BEST SKY

Avian bird flu, a viral disease, also termed as bird flu, avian influenza, type A flu or genus. This flu is a kind of influenza hosted by birds but can affect other animals and particularly humans also. The virus in general is the influenza virus ‘A’ but is a bit different every time the flu breaks out, because of the evolutionary changes it keeps undergoing. New viruses keep getting formed because of genetic mutation and are named using a H number and an N number, which denote different pathogenic profiles. Some of those ones which for sure affect human populace and did so in the past are, H1N1 (Spanish flu, 1918-19) H2N2 (Asian flu, 1957-58), H3N2 (Hong Kong flu, 1968-69), etc. Some of those identified are extinct now because of the constant mutations taking place in the structure of the virus which self destructs its capabilities to infect humans anymore. Also new viruses have come up and currently the major pandemic (epidemic over a wide geographical area) threat is from H5N1 virus.

It was first discovered in Italy in 1878 and was even called fowl plague because of the enormity of its effect in chicken livestock. It was however only in 1955 when avian flu was confirmed to be caused by influenza A viruses. Wild fowl is the natural carrier of the virus, though it is not affected by the virus and is only a transmitter to birds, pigs, horses, etc. The bodies (intestines to be more specific) of gulls, waterfowls and shorebirds are said to be “natural reservoirs” of the disease. Their bodies have long adapted to the problem and have developed internal antibodies to combat the virus. The adaptation, however, does not extend to other species. Hence domestic birds are the most affected and other animals and humans are only marginally affected, in numbers. The bird flu virus causes two forms of influenzas, namely, a low pathogenic form which shows only nominal symptoms and a high pathogenic form which affects internal organs and might prove 100% fatal in 48 hours.

The disease is contagious and spreads through air and in manure. The transmission occurs from air, contaminated water, equipments especially those used in animal farms, clothing, etc. At high temperatures the virus gets destroyed, like in prolonged summers, cooking, steaming, fires, etc. but survives for long periods in cold weather. The bird flu virus starts showing its effects in 3 to 5 days, and can be fatal if highly pathogenic. Hundreds and millions of birds get killed every year, since the most commonly practiced way of eliminating the virus is to slaughter the infected animals.

It has a long history of affecting human population in epidemic form. Those subtypes which infect humans are called human influenza virus. The only known ones are H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2, with H5N1 having a potential threat. The symptoms shown in humans are same as those from other influenza, namely, fever, cough, muscle fatigue, conjunctivitis and sometimes breathing problems and fatal pneumonia. Detection of the avian bird flu virus in the human body can be done using general influenza virus tests, but this might be unreliable. The most reliable test till date is microneutralization but is a complicated test and can be performed only in highly professional laboratories. Normal antiviral drugs work against the human influenza virus but other specific drugs for specific new viruses are being developed.

As far as humans are concerned, the bird flu virus has substantial risk of an influenza epidemic in near future. A primary concern is the rapid spreading of the virus

Can History supply us with a vital clue to the H1N1 contagious flu virus of 1918-1919 Spanish Flu which killed up to 40,000,000? It’s a fact; I have discovered that more people died of this particular virus than all of the fatalities of World War One (The Great War) put together.

The human carrier path followed the shipping lanes and trade routes as outbreaks spread with the massive movements of armies and troops across many continents.

Strangely, the pattern of death was in the 20-40 age groups instead of the normal pattern of the very young, the infirm and the aged. The consequence of the epidemic was so severe that the average life span in the USA was reduced by a decade.

But this particular version of contagious flu virus was never isolated at the time, and it was not until the 1950’s that a 26 year old Swedish forensic pathologist Johan Hultin had learned that the village of Brevig in Alaska where 72 out of a population of 80 had died of the contagious flu pandemic, and had been buried in shallow graves in the permafrost. Determined to try to isolate the virus he obtained permission to dig the grave to obtain lung tissue. His efforts at the time were unsuccessful, as there was no technology at the time to culture live samples.

It was not until five decades later, Hultin now in his 70’s read an article in The Science Journal written by Jeffery Taubenberger who was looking for samples of the 1918 flu virus, and offered to help by returning to the village of Brevig in Alaska at his own expense. He exhumed the body of an obese Inuit from the permafrost gravesite who he named after the prehistoric ‘Lucy’, who lived over 3 million years ago in Ethiopia. In the meantime Taubenberger had obtained lung issue from two young soldiers who had died suddenly of respiratory disease, now together with the lung tissue from ‘Lucy’(the body fat of ‘Lucy’ had preserved some remarkable samples of lung tissue for Taubenberger to work on) he was able to demonstrate that the virus had originated from birds and had mutated to infect people and this contagious flu could be passed from human to human.

As a result of his forensic enthusiasm Hultin has been described as “The Indians Jones of the Scientific Set”. Now in his seventies not only is he a respected retired Forensic Pathologist but an avid skier also a keen carpenter, and is as much at home scaling mountains as he is buried in his work.

Spanish Flu

Interestingly so named, not because of the incidence of flu in this particular Country, but Spain being a neutral Country at the time of World War One, was acknowledged and could be relied upon as the purveyor of ‘accurate’ news on the progress of the war and of course on the state of contagious flu worldwide.

Some of these are the same old yadda, but others were new to me and make a lot of sense. Many blessings for a healthy, flu-free season!
H1N1 Flu Prevention Tips
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption — be careful & don’t take too much zinc per day — there can be side effects

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

An old saying goes “Hope is NOT a strategy.” Yet many business executives were HOPING that a vaccine for the H1N1 flu would be the answer to minimizing workforce absenteeism and illness during the annual flu season. With H1N1vaccines in such short supplylargely unavailable that even the most vulnerable demographicscannot get them, it’s time to adoptanother strategy.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), has been developing business emergency planning and response programs for years. Recently, OSHA partnered with the University of Findlay’s All Hazards Training Center (AHTC) to produce a timely video webcast for small business owners and executives. This training tool, “Pandemic: Crisis and Response”, is available online for free viewing.

In addition to the actual video itself, this H1N1 flu response training site offers several planning aids viewers can take advantage of. These include:

- A pandemic planning template that you can use for your own company,
- A summary of key planning topics to use with response planning teams,
- A FAQs section that handles questions that have arisen from other webcast viewers,
- A list of other relevant training resources.

“Pandemic: Crisis and Preparation” is the newest of the All Hazards Training Center’s series of ALERT video-based training webcasts. ALERT stands for “Actual Learning Environment Response Training” and is a state-of-the-art online training delivery system that uses high-quality video - often captured live as part of the webcast - with interviews of topicexperts or panels and viewer question and answer participation. ALERT webcasts have received accolades from viewers for their usefulness, relevance and accessibility.

This special H1N1 Flu Panedemic training webcast was produced in order to address how a business should prepare for and manage through the H1N1 flu crisis. Primary topics covered are:

1. How to safeguard employees from contamination.
2. How to secure the key factors of production - materials, supplier services, funding - when those items are undergoing their own business disruption.
3. How to cross-train employees for continued functioning of key positions.
4. How to establish satelliteremote stocks of equipment and supplies accessible to unaffected employees to keep them productive while away from an “unhealthy” headquarters.
5. How to set up, communicate and enforce practical “sick policies.”

After watching the webcast - and re-viewing certain topics, as the training is broken up into distinct topic areas - your operations planners can apply the concepts to your own company using the included Pandemic Planning and Response Template. While response to the H1N1 pandemic will be the most immediate application, viewers will see that the template is an excellent general tool for any situations where business continuity and survival in the event of an extended crisis are at risk.

H1N1 flu is likely to be a recurring crisis beyond the 2009-2010 flu season. Viruses have a pattern of adapting to become resistant to the remedies initially developed to address them. So rather than relying on the federal government or local health department to protect your employees - thinking that’s all that can be done - it (makes sense|is time} to get proactive. Watch “Pandemic” Crisis and Response” from OSHA and the Findlay’s All Hazards Training Center and begin the planning process for long term business survival in the face of H1N1 or other prolonged external pandemic threats to your company.

The University of Findlay’s All Hazards Training Center has trained over 125,000 people coast-to-coast and awarded academic degrees to more than 1,150 people. In 2008 alone UF trained more than 11,500 people in over 480 classes at more than 215 different locations in 20 states and Canada. The major strengths of the training center include: flexibility, experience, depth of instructional staff, and the ability to manage multiple training programs conducted simultaneously at various locations across the United States.

The 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza virus, officially named the “new H1N1,” first identified in April 2009, and commonly called “Swine flu.”

It is thought to be a mutation of four known strains of the influenza A virus, subtype H1N1: one endemic in (normally infecting) humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in pigs.

Transmission of the new strain is human-to-human, with cooked pork products safe to eat as the virus cannot be transmitted by eating foods.

Virus source

The new virus is a type of swine influenza derived originally from a strain that lived in pigs. This origin gave rise to the common name of swine flu. Despite this origin, however, the current strain is transmitted between people, not from swine.

Symptoms

The signs of infection with swine flu are similar to other forms of influenza, and includes fever, coughing, headaches, pain in the muscles or joints, sore throat, chills, fatigue and runny nose. Diarrhea, vomiting and neurological problems have also been reported in some cases.

Severe symptoms

Certain symptoms may require emergency medical attention. In children, signs of respiratory distress, for instance, those might include blue lips and skin, dehydration, rapid breathing, excessive sleeping, seizures and significant irritability that includes a lack of desire to be held.

In adults, shortness of breath, pain in chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness or confusion may indicate the need for emergency care. In both children and adults, persistent vomiting or the return of flu-like symptoms that include a fever and cough may require medical attention.

The virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on the surface.

Tap water treated by conventional disinfection processes does not likely pose a risk for transmission of influenza viruses.

Pneumonia

Influenza infection can cause pneumonia leading to death. This is typically described as either viral pneumonia, which has a rapid onset, often within one day after infection, or bacterial pneumonia, which often begins a week after infection after symptoms begins to subside.

Viral pneumonia is sometimes attributed to ‘cy-tokine storm,’ in which an overly active immune response damages lungs. Reports of deaths among healthy youth during first weeks of 2009 flu pandemic were attributed to this cause.

Prevention

Personal hygiene: Measures to avoid flu infection include: vaccination when available, thorough and frequent hand washing, balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, sufficient sleep, exercise and avoiding crowds.

Airborne virus prevention

Masks may be of benefit in ‘crowded settings’ or for people who are in ‘close contact’ with infected persons, defined as 1 meter or less by the World Health Organization. In these cases, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended respirators classified as N95, but it is unknown whether they would prevent swine flu infection. According to mask manufacturer 3M, there are no “established exposure limits for biological agents” such as swine flu virus.

The UK Health Protection Agency considers facial masks unnecessary for general public.

Airline hygiene

Some airlines have modified hygiene procedures to minimise travel health risks on international flights. Asian carriers have stepped up cabin cleaning, installed State-of-the-art air filters and allowed in-flight staff to wear face masks, with some replacing used pillows, blankets, headset covers and headrest covers, while others have begun disinfecting the cabins of all aircraft.

Hygiene practices such as covering the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing in confined areas may be the best way to limit infection.

Try to: Co-ver your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; Wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective; Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; Try to avoid close contact with sick people; If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.

Home remedies

There are a number of ways to help ease symptoms, including adequate liquid intake and rest, soup to ease congestion, and over-the-counter drugs to relieve pain. Aspirin is very effective for treating fever in adults although in children and adolescents, aspirin is not usually given due to risk of Reye’s syndrome. While over-the-counter drugs relieve sym-ptoms, they do not kill the virus.

Antiviral drugs

Antiviral drugs can be given to treat those who become severely ill, two of which are recommended for swine flu symptoms: Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza). They work by deactivating an enzyme the virus needs to grow and spread.

Possible side effects

Both medications can cause side effects, including lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and trouble breathing.

fore more on H1N1 swine Flue

http://seoimp.blogspot.com/2009/08/swine-h1n1-flu.html

Tags: Swine, Virus