Symptoms:

While dealing with swine flu, one needs to know the symptoms to get treatment as fast and effectively as possible. A swine flu infected patient exhibits a combination of the following symptoms:

•    Fever
•    Coughing
•    Runny nose
•    Sore throat
•    Lethargy
•    Lack of appetite

Some cases also exhibit diarrhea and nausea along with vomiting. A simple throat and nose swab test can detect the infection. The symptoms usually set in 7 days after the infection. A person has been in contact with another infected individual or in a region with reported outbreak may be a potential patient in such a case.

Infection and contamination:

An infected individual is most capable of passing on the flu within 5-7 days of the initial infection. This high risk period extends to 7-10 days if the infected individual is a child or an old person.

Drugs:

For the 2009 outbreak it is recommended that an infected person be treated under medical advice only with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) to avoid drug resistance. It is so advised because, whenever the virus becomes resistant, the strain becomes more powerful (virulent) and difficult to kill. These drugs are not vaccines but curative measures.

Standard prevention measures:

Just as in the case of any other virus infection, maintenance of a strict personal hygyiene can ward off 50% chance of infection. Some common steps to follow are:

•    Frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers-especially after being out in public.
•    Avoid touching one’s mouth, nose or eyes with their hands unless they've washed their hands.
•    If you do cough, they should either cough into a tissue and throw it in the garbage immediately, cough into your elbow, or hand and wash hands immediately or as soon as possible.
•    If any one coughs or sneezes near you, immediately cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief; try to hold breath for a few seconds and face the other direction if possible.
•    Use of the CE-certified BioMask, which kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses within a minute of contact with it.