not the first time that the U.S. is overreacting on a flu outbreak. Do you remember the 1976 swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, New Jersey? Hundreds were infected and a soldier died but was it enough to justify then President Ford’s mass vaccination response? Thirty ended up dead after taking flu shots while many others were paralyzed due to Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Maybe 1976 is too far off. How about the Bush government’s warning that bird flu will kill two million Americans? So far, less than 300 people have died worldwide from avian influenza.

Dr. Mercola isn’t trying to say that these deaths were meaningless; every doctor’s goal is to save lives and help people become as healthy as possible. What he is saying is that oftentimes, the response in situations like this is almost always motivated by fear.

The fear that will result in massive flu shot and flu drug sales for big pharmaceutical companies.

Despite its ineffectiveness as an antiviral, the CDC recommends the use of popular flu drug Tamiflu, which is banned in Japan after being linked in the deaths of 14 children.

Studies show that Tamiflu can only reduce flu symptoms by 24 to 36 hours, and even increases the risk of secondary bacterial infections for some patients on it.

Tamiflu ingredients include saccharin sodium, a chemical sweetener linked to cancer; sodium benzoate, which, when combined with vitamin C, forms the carcinogen benzene; and propylene glycol, a food grade antifreeze.

By the way, Tamiflu costs over $100 and its reported side effects include convulsions, cough, delirium, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

On the other hand, if you were to use the regular flu shot, it also contains dangerous substances, including mercury, formaldehyde and phenol.

But there’s no need to put your health at risk. Dr. Mercola has never used any anti-flu medication in his life yet he has never gone down with the flu in over 20 years. Here are his simple ways to avoid all types of flu:

* Optimize your vitamin D levels – Mercola believes that vitamin D deficiency is likely the real culprit behind the seasonal nature of the flu. If you experience flu-like symptoms, you can take 50,000 units of vitamin D3 per day for three days to help treat the infection.

* Optimize your intake of Omega-3 fats – The omega-3 fats DHA and EPA help enhance your immune system and are crucial in maintaining good health.

* Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods – Sugar is a natural enemy of your immune system. It may be present in foods you may not suspect, like processed fruit juices, so it would be wise to avoid processed foods of all kinds.

* Beat Stress – Manage your stress levels because stress wears out your body physically and emotionally, leaving you susceptible to disease.

* Rest – Don’t take your body for granted. It will be harder for you to beat the flu if you’re always tired or fatigued.

* Wash your hands regularly – Proper washing of hands will help reduce your risk of getting sick from communicable diseases like the flu. Avoid touching your eyes and nose when your hands are dirty or if you’ve come in contact with a sick person.

* Exercise – Your circulation and blood flow increases when you exercise and allows the components of your immune system to spread out better, increasing its chances of detecting and fighting an infection before it spreads.

* Eat garlic – Garlic has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.

About the Author:

Sandor Cruz is a runner, swimmer and active sports enthusiast. He keeps fit and healthy by following a natural and organic lifestyle. He is a big fan of the works of New York Times Best-Selling Author Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Simple and Healthy Ways to Beat the Swine Flu

Author: Sandor Cruz

Simple and Healthy Ways to Beat the Swine Flu

Swine flu, influenza A, h1n1 flu, whatever it’s called, this latest flu pandemic sure is scaring a lot of people out of their wits.

But should you be afraid of the big bad swine flu?

The swine flu scare has spawned different reactions from different countries, some expected, some extreme. In Mexico, swine flu masks have become part of the usual fashion. Even if it didn’t have a single case of swine flu, Egypt slaughtered some 300,000 pigs.

In the U.S., President Barack Obama has mobilized substantial federal resources to fight swine flu, saying that since little is known about the latest flu strain, the government should take all necessary precautions in the event that the virus turns into something worse.

Among the measures taken included asking schools with confirmed cases of the flu virus to close for up to two weeks and to distribute 25 percent of the country’s 50 million courses of antiviral treatment to all states.

Obama also asked Congress for $1.5 billion if additional measures need to be taken to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Though the Centers for Disease Control described the status of swine flu in the U.S. as being in the “prepandemic period,” acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser said he expects more deaths as the disease moves forward.

So far, ONLY three persons have died in the U.S., the latest being a Texas man with an underlying heart condition.

The Great Bird Flu Hoax author Dr. Joseph Mercola believes that this is not the first time that the U.S. is overreacting on a flu outbreak. Do you remember the 1976 swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, New Jersey? Hundreds were infected and a soldier died but was it enough to justify then President Ford’s mass vaccination response? Thirty ended up dead after taking flu shots while many others were paralyzed due to Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Maybe 1976 is too far off. How about the Bush government’s warning that bird flu will kill two million Americans? So far, less than 300 people have died worldwide from avian influenza.

Dr. Mercola isn’t trying to say that these deaths were meaningless; every doctor’s goal is to save lives and help people become as healthy as possible. What he is saying is that oftentimes, the response in situations like this is almost always motivated by fear.

The fear that will result in massive flu shot and flu drug sales for big pharmaceutical companies.

Despite its ineffectiveness as an antiviral, the CDC recommends the use of popular flu drug Tamiflu, which is banned in Japan after being linked in the deaths of 14 children.

Studies show that Tamiflu can only reduce flu symptoms by 24 to 36 hours, and even increases the risk of secondary bacterial infections for some patients on it.

Tamiflu ingredients include saccharin sodium, a chemical sweetener linked to cancer; sodium benzoate, which, when combined with vitamin C, forms the carcinogen benzene; and propylene glycol, a food grade antifreeze.

By the way, Tamiflu costs over $100 and its reported side effects include convulsions, cough, delirium, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

On the other hand, if you were to use the regular flu shot, it also contains dangerous substances, including mercury, formaldehyde and phenol.

But there’s no need to put your health at risk. Dr. Mercola has never used any anti-flu medication in his life yet he has never gone down with the flu in over 20 years. Here are his simple ways to avoid all types of flu:

* Optimize your vitamin D levels – Mercola believes that vitamin D deficiency is likely the real culprit behind the seasonal nature of the flu. If you experience flu-like symptoms, you can take 50,000 units of vitamin D3 per day for three days to help treat the infection.

* Optimize your intake of Omega-3 fats – The omega-3 fats DHA and EPA help enhance your immune system and are crucial in maintaining good health.

* Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods – Sugar is a natural enemy of your immune system. It may be present in foods you may not suspect, like processed fruit juices, so it would be wise to avoid processed foods of all kinds.

* Beat Stress – Manage your stress levels because stress wears out your body physically and emotionally, leaving you susceptible to disease.

* Rest – Don’t take your body for granted. It will be harder for you to beat the flu if you’re always tired or fatigued.

* Wash your hands regularly – Proper washing of hands will help reduce your risk of getting sick from communicable diseases like the flu. Avoid touching your eyes and nose when your hands are dirty or if you’ve come in contact with a sick person.

* Exercise – Your circulation and blood flow increases when you exercise and allows the components of your immune system to spread out better, increasing its chances of detecting and fighting an infection before it spreads.

* Eat garlic – Garlic has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.

About the Author:

Sandor Cruz is a runner, swimmer and active sports enthusiast. He keeps fit and healthy by following a natural and organic lifestyle. He is a big fan of the works of New York Times Best-Selling Author Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Simple and Healthy Ways to Beat the Swine Flu

Swine flu has spread around the world at record speed.

Several web pages have dedicated time and resources to keep you oriented to where the swine flu has mad an outbreak. Here is a web page telling you which countries have detected, confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu.

http://openflu.dyndns.org/locations/country

In this web page you will be able to see what countries have detected swine flu cases and how many, on a map form.

http://openflu.dyndns.org/locations/country_map/confirmed

This link will enable you to find lots of various web pages with information about swine flu and its spread across the world.

http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-outbreak-on-google-maps.html

None of the maps below are likely to help overcome the Swine Flu and most of the maps are far less accurate than the map created by John Snow made back in 1854. However these maps do give us a reasonable overall impression of how the outbreak is spreading.

The World Health Organization raised its alert level to five — “one step short of declaring a pandemic”, as reports of those affected or killed by the swine flu virus began to increase across the globe.

As of 4 May 2009, 20 countries have officially reported 985 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 590 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 25 deaths. The higher number of cases from Mexico reflects ongoing testing of previously collected specimens. The United States has reported 226 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths – Austria (1), Canada (85), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Costa Rica (1), Colombia (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (2), Germany (8), Ireland (1), Israel (3), Italy (1), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (4), Republic of Korea (1), Spain (40), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (15).

There is no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders.

There is no effective vaccine already available against the new influenza A(H1N1) virus, but work is already under way to develop such a vaccine. Influenza vaccines generally contain a dead or weakened form of a circulating virus. The vaccine prepares the body’s immune system to defend against a true infection. For the vaccine to protect as well as possible, the virus in it should match the circulating “wild-type” virus relatively closely. Since this H1N1 virus is new, there is no vaccine currently available made with this particular virus. Making a completely new influenza vaccine can take five to six months.

As soon as the first human cases of new influenza A(H1N1) infection became known to WHO, the WHO Collaborating Center in Atlanta (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States of America) took immediate action and began the work to develop candidate vaccine viruses. WHO also initiated consultations with vaccine manufacturers worldwide to facilitate the availability of all necessary material to start production of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine. In parallel, WHO is working with national regulatory authorities to ensure that the new influenza A(H1N1) vaccine will meet all safety criteria and be made available as soon as possible.

About the Author:

He has a background as civil engineer and geoscientist. He has worked mainly within the oil and gas industry from the mid 1980s. He has written a few fictional novels as well as being the author of some professional literature within oil and gas sector, he is now an editor of some web sites.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Mapping out the Swine Flu Outbreak

Author: Ernie Fitzpatrick

From Mexico to Florida and all the way across America to New York, swine flu has become a hot topic. As many as 75 students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens got sick on Thursday. More got sick on Friday. What health officials want to know is was it swine flu or something more benign. The hype is on for any large numbers of people getting sick as a pandemic could cause great disruption and thousands of deaths.

There are mounting fears about a deadly swine flu virus that is reported to have killed as many as 60 people in Mexico, one that health officials fear has already seeped into the United States. A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide.

Mexican and U.S. health officials searched on Saturday for signs an outbreak of a new flu strain is spreading further, after it killed up to 68 people in Mexico and infected eight in the United States. As Mexico shut schools and museums and axed public events, global health officials stopped short of declaring a pandemic. But they warned more cases could come to light, making up a major outbreak, as the flu spreads between people and infected some individuals who had no contact with one another.

How’s that work?

Mexico’s deadly swine flu could disrupt trade and travel between the United States and Mexico if it prompts restrictions on the movement of goods across the border or sparks fear in consumers. The potential impact is far from clear as experts race to learn more about the disease, which has claimed the lives of as many as 61 people. But shipping and travel industries are especially vigilant. “If you end up with a significant demand shift, you could end up with a very substantial effect on our products, whether it be government-imposed restrictions or alternatively if the consumers just decide to say ‘no’,” said Bob Young, chief economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Any decision to restrict food shipments due to flu would come from the U.S. Agriculture Department, which has the power to “shut down movement,” said Russell Laird, an executive director representing agricultural and food carriers at the American Trucking Associations. “So far, we haven’t heard anything, but if that call is made we’ll make sure to do our part,” he said.

It could be major or just a blip on the radar screen so due diligence on every front is needful.

About the Author:

As a spiritual-futurist, I have a BA degree majoring in history. One cannot know the future without knowing the past which holds clues to what is on the horizon. The world is in such a rapid expansion of knowledge that we are close to entering a tipping point that will forever change earth as we know it.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Swine Flu Outbreak

Author: Byron J Richards

At the epicenter of the new swine flu outbreak in Perote, Mexico is, not surprisingly, a very large commercial pig farm. It is owned by American-based Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork packer and hog producer. This location raises 950,000 hogs per year. Hogs have the unique ability to change viral DNA into something that can now recognize human cells. Thirty percent of the residents living nearby have this new swine flu.

There is no question that large hog farms are an ideal breeding ground for new viral strains. The issue is complicated by large farms wherein massive waste is also present and difficult to manage, readily polluting nearby water. The smell from such farms is beyond horrid. Residents living nearby were the first to be documented with this new swine flu, and they are certain that between their polluted groundwater and when the winds shift their direction, the hog farm is the source of their flu problem. The company says, at this time, that its hogs don’t have the virus. Does anyone trust them?

I remember when Jessie Ventura had to body slam Cargill in court to get them to stop polluting Minnesota lakes with feces from its commercial farming operations. In Mexico you can assume regulations are even more lax. These commercial hog farms, like just about any commercial farming operation of any kind, are detriments to human health and tend to produce low-quality food at risk for transmission of food poisoning.

If this swine flu does pick up speed in the United States, every time it reaches a commercial pig farm it will get a major boost of virulent activity.

Don’t expect any politicians from the pig states to speak up. In fact, don’t expect the CDC or Department of Homeland Security to care at all. They are going to be too busy trying to cram experimental vaccines down the throats of everyone – and now that they have declared an emergency you should fully understand that you have no right of recourse of any kind if you should be injured from such a vaccine.

If this does turn into a pandemic, which is still too early to tell, we will be looking at several years of the problem. Anti-viral drugs will have limited effectiveness for the first wave – and after that the virus will mutate around them and they will be worthless (that will take 2-8 weeks). It will take six months to make an experimental vaccine. In the mean time expect so many enforced quarantines that certain members of the public will be falling all over themselves to line up for the government’s concoction – I won’t be one of them. Our government has a horrid track record with experimental vaccines, just ask our Gulf War vets.

Government officials should consider shutting down commercial pig farms if this new swine flu starts killing Americans – the sooner the better.

About the Author:

What you need to know - Swine Flu Podcast & Articles
Byron J. Richards, Founder/Director of Wellness Resources, Inc, is a Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist and a world renowned natural health expert. The Swine Flu – Are Pigs to Blame?

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Swine Flu – Are Pigs to Blame?

Author: Arunraj V.S.

Swine Flu is a respiratory disease in pigs triggered by a virus called H1N1. The new strain of H1N1 is a deadly combination of viruses from pigs, birds and humans. They symptoms of Swine Flu are sudden fever, coughing, extreme exhaustion and muscle aches. There is also diarrhea and vomiting more than normal flu.

Risk factors: Medical experts say that people, who are exposed areas where pigs flock are at risk of contracting the virus. The strains of Swine flu rarely pass on from humans to humans. In rare cases, the virus mutates into a form that can move from one person to another. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak has apparently undergone such a mutation and may stay like that for a longer period of time.

Can Swine flu be prevented or cured? There is no vaccine which can prevent swine flu. Medicines like Tamiflu and Relenza can be effective, if taken in the early stages of the disease.

Is it safe to eat pork? Swine Flu is not caused by eating pork or its products including salami, ham and sausages. However, it is a good practice to cook pork over 70 degrees C, which kills the virus.

Why is it called swine flu? The virus is called swine flu because one of its surface proteins is similar to viruses that usually infect pigs. Pork industry in the US are putting pressure on the officials to change the name of the disease, because no pig as such have been found infected with this particular illness which has spread among humans.

About the Author:

V.S.ARUNRAJ believes health is truly our wealth and an investment in our health can lead us to live a fulfilling, rewarding life mentally and physically. To learn how you can be at the best of your health know the healthy feeling

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Can you prevent swine flu?

Swine flu refers to influenza caused by those strains of influenza virus that usually infect pigs and are called swine influenza virus (SIV). Swine influenza is common in pigs in the Mid-West of the United States and some other states, Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe, Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of eastern Asia.

Transmission of swine influenza virus from pigs to humans is not common and properly-cooked pork poses no risk of infection. When transmitted, it does not always cause human influenza and often the only sign of infection is the presence of antibodies in the blood which are only detectable by laboratory tests. When transmission results in influenza in a human, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People who work with pigs, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine flu. However, only about fifty such transmissions have been recorded since the mid-20th Century, when identification of influenza subtypes became possible. Rarely, these strains of swine flu can pass from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans, known as “swine flu”, is due to an apparently virulent new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that contained many genetic elements normally found in swine influenza. The origin of this new strain is unknown, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that this strain has not been isolated in pigs. It can be transmitted from human to human, an ability attributed to an as-yet unidentified mutation. This 2009 H1N1 strain causes the normal symptoms of influenza, such as fever, coughing and headache.

The 2009 flu outbreak is due to a new strain of influenza, an apparent reassortment of at least four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, including one strain endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in swine. Although initial reports identified the new strain as swine influenza (ie, a zoonosis), its origin is unknown. Several countries took precautionary measures to reduce the chances for a global pandemic of the disease.

This new strain had not previously been reported in pigs. On May 2, 2009, H1N1 was reported in pigs at a farm in Alberta, Canada, with a link to the 2009 swine flu outbreak in Mexico. The pigs are suspected to have caught this new strain of virus from a farm worker who recently travelled to Mexico, then showed symptoms of an influenza-like illness. These are probable cases, pending confirmation by laboratory testing.

The time and location of the outbreak is still unknown, but it was first detected in two cases in Southern California in late March. When this novel virus was publicized, officials in Mexico suspected a link to an outbreak of late-season flu cases they were finding. Mexican news media report that the outbreak may have started in February near a Smithfield Foods pig plant amid complaints about its intensive farming practices. Within days, hundreds more suspected cases were discovered in Mexico, with more cases also showing up in the U.S. and several other countries. By late April, officials from the U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO), based in Switzerland, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., were expressing serious concern about the flu outbreak, worried that it might become a worldwide flu pandemic.

The new strain has spread widely beyond Mexico and the U.S., with confirmed cases in eighteen countries and suspected cases in forty-two. Many countries have advised their inhabitants not to travel to infected areas. Countries including Australia, China, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand are monitoring visitors returning from flu-affected areas to identify people with fever and respiratory symptoms. Many countries have also issued warnings to visitors of flu-affected areas to contact a doctor immediately if they had flu-like symptoms.

Mexico’s schools, universities, and all public events will be closed from April 24, 2009 to May 6, 2009. By May 3, 2009, more than 400 schools in the U.S. closed due to confirmed or probable cases in students or staff, affecting 250,000 students

By April 28, the new strain was confirmed to have spread to Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Israel, and the virus was suspected in many other nations. As a result, WHO raised its alert level to “Phase 5″ out of 6 possible, which it defines as a “signal that a pandemic is imminent” By the end of April, 300 schools had closed across the United States and the Mexican government ordered a multi-day shutdown of all non-essential activities in the government and private sector, amounting to a shutdown of most of the country’s economy. At the same time, however, many scientists were reaching a consensus that the epidemic was so far “relatively mild,” and believed that it could be less fatal than previous pandemics.

The new strain is an apparent reassortment of four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. Analysis by the CDC identified the four component strains as one endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in pigs (swine). However, other scientists have stated that analyses of the 2009 swine flu (A/H1N1) viral genome “suggests that all segments are of swine origin”, “we are puzzled about sources of information that affirm that the virus is a reassortment of avian, human and swine viruses,” and “this preliminary analysis suggests at least two swine ancestors to the current H1N1, one of them related to the triple resorting viruses isolated in North America in 1998.” One swine strain was widespread in the United States, the other in Eurasia. Worldwide the common human H1N1 influenza virus affects millions of people every year, according to WHO officials, and “these annual epidemics result in about three to five million cases of severe illness, and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths” annually. In industrialized countries most of these annual deaths occur in people aged 65 or older. By May 2, some pigs in Canada were diagnosed with H1N1. Although some influenza strains can spread between species, the influenza virus is killed by normal cooking procedures, so there is no risk of infection from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

Recommendations to prevent infection by the virus consist of the standard personal precautions against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. The CDC advises not touching the mouth, nose or eyes, as these are primary modes of transmission. When coughing, they recommend coughing into a tissue and disposing of the tissue, then immediately washing the hands.

Of the available antiviral treatments for influenza, the WHO stated that the viruses obtained from the human cases with swine influenza in the United States were sensitive to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) but resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Tamiflu and Relenza also have a preventative effect against Influenzavirus A. On April 27, the CDC recommended the use of Tamiflu and Relenza for both treatment and prevention of the new strain. Roche and the U.S. government had already extended the shelf life of federally stockpiled Tamiflu from the original five years to seven years because studies indicated that the medication continues to maintain its effectiveness.

About the Author:

He has a background as civil engineer and geoscientist. He has worked mainly within the oil and gas industry from the mid 1980s. He has written a few fictional novels as well as being the author of some professional litterature within oil and gas sector, he is now an editor of some web sites.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Swine Flu – A virus transmitting to humans – worldwide epidemy – what does it do and will it have an end?