Much ado about swine flu
jewel May 1st, 2009
I find things like this quite interesting. Not as much because of the virus itself (although there are aspects there that intrigue me), but in watching other people’s reaction to it. With this strain of flu, I’m seeing people react far more strongly to it than I ever do with the regular, run of the mill, flu strains. At work and on the internet people are talking about it. That’s unusual all by itself. Over an over again I hear people say this scares them. I’ve even heard a couple people comment on how they are glad they don’t eat pork! I was floored to see that some people really do think you can get the flu from food.
Normally, influenza doesn’t much make the news, even though some people die from it. Even though it is spread the same way as this strain, the “normal” flu viruses barely get a mention in the news. So what makes this one so different? Ok, so this strain is a mutated version of human, pig and avian flu strains. That’s pretty fascinating, I’ll admit. Viruses are crafty little buggers and they are quite adept at finding new environments in which to flourish.
At work, the building management company sent around information on what their plan was in case of an outbreak here as well as a 12 page document from the county health department on how to protect yourself from swine flu and what to do if you think you’ve contracted it. I will summarize those 12 pages right here:
1) Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
2) Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
3) Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
4) If you show flu symptoms, see a medical doctor
5) Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
Sounds complicated, doesn’t it.
So, is this virus really the big bad it’s being made out to be? I figure the answer is somewhere between a shrug and concern. I do know that any strain of flu will make you feel miserable and that some people die from it. The young, the old and folks with auto-immune issues are more vulnerable. Also, because we don’t yet have a vaccine it could be more of a challenge to contain, so that in and of itself poses a concern and people should be diligent with their awareness and hygiene (as should always be the case). But is the sky is falling? No. At least not yet.
But please — wash your hands.
04 May 2009 — Edited to add: Steven Novella just posted about the swine flu over at Skepticblog. Excellent stuff, as always.
- in the news
- Comments(4)
From what I read about the swine flu (A(H1N1)) on the WHO and CDC sites, it’s very contagious because it is a mutant strain… but compared to the regular seasonal flu, swine is not as severe and will run its course without antiviral medicine.
I’m already trying to not get sick and wash my hands and all that, but people can over do it and not let their immune system get the practice it needs.
Yep. I agree.
I haven’t had the flu in in about 9 or 10 years. Colds and other viruses, yes, but no flu. I’m pretty protective of my respiratory system (I have asthma), so I’m always mindful of flu viruses and whatnot. Even still this doesn’t seem any worse than the seasonal flu viruses, so I pretty much take the usual precautions.
Well, it’s not that ridiculous that people think they can get it from eating pork. Initial reports had me thinking the same thing until I found out that it had crossed the species barrier and is now in full on human-to-human mode. Part of the concerns surrounding avian flu was that you could get infected by eating poultry and this was reported accurately in the media. The confusion is at least somewhat understandable for people who don’t understand the distinction between a mutated strain that has changed hosts and a virus that might do so in the future.
Ok, fair enough. I had not thought of it that way. The food connection just never occurred to me at all. Influenza isn’t generally passed that way, so it just sounded far fetched that it could be contracted that way.
Edited to add: I did some checking on the CDC website on avian flu being passed via food and it seems unlikely there, too. The process of cooking it kills the virus. Of course, you do need to exercise care and caution regarding food surfaces — which should be the case anyway.