My Story

Source: Influenza A

Oh ya, in case u dont know, WHO changed the Swine Flu name to Influenza A (H1N1)..

Infected states are Selangor and Penang!!

So fast, yesterday Selangor now Penang.. No!!!

Dont go to Sarawak..

Dont go to Sibu!!!

Source: Swine FLu

OMG, i’m going to KL on 27th leh.. walao.. dont be like this ma..

The guy is currently now in Selangor Hospital..

I watched the Singapore news only know about this.. then googled and found the news from The Star dot com..

What is H1N1? You will find the answer below..

Source: Lippincott’s Illustrated Microbiology

What is Influenza Virus?

Influenza virus is a type of Negative single stranded RNA virus from family  Orthomyxoviruses.

Classification of viruses:

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Nowadays we can read from newspaper regarding the phases.. From 3 to 4 and now phase 5 for Swine Flu!!

So what the heck are those phases?

Source: CDC Website

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a global influenza preparedness plan, which defines the stages of a pandemic, outlines the role of WHO, and makes recommendations for national measures before and during a pandemic. The phases are:

Interpandemic period

Phase 1 : No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. An influenza virus subtype that has caused human infection may be present in animals. If present in animals, the risk of human infection or disease is considered to be low.

Phase 2: No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. However, a circulating animal influenza virus subtype poses a substantial risk of human disease.

Pandemic alert period

Phase 3: Human infection(s) with a new subtype but no human-to-human spread, or at most rare instances of spread to a close contact.

Phase 4: Small cluster(s) with limited human-to-human transmission but spread is highly localized, suggesting that the virus is not well adapted to humans.

Phase 5: Larger cluster(s) but human-to-human spread still localized, suggesting that the virus is becoming increasingly better adapted to humans but may not yet be fully transmissible (substantial pandemic risk).

Pandemic period

Phase 6: Pandemic: increased and sustained transmission in general population.

Notes: The distinction between phases 1 and 2 is based on the risk of human infection or disease resulting from circulating strains in animals. The distinction is based on various factors and their relative importance according to current scientific knowledge. Factors may include pathogenicity in animals and humans, occurrence in domesticated animals and livestock or only in wildlife, whether the virus is enzootic or epizootic, geographically localized or widespread, and other scientific parameters.

The distinction among phases 3, 4, and 5 is based on an assessment of the risk of a pandemic. Various factors and their relative importance according to current scientific knowledge may be considered. Factors may include rate of transmission, geographical location and spread, severity of illness, presence of genes from human strains (if derived from an animal strain), and other scientific parameters.

My son came back from school today and told us school is closed for the next two weeks. You would expect jubilation from a 15-year-old. Although he was pleased at the prospect of an unexpected two-week vacation, there was not the jumping up and down with joy one would imagine. His face was pensive, apprehensive and humble. His expression was that of a child who seeks reassurance, who needs to be told that everything is going to be fine.

I live in Cancun, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, about 1hour and 30 minutes by plane from Mexico City. Mexico City is the Swine Flu ground zero. A few days ago most of the Cancun population watched news coming from Mexico City with detachment. “This is over 1000 kilometers away,” I heard one person say “we are fine.” Gradually, local attitudes have changed.

Yesterday we all watched the national news and heard that restaurants, nightclubs, schools, theatres, sports stadia, and anywhere that might hold large groups of people had not only been closed in Mexico City, but along the vacation resorts of the Pacific coast – Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo. Can you imagine the economic consequences of closing restaurants, bars and nightclubs in tourist resorts?

Friends in Mexico City phone me and describe empty streets. The few who do venture out wear masks and go about their business as swiftly as they can.

The whole of Mexico is scared. “Will I get this? If I do what will happen to me? Am I hearing the truth? They say it is not so bad and easily treatable, but they would say that, wouldn’t they?”

My nephew came to stay with us and flew in last Sunday from Manchester, England, where he lives. My wife and he have gone to the airport to see if he can get back as soon as possible. His airline, Thomson, have just announced in the UK that all flights to Mexico have been cancelled. The Foreign Office (UK) is telling British people on vacation in Mexico to come back home ASAP. If flights are not coming in, how can people get back home? Perhaps my wife will get some answer at the airport.

Doctors here have told me that this swine flu (called fiebre porcina in Mexico) is easily treatable. They added that there are lots of antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, which are very effective. With over 150 deaths in Mexico City, one wonders how they could have died if treatment is so effective. I am told they did not seek medical help. Also many of the deaths (I am told) happened to people with weakened immune systems – people who may have struggled equally if they had come down with normal human seasonal flu. While we all feel for those who died, we hope that what we are being told is true.

The global financial crisis hit the Mexican economy – which depends so much on the health of the US economy – hard. Mexico’s main sources of hard currency income are oil, tourism and remittances from workers abroad. The tourist industry is gradually drying up as governments tell their people only to go to Mexico for ‘essential’ travel.

Source: Health Blog

What is swine flu?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen.

Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human.

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