Malaysians Still Ignorant About Influenza A?

Have we become immune to the virus that we ironically choose to put aside the fact that swine flu is now a pandemic? Or, have we Malaysian become a bunch of ignorant citizens? If a recent radio talk show is to go by, many Malaysians still do not know what H1N1 is. I really hope it was an isolated case.

.

If you are one of them, I - being a responsible citizen that I am (hehehe) - strongly suggest that you read, ask and talk about it now. Know your enemy - I wrote about this before in my postings - because then you'll be better equipped and know what to do best in situations you are most exposed to risk of infection.

.

In case you are still not convinced how deadly the virus is, here're some fact (from WHO) for you to ponder:

• 71,076 cases of influenza A (H1N1) worldwide, as at 30th June 2009
• 311 fatalities
• 158 cases in Malaysia as at 30th June 2009
• there are already cases in Sabah (in Kudat) as reported by the local dailies

The Government is taking every possible means to put the disease under control but it can never be achieve without the participation of everyone. I said EVERYONE simply because I can be very vigilant in keeping things at bay and I can still get infected easily from an ignorant friend who have just came back from oversea. So the key is commitment from everybody.

.

Just to re-cap, the common symptoms of H1Na flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal flu, such as - high fever (>37.7 deg Celc), sore throat, cough, muscle aches, fatigue, chills, headache and vomiting.

Please refresh ourselves on the simple but the best known ways to avoid getting infection.

Be safe! Remember Health is Wealth.

.

Swine Flu - Update

Mengikut kenyataan CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sehingga kini belum ada vaksin untuk penyakit demam selsema babi (virus H1N1). Anda disarankan mengamalkan langkah berjaga-jaga untuk menghalang penyebaran kuman penyebab penyakit-penyakit berkaitan sistem respirasi seperti influenza. Langkah-langkah berikut boleh dilakukan sebagai amalan harian:
.
1) menutup mulut dan hidung dengan tisu ketika bersin atau batuk,
.
2) kerap membasuh tangan dengan sabun dan air, terutamanya selepas bersin atau batuk,
.
3) elakkan daripada bersentuh secara langsung dengan pesakit,
.
4) seberapa boleh, elakkan daripada menyentuh mata, hidung dan mulut anda kerana kuman biasanya merebak dangan cara ini.
.
Rajah di bawah (ehsan AFP) menunjukkan bagaimana kompleksnya virus influenza yang sekian lama menjadi ilusi kepada penyelidik perubatan kerana keupayaannya berubah struktur genetik yang seterusnya melepasi sistem imuniti perumah.
.

Grafik dengan ehsan AFP

Sekiranya anda anda sakit sehingga 7 hari selepas anda mengalami tanda-tanda sakit, anda disarankan berehat di rumah. Juga, teruskan berehat sehingga sekurang-kurangnya 24 jam selepas tanda-tanda sakit anda hilang.

.

Semoga anda, dengan berkat usaha anda dan rahmatNya mengikut kepercayaan masing-masing, akan terlindung daripada malapetaka.

Bacaan selanjutnya - Flu H1N1 (Swine Flu) dan Anda.
.

Swine Flu: Know Your Enemy!

For the benefit of all, I tried to simplify a long literature about swine flu in a hope that we get an idea of it at single glance. There's a saying: To defeat your enemies, you must know them well.

.

What is it? A respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Here are some of the facts all of us need to know about the flu:-

Can humans catch swine flu? Yes, although not normally. Most cases involve people with direct exposure to pigs.

Symptoms of swine flu in humans - fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Signs of swine flu in pigs - fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork? No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. One can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe.

How does swine flu spread? When people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur.

Available edications - 4 types approved by the US so far: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir.

Spreading of swine flu among pigs - mostly through close contact among pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs.

So far, there is no reported case of swine flu in Malaysia and the Government is preparing itself to counter the spread of the decease from arriving at our shore. Be better equipped and stay away from swine flu.

Further readings (here) - *hyperlink removed due to bad link*