Don’t mess with the flu

Lindsay Stroud, R.N. Infection Control Nurse at Marion Regional Healthcare System, cautions the community to be aware of H1N1 flu symptons.
The virus, referred to as “swine flu,“ is a new strain of influenza virus and has caused illness in an estimated 70 countries. Recently, the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic. According to http://www.pandemicflu.gov, history has noted five or so such wide-spread flu outbreaks.
The first, Spanish Flu, was seen in 1918. The site says about 20 to 40 percent of the worldwide population became ill and that more than 50 million people died. Between September 1918 and April 1919, approximately 675,000 deaths from the flu occurred in the U.S.
In 1957, there was the Asian Flu, first identified in the Far East. “Unlike the virus that caused the 1918 pandemic, the 1957 pandemic virus was quickly identified, due to advances in scientific technology,“ the site said, and most influenza-and pneumonia-related deaths occurred between September 1957 and March 1958. About 69,800 people in the U.S. died.
The Hong Kong Flu infiltrated the globe December 1968-January 1969, with those older than 65 most likely to die. The same virus returned in 1970 and 1972. The number of deaths between September 1968 and March 1969 for this pandemic was 33,800, making it the mildest pandemic in the 20th century.
With each new flu, comes new vaccinations making the public safer, for a while. In 1976 there was a Swine Flu threat. It was labeled the “killer flu” and experts were concerned because the virus was thought to be related to the virus of 1918. The concern that a major pandemic could sweep across the world led to a mass vaccination campaign in the United States. In fact, the virus—later named “swine flu”—never moved outside the Fort Dix area. Research on the virus later showed that if it had spread, it would probably have been much less deadly than the Spanish flu.
That flu was followed in 1977 by what was dubbed the Russian Flu, which spread rapidly, causing epidemic disease in children and young adults worldwide. By January 1978, the virus had spread around the world, including the United States.  In 1997, the world faced the Avian Flu threat, with a few hundred people becoming infected with the avian A/H5N1 flu virus in Hong Kong. This virus was markedly different because it moved from chickens to people. To prevent the spread of this virus, all chickens (approximately 1.5 million) in Hong Kong were slaughtered, the Web site says.
The avian flu did not easily spread from one person to another and after the poultry slaughter, no new human infections were found.
In 1999, another avian flu virus, the A/H9N2, was found in two children in Hong Kong. Although both of these viruses have not gone on to start pandemics, their continued presence in birds, their ability to infect humans, and the ability of influenza viruses to change and become more transmissible among people is an ongoing concern, the Web site said.
Signs and symptoms of the H1N1 flu are similar to the symptoms of the seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue. Anyone experiencing any of these symptoms, Stroud said, should seek emergency care immediately.
Suggested preventative steps for the spread of the flu virus and other infectious disease include avoiding close contact with people who are sick, keeping your distance if you are sick, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and washing your hands.
Using alcohol-based cleaners often, especially after coughing or sneezing, is also advised, along with, when possible, staying home from work, school and errands if sick.
No vaccine is currently available for the H1N1 flu, Stroud said.
For information on the H1N1 flu, visit the http://www.marioncountymedical.com.