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General information on Swine Flu and travel precautions (May 2009)
Swine flu is endemic in pigs, and is not commonly transmitted to humans. However, people who work with pigs have a higher probability of catching swine flu. As of April 2009, a mutation of four new strains of Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 was identified and classified as an epidemic. It carries a World Health Organisation (WHO) “Phase 5” alert, meaning that a pandemic could be imminent. There are now confirmed cases in 41 countries. The first cases were reported in the USA and Mexico, but the source is still unknown. Many of these cases were fatal, since people have no immunity to the virus and no vaccine is available. It is also possible that it could mutate to a more severe form, causing more fatalities. A vaccine is under development, but any mutation in the meantime could limit its effectiveness. The virus is spread the same way as normal seasonal flu is spread, usually by the coughs and touch of infected people. Ironically, there is no record of it being transmitted by a pig, and it cannot be contracted from eating cooked pork. Currently, the Southern Hemisphere is more at risk, because it is entering the cold months, whereas flu season in the Northern Hemisphere is essentially over. The name “Swine Flu” is the subject of much debate worldwide, because it has become a human-to-human virus and no actual contact with pigs is required to catch it. Subsequently, some countries started using names such as “Mexican Flu” or “H1N1 Flu”. The WHO had announced that they would start using the name “Influenza A (H1N1)”. The best advice for travellers is to avoid travelling to countries where confirmed cases of swine flu in humans have been recorded. This certainly rules out travelling to Mexico and the USA. Most of the confirmed cases outside of the US and Mexico have been travellers that had visited either of the two countries recently. Mexico has tried to curb the spread of the disease by closing all its public places and schools for a week in April. On 27 April, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel health warning, recommending that travellers avoid non-essential travel to Mexico. On 15 May, this was downgraded to a “travel health precaution” for travel to Mexico. Most of the recommendations to avoid catching the virus are the same as those for avoiding infection by any other form of influenza. It centres around personal hygiene, and frequent washing of the hands with soap- or alcohol-based cleaning agents, especially after having been out in a public place. The CDC has also recommended that one sneezes or coughs into a tissue, and then disposing of it. Household surfaces should be kept clean and disinfected. The virus can survive outside the body for up to two hours, so it can be transmitted when touching any surface that an infected person had touched, and then touching your own mouth. No confirmed cases have been recorded in South Africa, but with the country entering the cold season, generally sharpened-up flu precautions should suffice, as well as the hygiene considerations noted. |
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