The Facts of Swine Flu

Swine flu is an influenza virus that usually only affects pigs but the virus mixed genes with another influenza virus to create a new type of virus that is also able to infect humans. The current swine flu virus is so different from other viruses that humans have been exposed to in the past that there is very little to none natural immunity to it. The body would have a hard time defending itself against the virus and there are no vaccines for the virus yet. The antiviral medicines Tamiflu and Relenza could help if the medicine is given within two days after symptoms begin. Health authorities are recommending the medicines mainly for people that have more severe symptoms. Most people who have caught the virus have recovered from it.

Common symptoms of the disease include fever, muscle pains, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, chills, headaches, weakness, and diarrhea. If you are having symptoms it is recommended to isolate yourself from everyone else and stay home to prevent spreading the disease. Get medical help immediately if the symptoms become severe.

The virus can be transmitted form person to person by sneezing, coughing, and physical contact, such as shaking hands, kissing, or any kind of touching. You can try to prevent contracting the disease and spreading it by washing your hands or using alcohol based cleansers frequently throughout the day, not shaking hands or having any physical contact with someone, and avoiding contact with people who have symptoms of the flu. Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes as much as possible. You cannot get the disease by eating pork.

Antibacterial Soaps Not So Good

It is found that antibacterial soaps are just as good as regular soaps at cleaning hands. There is not any evidence that they protect you from illnesses and they may not be beneficial health wise because the bacteria-killing ingredient found in the antibacterial liquid soaps, called triclosan, can promote antibiotic resistance to bacteria. This would make it harder to fight off bacterial infections because bacteria are more likely to form a resistance to antibiotics when they are exposed to low or infrequent doses of antibacterial ingredients. Triclocarban is an antibacterial substance found in antibacterial bar soaps and have the same negative effect. When you wash you hands with antibacterial products the product also goes down the drain and can be very harmful to the environment. It is a good idea to use soaps that are not antibacterial or antimicrobial.

Hands Only CPR Now Recommended for Cardiac Arrest

The American Heart Association is now recommending that the hands-only CPR approach be used on adults who have a cardiac arrest. To do this procedure, a person would do rapid and deep presses on the victim’s chest until help arrives and mouth-to-mouth breathing would not have to be done. It suppose to work as well as the standard CPR practices.

If there is a person needing immediate medical attention for risk of cardiac arrest you would call 911 and then press hard and fast on the middle of the person’s chest until paramedics arrive and take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm. These actions should only be taken for adults that unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing, and are unresponsive.

Doing mouth-to-mouth breathing is recommended for a child that collapses and adults that suffer from not enough oxygen from near-drowning, drug overdose, and carbon monoxide poisoning. In these situations, mouth-to-mouth is needed to get air into the lungs and bloodstream.