Swine Flu - Another False Alarm Or....

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What do you think? News is really abuzz especially in UK and I am getting concern with this latest reports. The news streaming in are indeed of grave concern. I do not what or how you are taking this but I still feel that we should be both wary and careful. Swine flu symptoms Swine flu symptoms begin within two days of exposure, at which point the person is most infectious. Swine flu is highly contagious and once infected a person soon develops symptoms very similar to those produced by seasonal flu, including : * High fever (usually above 38 ºC) * Cough * Sore throat * Headache * Aching muscles * Chills and shivers despite fever * Exhaustion or fatigue * Diarrhoea or a stomach upset have been a particular feature of pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 It can be difficult to tell mild flu from a cold but it is usually more generalised (the symptoms of a cold tend to be limited to the head while the flu causes aching and fatigue all over) and more severe with higher fever. If complications such as pneumonia develop there may be other symptoms such as difficulty breathing. The symptoms and signs in an affected person are usually enough to suggest that flu is to blame, but it can be confused with other viral illnesses. Laboratory tests are needed to formally confirm the diagnosis and, more specifically, identify exactly which strain of flu it is. A number of tests can be done in the laboratory to identify flu, using swabs or washings from the nose or throat for example. These can give results within 15 minutes but may not identify the exact strains of flu involved, only that influenza type A or B is present. These rapid tests are only 50-70 per cent sensitive for detecting flu and so may give a negative result when a person does in fact have flu. More reliable tests, which also identify exactly which sub-type or strain of flu is present, may involve growing or culturing the virus in the laboratory, and can therefore take a couple of days to give a definite result. These tests may be needed to confirm a specific strain such as swine flu. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1343895/Olivia-Rae-Clee-Barnett-Teenage-TV-talent-winner-latest-swine-flu-victim.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344572/Mother-rushed-hopsital-swine-flu-dies-just-days-giving-birth-baby-boy.html Ref: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/swineflumulti1.shtml