Swine Flu Treatment
The number of people diagnosed with swine flu in Britain is on the rise, with nine more people being confirmed as having the disease, bringing the total up to 27. With the world on constant alert, we have seen two confirmed cases in the capital and one in Newcastle, with an additional 230 being tested in England alone.
The World Health Organisation has warned that an outbreak could be around the corner, raising the threat to 5 on a 6 point scale (a 50% increase since last Monday). Amongst the infected is a 12 year old girl from Torbay in Devon, a 41 year old woman from Redditch, five school children from South London, and a 22 year old man from Barnet, North London who had contracted the disease after visiting Mexico. 21 countries have been affected so far.
What Are The Symptoms Of Swine Flu?
The symptoms of Swine Flu are not dissimilar to that of ordinary flu, thus a patient will experience fever, cough, sore throat body aches, chills and fatigue. However, all UK symptoms thus far, have been mild in nature, irrespective of fatalities throughout Mexico and the US.
What Treatments Have Been Made Available For Swine Flu?
The truth is there is no miracle cure for swine flu. However, recent reports have shown that two forms of medication (Tamiflu and Relenza); have appeared to work well to control symptoms, and potentially cause them to reside. In addition, the drugs have also shown some success in preventing the transfer of the disease between humans. These anti viral drugs are essentially, medicines, developed to help reduce the duration of symptoms in people who are otherwise healthy.
In actual fact, the government initially began to stock pile around 33 million doses, and have since increased this to 50 million, showing a degree of faith in the drug’s potential. In terms of vaccines that are available, their effectiveness is not yet known, not to mention the fact that they will take a substantial period of time to develop.
Are There Any Side Effects With These Medications?
The main side effects of Tamiflu are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Relenza is not recommended for individuals who have asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or other lung disease. Trust your doctor to understand your health situation and to prescribe the antiviral drug that’s safest for you.
Side effects will of course vary from patient to patient, and will depend upon how well a person takes to treatment. The fundamental side effects of these drugs will often include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In actual fact, Relenza has been deemed unsuitable due to its tendency to cause breathing problems, although many of these patients had previously been diagnosed with asthma or OCPD. In addition, facial swelling and hives have been recorded in some patients.
What Is The Level Of Risk For Potential Sufferers?
Simply speaking, before the bank holiday weekend, there had only been ten confirmed deaths, nine of which were in Mexico and one in the US. However, there have now been 26 deaths (25 in Mexico and one in the US). We must note that toward the end of last month, there had only been 11 affected countries, and 311 recorded cases. However, as of today, (Monday 4th May), 20 countries are now affected worldwide, with 985 confirmed episodes. This is perhaps an indication that the virus will spread in similar fashion, although the level of threat in terms of fatality, is up for debate.
As of last week, we had been at 3 on a 6 point threat scale, and according to government figures, we are now at 5. This is clear cause for concern. However, in the UK, there have now been 27 recorded cases, although patients have taken well to anti viral treatment. In addition, despite intimidating figures, the disease has not spread as rapidly as first predicted.