Swine Flu Education: Facts vs. Fiction

Unless you've been in a deep (real deep) sleep lately, you're probably well aware of the recent swine flu outbreak. Initially it began in Mexico; however, it has now been confirmed in at least across several States, Canada as well as several countries in South America, Europe and Asia.
Fortunately no individuals infected outside of Mexico have succumbed to the swine flu infection; but it would be naive to assume that such luck will continue. This story is changing by the hour and it is essential that all individuals educate themselves about the facts and myths of swine flu.

But before we get all worked up and run around in frenzied panic, what's really true? what's not?

First of all, IS it Swine Flu? Symptoms must include
- A fever above 100°F or 37.8°C and one or more signs or symptoms including:
- Head and body aches
- cough
- sore throat
- chills
- trouble breathing
- along with vomiting and/or diarrhea.

Swine Flu FACTS

- Swine flu is a respiratory illness caused by a type A influenza virus, usually of the subtype H1N1, that triggers outbreaks in pigs fairly regularly. It can also be transferred from pigs to humans, from humans to pigs, and from humans to other humans.

Four main virus subtypes – H1N1, H1N2, H3N2 and H3N1 – have been isolated in pigs, though the virus, like all influenza viruses, constantly mutates. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can trade genes to create new versions that mix swine, human and/or avian influenza.

The swine H1N1 virus is not the same as the human H1N1 virus, so vaccines for the latter won't protect from the former.


Can human's catch swine flu? Yes, but it is not all that common. Usually, this happens to people who are in contact with pigs, though there are some documented cases of human-to-human transfer. Human-to-human transmission is believed to occur much like the regular flu, through coughing, sneezing and other contact. Eating pork does not transmit the virus. The symptoms resemble those of the regular flu virus.


Diagnosing swine flu requires a respiratory specimen taken during the first four or five days of infection, to be analyzed in a lab. The virus seems to respond to antiviral drugs, including those Canadian health authorities have been stockpiling in case of a flu pandemic.


The best-known case of swine flu in the past, is a 1976 outbreak at an army barracks in Fort Dix, N.J., which sickened four soldiers and killed one. There have been no previous major outbreaks of swine flu recorded in Canada.

The question a lot of people wonder is, How is swine flu H1N1 virus different from SARS and avian flu H5N1 virus? the answer to that is that all three come from animals, but SARS, a corona virus, and the avian flu are poorly adapted to infecting humans. As a result, it is fairly difficult for humans to catch either virus or pass them on to others, though the effects can prove deadly when infection does occurs.


Swine Flu FICTION

- You can’t get swine flu if you weren’t near pigs.

Even if your only contact with pigs was on the Muppet Show (ahhhh Miss Piggy), you can get swine flu if you’re around someone who has been in contact with pigs. Swine Flu is also an airborne virus, so you can pick it up if an infected person coughs or sneezes. To be clear, human-to-human transmission is generally limited to close contact and closed groups, the WHO says. But, the window is wide: You can catch it from an infected person one day before their symptoms develop and up to seven days – or more – after they become sick, the CDC says.

- Avoiding travel will prevent infection.

While the CDC advises travelers to avoid any unnecessary trips to Mexico until the outbreak is under control, you can still catch it – right in your own back yard! If a neighbor, colleague or classmate traveled to Mexico and was infected, you could be infected after having contact with that person. Both the CDC and WHO advise doing as your mother told you: Wash your hands in hot, soapy water, stop touching your face, and cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze. Plus, get your rest, eat well and drink plenty of water to stay healthy. When you’re run down, that’s when you’re more susceptible to any flu virus.

- Wearing a face mask is ridiculous.

Since swine flu is an air-born virus, it can help decrease your chances of contracting the virus if you wear a face mask. Currently, the CDC is only recommending that people in contact with a sick person wear the mask. They advise that the mask be N-95 to keep out small, infectious particles. But, it’s important to know that the mask isn’t a 100-percent guarantee, so you should still do what your mother told you and wash your hands, cover your mouth … (See above. Or just call your mom and ask, she'll tell you.)

- You can get swine flu from eating pork, bacon or other pig products.

Memories of sick Thai picnickers are still fresh in many people’s minds from the bird-flu outbreak, so many people assume that with swine flu, you can catch it from eating pig products. Not true, say both the WHO and CDC:

“Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The swine influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F/70°C corresponding to the general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat,” the WHO reports on its Web site.

Pediatricians : Avoid applying Vicks Vapo Rub to babies

Parents should not misuse Vicks VapoRub, the salve used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, by applying it to children under the age of two, doctors warn.

Dr. Bruce Rubin, the study's lead author from the department of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston Salem, NC, and his colleagues became interested in the effects of VVR on young children when they cared for an 18-month-old girl who developed severe respiratory distress after the salve was put directly under her nose.

Procter & Gamble's product label warns it is not indicated for children under two. But Rubin said some parents may still choose to use it for a sick child, usually by rubbing the salve on the feet or chest.

"The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway," said Rubin.

"Infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of adults, so any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow them more severely."

In the January issue of the journal Chest, Rubin and his colleagues tested the effects of Vicks Vapo Rub on the respiratory system of ferrets, laboratory animals with a similar airway anatomy and cellular makeup as humans.

Test tube results showed Vicks VapoRub exposure increased mucus secretion in the animals' airways, whether the tracheas were normal or inflamed to simulate a person with a chest infection.

"Some of the ingredients in Vicks, notably the menthol, trick the brain into thinking that it is easier to breathe by triggering a cold sensation, which is processed as indicating more airflow," he said. "Vicks may make you feel better but it can't help you breathe better."

"This may be of little physiologic consequence in older children and adults, but in infants and small children this potentially can lead to respiratory distress," the study's authors concluded.

Rubin said he recommends never putting Vicks in, or under, the nose of anyone, regardless of their age.
Parents should also follow the directions and not use Vicks or similar generic products on children under two, he advised.

On Dec. 18, 2008, Health Canada said children under six year old shouldn't be treated with cough and cold medication, citing reports of misuse, overdose and rare side-effects.

The best treatments for congestion are saline (salt water), gentle suction with a rubber bulb, warm drinks or chicken soup, and time, the researchers said, noting if a child is struggling to breathe, then it's a medical emergency.

Chinese company at the root of tainted milk scandal declared bankrupt

A Chinese court has declared the company at the center of a tainted milk scandal bankrupt.


The milk is blamed for killing six children and sickening nearly 300,000 more.

New Zealand's Fronterra Group said that a court in Shijiazhuang, in China's Hebei province, issued a bankruptcy order against Sanlu Group Co. in response to a petition from a creditor.

"Sanlu will now be managed by a court-appointed receiver who will assume responsibility for an orderly sale of the company's assets and payment of creditors," Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier said in a statement.

Sanlu was one of 22 Chinese dairy companies whose products were found to contain high levels of the industrial chemical melamine, leading to the deaths of six babies and causing 294,000 others to suffer from urinary problems.

Fronterra, a New Zealand farmer-owned co-operative, owns 43 per cent of Sanlu.

At least a dozen individual lawsuits have been filed against state-owned Sanlu, but they're caught in legal limbo as courts have neither accepted nor refused the cases - a sign of the scandal's political sensitivity.

China's government has promised to provide free medical treatment to the children who fell ill due to the milk, along with unspecified compensation to them and families of the deceased.

The Health Ministry had said earlier this month that some Chinese dairy companies would likely have to pay for a compensation plan, the details of which have not been released.

Fronterra was responsible for alerting Chinese authorities to the tainted milk scandal in August.

Woman nabbed for injecting contaminated water into daughter's IV drip

A 35-year-old woman from Gifu Prefecture was arrested Wednesday for allegedly attempting to kill her 1-year-old daughter by adding contaminated water to the intravenous drip the child was being administered at Kyoto (Japan) University Hospital in Kyoto, police said.

While the suspect has denied her intention to kill the girl, the hospital has said this could be a case of Munchausen by proxy, a form of child abuse in which the mother intentionally sickens her child through medication and other methods, according to the police.

"I can nurse (my child) if she becomes ill. I did not do it with a view to causing her death, " the woman was quoted as telling the police.

According to investigations, the woman used a syringe to inject contaminated water into an intravenous drip hooked up to her fifth daughter at the hospital's intensive care unit between Monday and Tuesday.

Her daughter, who is 1 year and 10 month old, could have died due to blood poisoning, but her condition is improving following treatment.

The woman's second, third, and fourth daughters all died of illness by the age 4.

The fifth daughter was transferred to Kyoto University Hospital early December from a Gifu hospital. Her condition was worsening due to blood poisoning, and tests detected the presence of the fungus candida albicans, which is not normally found in the bloodstream.

Suspecting child abuse, the hospital consulted the police and checked on the woman's movements. They found she had mixed a sports drink with water and waited until the liquid went bad before using it in the case, according to police. She also possessed a syringe, they added