February 4, 2010
I got sick overnight. Last night my nose was tickly and I should of gotten up and put nose drops in but I was too sleepy so this morning I woke up sick. I was about to go for my flu shot at H.E.B. when blam I am too late.
Swine flu is just another arrangement of the influenza genome- of which there have been several. The flu virus is a RNA virus, which makes it unstable. RNA is prone to more mistakes during replication than DNA, and viral transcription generally does not come with the "spell check" that our own DNA comes with. The big concern over Swine flu is not so much its differences in disease (which is actually very similar to unadulterated influenza) but more over the fact that it is a combination of three different flu viruses. Human flu, Bird flu, and Swine flu all rolled into one. The high infectivity is reminiscent of the Spanish flu, which went pandemic in 1918. It also represents a trans- species jump, which is more dangerous because our immune systems are not as well equipped to handle an unfamiliar zoonotic virus (in laymen’s terms).
If you begin to experience difficulty breathing, a fever above 104, or if you don’t improve within 3 days then you should go to the doctor. Otherwise, chances are that you are probably fine and will recover on your own. If you cut up some fresh ginger, fresh lemon, and add that to some hot water with honey it will help you to feel a bit better. And if you want to know about the flu in more detail, then just ask:)
see a Dr. But cover your face before you leave the house
Swine Flu and Human Seasonal Flu…
Human Influenza refers to one of the three major types of flus (Influnza type A, B, or C) that are endemic to the human population (orthomyxoviridae). Most seasonal flu would fit into this category of human to human transferable viruses. Swine flu was originally a flu in pigs that mutated to one that could be given to humans. When humans get diseases from animals it is called Zoonosis or a zoonotic disease.
Similarities and Differences
Human-to-human transmission of swine flu (A-H1N1/09) is thought to be spread in the same way as seasonal flu — through coughing/sneezing/close contact, and is highly contagious.
The initial symptoms are the same, however, with Novel H1N1 (2009 Swine Flu), within five days it is possible to have the onset of severe respiratory symptoms that progress to pneumonia or other life-threatening complications.
Swine flu symptoms for most people are milder than seasonal flu in the first wave of the pandemic. According to current statistics, more people die each year of seasonal flu, than have with swine flu.
Unlike seasonal flu, those over age 65 are not at high risk of catching and having serious complications with Novel Swine flu A-H1N1/09, this may be the result of residual immunity from some similar flu in the past to which those in this age group were exposed.