Swine flu facts and myths

In order to understand swine flue that we all fear of, we must make a distinction between the facts and the myth in the swine flue case.

Facts

Facts regarding swine flue are that the last appearance of the swine flue A (H1N1) appeared in February 1976 in Fort Dix, New Jersey. The consequences were one death of a soldier, while four of them got sick. Due to that, the vaccine against swine flu was given from October 1976 to December 1976 even though swine flu epidemic never occurred. It was determined that vaccine against swine flue caused many side effects such as Guillan-Barre syndrome and the vaccination program ended. It was also realized that the side effects had higher risk on human’s body than the vaccine itself. The other fact about swine flue is that people can get contagious from swine flue between the period of 1 day before the symptoms occur, and 7 days after the beginning of swine flue symptoms. The age that is suitable for swine flue is around 15 years, and statistics say that 10% of the infected population had traveled to Mexico.

Myths

Some saying that everyone will need three flue vaccines for the coming fall and winter is implied a myth. It isn’t determined will the swine flue vaccine be needed for the following season. Someone's imagination has lead people to believe that swine flue in a combination with bird flue (H5N1) becomes a strain of deadly influence. In reality, there isn’t a shred of evidence that it will happen in the nearby future. It is a common myth that you can get infected from swine flue if you eat pork; it is a nuisance, as any meat is good for eating if it is cooked properly.

Pandemic that appeared in 1918 is caused by many viruses including (H1N1). It is a myth that this pandemic happened only because of H1N1 swine flue. In case of a swine flue pandemic, it is good to stay home until it is over. It is a myth that in case something like that occurs, it is recommended to visit a doctor and follow local public health advice. It is a myth that swine flue is inevitable and that everyone is going to die. In the 21st century, we are prepared for that kind of pandemic situation if it appears. There are some medications that are available if you experience any of the symptoms that are connected to swine flue (N1H1). Just in case, visit your doctor if you think that you have swine flue.