Testing It Up

The A (H1N1) virus is a disease that caused a stir all throughout the world. With many people afflicted with the condition, everybody has to take the necessary precaution. Question is: Who is more susceptible to the disease.

Anyone may actually have the infection. But, there are four groups who are at higher risk from the A (H1N1) virus. These are: the children and elderly; health care providers; people with existing medical conditions; and pregnant women.

Children below the age of 5 and elders 65 years old and above are more susceptible to the condition than individuals in other age groups. This is because their immune systems do not have the required antibodies to prevent the virus from spreading. As for health care providers, the risk is attached to the nature of the job. Since they deal with sick people, their exposure to the condition is increased.

People with medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disorders and diabetes mellitus are at high risk of acquiring A (H1N1). Additionally, those with hematological and hepatic conditions are also prone to having the disorder. Pregnant women in their third trimester are not exempted from acquiring the condition as well.

For full version of this article, please visit “Who is at Risk from A (H1N1) Virus?“.

Chronic fatigue syndrome causes prolonged and severe exhaustion and body aches among other symptoms, it’s one of medicine’s greatest mysteries and has long caused its sufferers misunderstandings and misdiagnoses. There are 17 million people who suffer the virus around the world and roughly one million of those are in the US. Of those tested out of 101 with the syndrome about 67% were found to have an infectious virus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, or XMRV. When these numbers were compared to those in a group of 218 who didn’t have the syndrome it was found that the difference was great. Only 3.7% of the people unaffected by the syndrome tested positive for XRMV. Since that paper was published continued research has shown that roughly 98% of a group of 600 people affected by the syndrome tested positive for the virus.

A retrovirus, XMRV is a member of the same family as AIDS. These types of viruses carry genetic information in the RNA rather than DNA, inserting their hosts genetic material and remains for their lifespan. Researchers aren’t clear if the virus causes Chronic Fatigue syndrome or is the result of anther virus or condition that opens the body of the infected to infection. Regardless it’s possibly according to at least once researcher in the study that XMRV could be the source of several such conditions. A previous study has already linked the virus to higher rates of prostate cancer.

According to CNN medical correspondent Sajay Gupta H1N1 is “a lot like…the flu”. The correspondent has firsthand knowledge about what it was like to experience the new and more virulent form of the flu after he dealt with it in Afghanistan. The doctor explains that the symptoms began as a cough that stings the chest and went on to become fever, body aches, and eventually nausea and vomiting.

While the virus is considered to be a serious health concern worldwide Gupta’s own case was treated as any other case of the flu might have been with a decongestant, Tylenol and eventually an IV (to replace lost fluids when they couldn’t be held down). Dr. Gupta expressed a strong belief that most people will have no more serious symptoms than he himself had and have the added benefit of easily accessible medical care, a luxury didn’t have while he was in Afghanistan. This is interesting news in light of the warnings put out by such groups as the World Health Organization who warned that the first strain of the flu shouldn’t be used as a guide for how serious the impending strain will be.

Over 100 wells in Morrison, Wisconsin are polluted thanks to uncontrolled runoff from dairy farms leaving residents ill and dealing with symptoms like chronic diarrhea, severe ear infections and stomach illnesses. Water there was tested and found to have been contaminated with things like E.coli  and coliform bacteria among other contaminants more commonly found in cow manure.

How did this happen?

There are few regulations that make efforts to control things like this. While there are laws that were made to protect and regulate water and wastes that pass through ditches and pipes the same can’t be said for above ground wastes like manure which is sometimes used for fertilizer on farms.  Larger cattle farms are meant to be regulated (the EPA has made laws to help regulate them) however most farms don’t bother to fill out paperwork that makes the EPA aware of them. To make matters worse laws passed by the Bush administration allow many of these farms to self-certify their lack of pollution making it easier to bypass any regulation that might prove otherwise.

Agricultural runoff is the greatest pollutant of U.S. streams and rivers, sickening at least 19.5 million Americans every year. Parasites, bacteria and viruses travel in these waters coming from animal and human wastes pumped into them from various sources throughout the nation. The problem has only recently gotten much focus, inspiring a major article from the New York Times last week.

New York Health Screening

According to experts those getting vaccinated against the H1N1 strain of the flu virus will only require one shot rather than the two that had been previously projected. Why? It seems that having one shot is effective enough to completely immunize those who receive the vaccine which comes as good news to officials concerned about making the vaccine available to enough people. With this news officials now have high hopes of vaccinating all of the 159 million that are at highest risk of developing the virus. Outside of the standard delays expected for production this should mean that 195 million doses should be available by the end of the year.

Having reached 168 countries the H1N1 virus remains a major concern among health officials who’ve watched it progress into the pandemic they’d feared on its initial wave this spring, infecting over a million people and progressing until now when we’re seeing the first signs of its second wave. Almost 600 have passed away from H1N1 since that initial wave and cases are surging again putting several countries on alert for higher infection and mortality rates than the first wave brought on.

Initial fears that two doses might be required were brought on by concerns that it would take 2 doses for the vaccine to truly be effective because humans had yet to have been exposed to the new flu.

HIV is no longer a fatal condition that leads to AIDS and death. There is treatment available for the virus and in some cases; the virus has disappeared from the system of some individuals who have been treated. While there is no cure yet for AIDS, those who have HIV can have a long and productive life with proper treatment. It makes sense for any sexually active individual to get an HIV test. But few people take this step.

The reason that people do not get an HIV test is that they are afraid of a stigma associated with the disease that is often transmitted sexually. You can get an HIV test in the comfort of your home in a discreet manner if you take an at home HIV test. The results are confidential and this can put your mind at ease if you are worried about AIDS.

How should you care for a person who is sick with the swine flu in your home? The first thing you need to do is to isolate your patient and prevent him or her from getting in contact with the other people in your household. You should also make sure that your patient is getting enough rest and is fed a lot of liquids to prevent his or her becoming dehydrated. You should also ensure that your patient washes his or her hands frequently and covers the mouth with tissue every time he or she sneezes.

To protect the other people living in your household, instruct them to wash their hands frequently and avoid disturbing the patient. You should keep surfaces in your home clean in case they are contaminated with the swine flu virus. You should also consult a doctor about whether or not the other members of your household should take antiviral medicine.

For full version of this article, please visit “9 Tips for Caring for Patients with Swine Flu at Your Home“.

How do you know if you are sick of the swine flu? The signs and symptoms of swine flu are not really any different from the signs and symptoms of seasonal flu. They include fever, chills, muscle pain, a runny nose, coughing and sneezing, headaches and dizziness.

If you are sick with the swine flu, you should stay at home as much as possible. Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of liquids to avoid being dehydrated. You should also avoid contact with other people and avoid going out in public so you would not spread the virus to those around you.

There may be times when you need to be rushed to the emergency room of the hospital when you are sick with the swine flu. You should do this when you are finding it difficult to breathe, when you are experiencing pain in the chest or abdomen, or when you cannot stop vomiting.

For full version of this article, please visit “What Are the Common Signs and Symptoms of Swine Flu?“.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the idea of getting sick with the swine flu virus can indeed be worrisome for you. However, you and your baby will not get sick with the virus if you exercise some caution.

To prevent your getting the disease, you should avoid touching public surfaces and then touching your nose, mouth and eyes afterwards. You should also wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You should also avoid crowded places as much as possible.

When you do get sick, you should see your doctor immediately to get a prescription for safe antiviral medicine. In addition, you should stay at home, have a lot of rest and drink a lot of liquids. You should not stop breastfeeding because your baby will need the antibodies you will be able to provide. Just wash your hands before you handle your baby and wear a facemask.

For full version of this article, please visit “10 Tips for Swine Flu Protection to Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women“.

Because of the swine flu pandemic, many people have come to wear facemasks whenever they go out in public. This, they believe, is to prevent them from inhaling the virus and getting sick with the swine flu.

On the contrary, facemasks are not really that helpful because they are not designed to filter out really small particles from the nasal track. Since they are worn loosely, they leave gaps for the airborne virus to be inhaled. Respirators work a lot better because they are fitted more snuggly over the face, but they are not foolproof ways of preventing infection with the swine flu virus.

Experts say that rather than wearing facemasks or respirators, you should instead avoid touching public surfaces that may be contaminated with the swine flu virus. You should also wash your hands frequently. You only need to wear a facemask if you are sick or caring for the sick and you need to be in public for a prolonged period of time.

For full version of this article, please visit “Do Facemasks Work in Preventing Swine Flu?“.