There are three types of flu viruses: A, B and C. The A and B viruses cause epidemics (widespread outbreaks in a country) of infection in people every year in India.
- Type C infections cause mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause epidemics.
- Type A viruses are divided into subtypes. Subtypes of type A that have been found in people worldwide include H1N1, H1N2, H5N1 and H3N2 viruses.
- Flu viruses are constantly changing. A global flu pandemic (worldwide outbreak) can happen if three conditions are met:
- A new subtype of type A virus is introduced into the human population.
- The virus causes serious illness in humans.
- The virus can spread easily from person-to-person in a sustained manner.
- The H1N1 Flu met all three conditions and caused a worldwide outbreak. In late spring, the WHO declared that a H1N1 flu pandemic is underway.
- Fever (High)
- Tiredness (May be extreme)
- Headache
- Dry cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle ache
- Nausea ,vomitting and diarrhoea may occur but they are much common in adults than children .( These additional symptoms may be considered as of swine flu case )
Flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses.
- Flu and the common cold have similar symptoms (e.g. fever, sore throat). It can be difficult to tell the difference between them.
- Your doctor can give you a flu test within the first few days of your illness to determine whether you have the flu.
- In general, the flu is worse than the common cold.
- Symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense with the flu.
- Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose.
- Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations.
Seasonal Flu | H1N1 Flu |
All types of flu can cause:
| Similar to seasonal flu, but symptoms may be more severe. There may be additional symptoms. A significant number of H1N1 flu cases:
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Emergency warning signs in children: | Emergency warning signs in adults: |
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- Stay home & follow your doctor's orders.
- Avoid close contact with others especially those who might easily get flu .
- Wear a facemask if available and tolerable .
- Get plenty of rest .
- Drink clear fluids.
- Cover coughs and sneezes .
- Clean hands with soap and water .
- Avoid being face-to-face with the sick person. When holding a small child who is sick, place his/her chin on your shoulder so that he/she will not cough in your face.
- Make sure everyone in the household cleans their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Remind the patient to cover coughs, and clean his/her hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.
- Speak with the person’s health care provider about any special care that might be needed, especially if the person is pregnant or has a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema.
- Talk to your health care provider about taking antiviral medication, such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®), to prevent getting the flu.
- Ask the patient’s health care provider whether the patient should take antiviral medications.
- Consider wearing a facemask or respirator, when close contact is unavoidable.
- Monitor yourself and household members for flu symptoms and contact a telephone hotline or health care provider if symptoms occur.
- Get medical care right away if the patient exhibits emergency warning signs .
- Most cases of H5N1 (Bird) flu infection in humans have resulted from direct or close contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with secretions and excretions from infected birds.
- The Indian government carefully controls domestic and imported food products .
- You cannot get H5N1 (Bird) flu from properly handled and cooked poultry and eggs.Even if poultry and eggs were to be contaminated with the virus, proper cooking would kill it.
Follow the same advice you always would for properly cooking eggs and poultry:Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw poultry and eggs.
Clean cutting boards and other utensils with soap and hot water to keep raw poultry from contaminating other foods.
Use a food thermometer to make sure you cook poultry to a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Consumers may wish to cook poultry to a higher temperature for personal preference.
Cook eggs until whites and yolks are firm.
- If you plan to visit any of the countries that have had confirmed human infection with H5N1 (Bird) flu, visit Avian Flu & Travelers from CDC for advice on travel preparation.
- Some of the prescription medicines approved in the United States for human influenza viruses can be effective in treating H5N1 (Bird) flu in humans. H5N1 (Bird) flu is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral medications commonly used for influenza. Two other antiviral medications, Oseltamivir (TAMIFLU®) and Zanamivir (RELENZA®) would likely be effective in treating H5N1 (Bird) flu, but additional studies still need to be completed to demonstrate their effectiveness. It is important to note that H5N1 (Bird) flu infection in humans is very rare.
- The seasonal influenza vaccine does not provide protection against avian influenza.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine to prevent human infection with one strain of the H5N1 (Bird) flu virus in April of 2007. The H5N1 (Bird) flu virus is not a pandemic virus (because it does not transmit efficiently from person to person). As a result, the H5N1 (Bird) flu vaccine is being held in stockpiles rather than made commercially available to the public. Should circumstances change, it will be distributed if needed.
- Flu.gov (Flu database under the US department of Health and Human services) .
- The World Health Organisation .
- Cox, N.; Kawaoka (1998). "22". in Mahy B. and Collier L.. Topley and Wilson's Microbiology and Microbial Infections. 1 Virology. Y. (9 ed.). Arnold. pp. 415.
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine,13th international edition .
- Essentials of Medical Pharmacology , K.D.Tripathi,6th edition .