Swine flu is a type of virus. It's named for a virus that infects mainly pigs. It normally does not infect people, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. The current swine influenza A (H1N1) virus has components of pig and bird influenza viruses in it, so the humans don't have any immunity to it. That makes it more likely to become a pandemic virus (have the ability to cause a global outbreak) if it can easily spread from person-to-person. There are antiviral medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. This particular virus is resistant to the antiviral medications amantadine (Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine), but is sensitive to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu.
Symptoms
The symptoms of swine flu are very similar to the common flu that occurs in humans. The symptoms are mostly fever, cold, cough, runny nose, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting, headache etc. In swine flu the symptoms might be more severe like breathlessness, very high grade fever, loss of appetite and fluid intake, listlessness etc. The important fact is to prevent the spread of this infection. Since it spreads through fomites i.e. through air, infected articles like tissue, paper, pen etc, the preventive measures are very important.
Prevent spread
The measures that can be taken to prevent spread of this particular swine flu are ?
1 Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. 2 Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. 3 Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way. 4 Try to avoid close contact with sick people. 5 Stay home from work or school if you are sick. 6 Consult a doctor immediately when in doubt about your symptoms.
Important thing to remember is that people with swine flu are likely contagious for one day before and up to seven days after they began to get sick with swine flu symptoms. Also, anti-flu medications, including Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir), are available to prevent and treat swine flu.
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Endocarditis is an uncommon but not rare disease it is a infection of bacteria. It is affecting about 10,000 - 20,000 persons in the United States each year. This bacterial endocarditis is affected of the heart's inner lining (endocardium) or the heart valves. This can damage your heart valves. Endocarditis usually occurs in patients with congenital (i.e., present at birth) or acquired heart conditions (e.g., atrial septal defects, valve disease). It may also occur in someone who has had no previous problem with their heart, and who has not had any other procedure which is associated with a risk of endocarditis. Endocarditis is rare in people with healthy hearts. People at greatest risk of endocarditis have a damaged heart valve, an artificial heart valve or other heart defects.
Causes
This may present in two ways: Acute Bacterial Endocarditis, mainly caused by staphylococci, or streptococci, or pneumococci or gonococci. The Subacute (SBE) illness mostly caused by other streptococci or haemophilus bacteria. In 5 to 10% of cases fungal infection or some rare bacteria may be the cause of endocarditis and in this group the blood cultures are negative. The following heart conditions increase the risk :-
Atrial septal defect (i.e., hole in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart) Prior endocarditis Prosthetic heart valve Surgical shunt from aorta to pulmonary artery Ventricle defect Injection drug use, recent dental surgery, permanent central venous accesses lines, prior valve surgery, and weakened valves are also the risk factors for developing endocarditis.
Symptoms
It is normal for bacteria in the mouth, intestinal tract or urinary tract to travel to the heart via the bloodstream and this usually does not cause a problem. However, hearts that have defects, often even if the defects have been repaired are vulnerable to infection. Symptoms of bacterial endocarditis may include :-
Fever Fatigue loss of appetite, night sweats chills headaches joint discomfort tiny pinpoint-sized hemorrhages on the chest and back, fingers, or toes.
Upon examination, the physician may also detect a new heart murmur and small hemorrhages in the mucous membranes of the eyes. The combination of certain symptoms with particular findings on physical examination will prompt the treating physician to consider endocarditis as the source of the problem.
Treatment
Treatment of endocarditis requires antimicrobial therapy, sometimes for two, but often for 4-6 weeks. In some, surgery is required to remove the infection from the heart, to correct pre-existing heart disease, or to repair the heart or valve damage caused by the infection. The common reasons for cardiac surgery during endocarditis include :-
Heart failure Uncontrolled infection Significant valve dysfunction Artificial valve infection Extension of the infection into the heart (abscess formation) Recurrent emboli
If heart failure occurs, your child may need surgery to repair or replace the affected heart valve. If the diagnosis is delayed and severe heart damage has occurred, the child may die.
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