Influenza is commonly known as flu, it is an infectious disease of birds that can cause by RNA viruses. It is a contagious respiratory illness that is caused by influenza virus. Actually it is a viral infection that affects throat, nose, bronchi and in some cases it also affects lungs.

Influenza is a serious disease and every year about 5%-20% of United States population infected by this disease. Sometimes, more than 200,000 of people are hospitalized as they are having infection of influenza. The flu can be serious or even deadly for elderly people, newborn babies and people with certain chronic illnesses. The influenza even has its own season generally from November to April, with most cases occurring between late December and early March.

Symptoms of influenza

The infection is sometimes confused with common cold but its symptoms are more severe than typical sneezing. Infection of influenza lasts for about a week and sometimes more. It is characterized by sudden onset of high fever, muscle ache, feeling chills, body ache, headache, severe malaise, sore throat, rhinitis and non-productive cough. Dizziness and loss of appetite is another cause of influenza. Sometime vomiting, weakness and ear pain can prove associated symptom of influenza.

Causes

The flu virus travels in air droplets when any infected person sneezes. One can easily inhale these droplets and affected by disease. You can even pick up the germs by sharing things with the infected person such as telephone, towel, computer keyboard etc.

Treatment

The main thing to keep away from flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine. Whenever you get the flu, your health care provider may prescribe medicine to help your body fight the infection and lessen symptoms. You can do some practical ways to prevent the spread of influenza. You should wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Don’t pick up the used tissues as this may lead to infection. Never share utensils and towels with infected person; infection may travel through this way. You should cover your nose and mouth at the time of sneezing as the inflectional bacteria travels in the air and can cause another person.

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The threat of an imminent influenza pandemic has society frantically searching for preventatives and treatments. The 1918 pandemic, the most lethal in history, is being carefully studied for clues on how to handle the next pandemic. At present, our ability to cope with a fast-moving, highly infectious form of influenza is very limited. This book covers a previously overlooked path: The use of plants to ease the symptoms of influenza. A group of licensed physicians, the Eclectics, successfully used herbs to ease the severe aches and pains, fevers, and coughs as well as to prevent pulmonary complications that were common and often fatal in the 1918 pandemic. This book describes over 30 herbs actually used to treat influenza as well how physicians determined which herb to use and how to dose the plant.

Herbs & Influenza: How Herbs Used in the 1918 Flu Pandemic Can Be Effective Today

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What is Influenza?

Influenza is an infection caused by a virus of the respiratory tract. Influenza is a very contagious infection and can easily break into a pandemic. You may catch this infection from an infected person who is travelling with you or is working with you or from an infected family member. Influenza virus may infect others around even if the infected person has no illness symptoms. Influenza viruses can enter the body through the mucous membranes in the mouth, eyes, or nose.

Influenza is also known as ‘flu’ and crops up mostly in winter between October and March. The symptoms of influenza are as follows:

Fever – usually continuous and may be lower in older adults than in children and young people
Muscle pain and body aches – often severe, usually in the arms, back and legs
Headache – severe pain
Loss of appetite – mainly due to a feeling of illness or fatigue
Dry cough, sore throat or runny nose – more visible when the fever goes away

Other symptoms are usually more severe, when fever is high. Symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea are not related to influenza as opposed to what most people believe.

Causes for Influenza

Influenza is caused by flu viruses. There are mainly three types of flu viruses – type A, B and C. Influenza A viruses are found in humans and animals, whereas B and C are found only in humans. Influenza A virus possesses two surface proteins, haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), which are used to classify the virus into subtypes. The natural reservoir for influenza A is considered to be aquatic birds, as all influenza A subtypes are found in these birds, whereas only certain subtypes are found in mammals. These two surface proteins may undergo change over time.

Minor changes are termed antigenic drift, while major changes in one or both of the surface proteins, is called antigenic shift. The importance of these changes is that antibodies in the blood, which are responsible for protection against repeated infection with the virus, are less effective if the virus surface protein changes; the greater the change, the less effective is the antibody. Only influenza A can undergo this dramatic variation in which a virus of a new subtype can suddenly appear in the human population; influenza B and C viruses appear to be more stable than influenza A.

It is this antigenic shift that can be the catalyst for a nation-wide epidemic, or more seriously a world-wide pandemic. The latest example of an emerging new subtype is the ‘bird flu’, first isolated in Hong Kong in May 1997, which previously had only been found in birds and was not associated with disease in humans.

As Influenza viruses are known to mutate over time, new vaccines have to be developed constantly. Old vaccines may not help against a new form of virus. Influenza viruses spread from one person to another through coughing or sneezing. Influenza can also be transmitted by indirect contact with a contaminated object or surface and then with your own mouth, eyes, or nose before washing your hands.

Treatment Available for Influenza

Current influenza vaccines contain either inactivated virus, treated so that it cannot cause infection, or virus components. Recent vaccines contain a mixture of two influenza A subtypes and one influenza B virus. The vaccines are very effective and have been shown to reduce hospital admissions for pneumonia. All viruses used in vaccine production are currently grown in chicken eggs, and experimental vaccines made in mammalian cells are likely to be the next development in vaccine production.

Changes in the virus due to antigenic drift or antigenic shift mean that the vaccine must also change to cover the prevailing strains of the virus; last year’s vaccine may not protect against this year’s virus.

The composition of the influenza vaccine for the next season is coordinated by the WHO. The ability of influenza to continually undergo antigenic change ensures that there is always a possibility that new variants not covered by the vaccine will appear which may give rise to serious epidemics. This means that making a completely accurate prediction of likely influenza activity for the oncoming season is very difficult. It should also be remembered that during the annual winter influenza season, other 'flu-like' viruses also circulate, against which influenza vaccine offers no protection. The vaccine should not be given to people who are allergic to egg products.

Influenza A infections can be prevented to a certain extent with drugs which effectively prevent illness. The combination of vaccination with prophylaxis offers the highest level of protection for high-risk patients.

Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) as Best Influenza Treatment

Tamiflu is a unique medication and helps in treatment as well as prevention of influenza. It is also recommended by World Health Organization in case of influenza pandemic and bird flu outbreak. Tamiflu is a safe and effective drug; however, it would be misleading to say that it is the best influenza treatment. Different people react differently to medications and hence you might find Tamiflu to work well for you but might not work the same way in another individual. It is best to follow the doctor’s instructions in these cases.

Tamiflu is of proven effectiveness in the treatment of influenza. New types of anti-influenza drugs are currently under development. Patients should rest, keep warm and take plenty of non-alcoholic fluids plus any medication recommended by their doctor to relieve symptoms. Antibiotics are of little value except in patients in whom bacterial pneumonia occurs.

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CTV.ca

New swine flu cases isolated phillyBurbs.com If you or your children become ill with symptoms of influenza, the Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends you contact your health care provider. Posted: Friday, September 2, 2011 2:55 pm | Updated: 7:31 pm, Sat Sep 3, 2011. ... The CDC has launched a new and efficient influenza test kitExaminer.com Waukesha County Has Flu Shots for 2011Patch.com Flu shots are already availableUSA Today Washington Post& -Interaksyon.com all 662 news articles& »

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New swine flu cases isolated - phillyBurbs.com

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Swine flu refers to influenza caused by those strains of influenza virus that usually infect pigs and are called swine influenza virus (SIV). Swine influenza is common in pigs in the M?d-West of the United States and some other states, Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe, Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of eastern Asia.

Transmission of swine influenza virus from pigs to humans is not common and properly-cooked pork poses no risk of infection. When transmitted, it does not always cause human influenza and often the only sign of infection is the presence of antibodies in the blood which are only detectable by laboratory tests. When transmission results in influenza in a human, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People who work with pigs, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine flu. However, only about fifty such transmissions have been recorded since the mid-20th Century, when identification of influenza subtypes became possible. Rarely, these strains of swine flu can pass from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans, known as "swine flu", is due to an apparently virulent new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that contained many genetic elements normally found in swine influenza. The origin of this new strain is unknown, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that this strain has not been isolated in pigs. It can be transmitted from human to human, an ability attributed to an as-yet unidentified mutation. This 2009 H1N1 strain causes the normal symptoms of influenza, such as fever, coughing and headache.

The 2009 flu outbreak is due to a new strain of influenza, an apparent reassortment of at least four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, including one strain endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in swine. Although initial reports identified the new strain as swine influenza (ie, a zoonosis), its origin is unknown. Several countries took precautionary measures to reduce the chances for a global pandemic of the disease.

This new strain had not previously been reported in pigs. On May 2, 2009, H1N1 was reported in pigs at a farm in Alberta, Canada, with a link to the 2009 swine flu outbreak in Mexico. The pigs are suspected to have caught this new strain of virus from a farm worker who recently travelled to Mexico, then showed symptoms of an influenza-like illness. These are probable cases, pending confirmation by laboratory testing.

The time and location of the outbreak is still unknown, but it was first detected in two cases in Southern California in late March. When this novel virus was publicized, officials in Mexico suspected a link to an outbreak of late-season flu cases they were finding. Mexican news media report that the outbreak may have started in February near a Smithfield Foods pig plant amid complaints about its intensive farming practices. Within days, hundreds more suspected cases were discovered in Mexico, with more cases also showing up in the U.S. and several other countries. By late April, officials from the U.N.'s World Health Organization (WHO), based in Switzerland, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., were expressing serious concern about the flu outbreak, worried that it might become a worldwide flu pandemic.

The new strain has spread widely beyond Mexico and the U.S., with confirmed cases in eighteen countries and suspected cases in forty-two. Many countries have advised their inhabitants not to travel to infected areas. Countries including Australia, China, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand are monitoring visitors returning from flu-affected areas to identify people with fever and respiratory symptoms. Many countries have also issued warnings to visitors of flu-affected areas to contact a doctor immediately if they had flu-like symptoms.

Mexico's schools, universities, and all public events will be closed from April 24, 2009 to May 6, 2009. By May 3, 2009, more than 400 schools in the U.S. closed due to confirmed or probable cases in students or staff, affecting 250,000 students

By April 28, the new strain was confirmed to have spread to Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Israel, and the virus was suspected in many other nations. As a result, WHO raised its alert level to "Phase 5" out of 6 possible, which it defines as a "signal that a pandemic is imminent" By the end of April, 300 schools had closed across the United States and the Mexican government ordered a multi-day shutdown of all non-essential activities in the government and private sector, amounting to a shutdown of most of the country's economy. At the same time, however, many scientists were reaching a consensus that the epidemic was so far "relatively mild," and believed that it could be less fatal than previous pandemics.

The new strain is an apparent reassortment of four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. Analysis by the CDC identified the four component strains as one endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in pigs (swine). However, other scientists have stated that analyses of the 2009 swine flu (A/H1N1) viral genome "suggests that all segments are of swine origin", "we are puzzled about sources of information that affirm that the virus is a reassortment of avian, human and swine viruses," and "this preliminary analysis suggests at least two swine ancestors to the current H1N1, one of them related to the triple resorting viruses isolated in North America in 1998." One swine strain was widespread in the United States, the other in Eurasia. Worldwide the common human H1N1 influenza virus affects millions of people every year, according to WHO officials, and "these annual epidemics result in about three to five million cases of severe illness, and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths" annually. In industrialized countries most of these annual deaths occur in people aged 65 or older. By May 2, some pigs in Canada were diagnosed with H1N1. Although some influenza strains can spread between species, the influenza virus is killed by normal cooking procedures, so there is no risk of infection from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

Recommendations to prevent infection by the virus consist of the standard personal precautions against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. The CDC advises not touching the mouth, nose or eyes, as these are primary modes of transmission. When coughing, they recommend coughing into a tissue and disposing of the tissue, then immediately washing the hands.

Of the available antiviral treatments for influenza, the WHO stated that the viruses obtained from the human cases with swine influenza in the United States were sensitive to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) but resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Tamiflu and Relenza also have a preventative effect against Influenzavirus A. On April 27, the CDC recommended the use of Tamiflu and Relenza for both treatment and prevention of the new strain. Roche and the U.S. government had already extended the shelf life of federally stockpiled Tamiflu from the original five years to seven years because studies indicated that the medication continues to maintain its effectiveness.

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Influenza, commonly known as the "flu" is a serious infection of the respiratory tract caused by the influenza virus. Though, most of the symptoms of influenza are similar to that of the common cold, the influenza infection often causes a more severe illness. If not treated in time, the symptoms of influenza may turn serious and may even prove to be fatal. Influenza is a contagious disease that is caused by a virus in your body. The flu virus can spread from an infected person to a healthy person through cough, sneezing or by touching the objects contaminated with tiny droplets from coughing or sneezing. Most influenza outbreaks happen in late fall and winter; people are easily affected because of weakened immune system during this period. Elderly people who are 65 years and older, young children and people with lung or heart diseases, certain chronic health problems or weakened immune systems are at greater risk of developing complications. If you suspect influenza, you should immediately contact your doctor.

Symptoms of influenza

The symptoms of influenza are similar to that of the common cold. Many times therefore, flu remains undiagnosed for several days. However, flu requires special attention as it may prove to be life threatening if not treated in time. Some of the commonly reported symptoms of influenza include:

Fever of 100°F (37.8°C) to 104°F (40°C) Chills Sore throat Body aches and muscle pain, commonly in the back, arms or legs Severe headache Sneezing Dry cough A runny or stuffed nose Weakness Fatigue, a general feeling of sickness (malaise) Loss of appetite Nausea and vomiting (particularly in children)

The symptoms of influenza can begin within 1 to 4 days (2 days on an average) of being first exposed to the virus. The effects of influenza usually subside after 2 or 3 days however, fever may last up to 5 days while cough may persist for 10 days or longer. A general feeling of weakness may also last for several days or weeks.

Influenza treatment

Home treatments are the best way to influenza treatment. Some of the most recommended home treatments include :

Take as much rest and sleep as possible. Sleeping and resting helps your body’s natural immune system to fight the influenza virus Take lots of fluids to replace those lost from fever and to keep your body hydrated Avoid smoking and breathing other people’s smoke as tobacco products affect your body’s ability to recover Do not consume alcohol or alcoholic beverages Keep yourself away from other people as much as possible. This is because influenza is an infectious airborne disease that can be spread through droplets of saliva or sweat Inform you doctor as soon as the symptoms of influenza are noticed Your doctor may suggest the use of antiviral medicines like Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Tamiflu works effectively against both the influenza A and B viruses. The medicine prevents the spread of the virus and thereby helps to reduce the intensity and duration of influenza symptoms. For best results, Tamiflu treatment should be started within 2 days of the onset of influenza symptoms. You can also take Tamiflu to prevent influenza from occurring in case you have been exposed to the virus. As Tamiflu is a prescription drug, it should be taken only after consulting a doctor.

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