swine flu resources - tips and information

Friday 19 June 2009

Just how is Swine Flu Transmitted? - Important Facts You Should Know

There has been much media fan fare about swine flu, and it seems a great deal of people nowadays are even scared to go outside for fear that they might catch the disease. It is an airborne virus, and like other influenzas transmitted through germs.

It is indisputable that the swine flu pandemic is all you hear on the morning news and what you read in the newspapers. With swine flu symptoms, being highly contagious schools have been closing in fear of spreading the virus even further, in countries worldwide!
As a result, it means getting a factual swine flu update on a regular basis – even daily – basis will help to decrease widespread panic and fear. In summary, it’s best to be educated on what swine flu precautions to take in order to stay safe.

By the time you end up finishing reading this article you’ll find out some important facts about swine flu and what you can do to protect yourself.

To start off with, your first question may be “What is swine flu anyway?” In short, it’s a respiratory disease that originally showed up in pigs. The strain that is affecting humans is a new strain of the virus dubbed novel H1N1 by the United States government.

Obviously, discovering how swine flu is transmitted means stating that swine flu normally does not infect humans. Only those who were in constant, direct contact with infected pigs were and are at risk still. However, now the H1N1 strain of the virus is airborne and can be passed on through person-to-person contact. Furthermore, the swine flu incubation period can last for up to 7 days after you’ve been in contact with an infected person.

The term swine flu infers that the virus can be transmitted by eating pork products however that is not the case. The CDC or Centers For Disease Control and Prevention always has recommended that you cook food at a temperatures of a sufficient heat of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit in order to kill not only the swine flu virus but other bacteria and viruses as well.

Since swine flu can be and is transmitted through human contact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has let the cat out the bag about containment. It states that it is virtually impossible to contain the virus, so people around the world must focus their best efforts on preventative methods. For instance, not covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze apart from being bad hygeine practices anyway, is a way to spread germs .

Bodies like the CDCare also promoting good hygiene by telling everyone to consistently wash their hands with warm soapy water for around 20 seconds to ensure they kill off all germs. The CDC is also recommending that people take extra precautions and carry with you a type of hand sanitizer to sanitize common areas such as door knobs, tables, and public restrooms. By uncovering just how is the swine flu is transmitted it will aid you in a more cautious approach to personal hygeine and sanitation methods. After all prevention is always better than cure, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

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