How Dangerous Is Swine Flu?

Without any doubt, one can say swine flu is a scary panic gripping the world today

. Without any discrimination, the disease had transcended borders and brought nearly every nation under its control. But does one need to really worry about this flu? How dangerous is it?

For most people, the illness appears to be mild. Cases have been confirmed in all age groups, but children and younger people seem much more likely to be affected. To date, fewer cases have been confirmed in older adults.

The virus has caused severe illness for a minority of those infected. In many of these cases, other factors have been identified that are likely to have contributed to the severity of the illness.

Worldwide, just over 0.4% of the laboratory-confirmed cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) have died. This is a similar rate to ordinary flu. The true number of swine flu cases is likely to be significantly higher than that reported to WHO and therefore the figure of 0.4% is likely to be an overestimate of the death rate.

Where complications do occur, they tend to be caused by the virus affecting the lungs and infections such as pneumonia can develop.

The severity of cases in the current swine flu outbreak has varied widely, from mild cases to fatalities. Most U.S. cases have been mild, but there have been a number of deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations, mostly in young people aged 5 to 24. Children who get swine flu can have serious neurological complications such as seizures and Reye's syndrome, just as normal flu.

Like humans, pigs get the flu as well. Four different types of swine flu strains commonly circulate among pigs. The most recent swine flu viruses have belonged to the H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes. Pigs typically get sick but usually don't die from the swine flu that affects them. Most strains aren't really fatal. What they does with precision however, is greatly reduce your body's stamina and resistance power. So your body is not able to fight off problems like pneumonia, staph infections, etc.

The mortality rate for swine flu is believed to range from 0.1% to about 0.5%, meaning that about one to five people die for every 1000 people infected. In poorer countries with not so efficient health systems, the proportion of such people is higher.

Swine flu is something that is scaring everone, irrespective of country. It needs to be kept in mind however, that any flu can kill those with immune systems that are not very strong. The very young, very old, the incapacitated, or people with other infections or serious chronic diseases are more prone to it. The only thing that probably makes this strain of flu of more concern is that it is a brand new strain, so people don't really have immunity to it. But like mentioned before, it is a matter of concern, but not of fear, for as many people die of normal flu as well. There are some medications available that, if given early in the process, can be effective in controlling the swine flu, and reducing the suffering in patients.

by: Wes Hamilton

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