How is the Swine Flu Transmitted

December 20, 2009 by uttoransen  
Filed under Disease and Conditions

The swine flu continues to spread and there are still many people who are wondering how exactly the swine flu virus is being transmitted. We will help you to understand how it can be transmitted and offer a few suggestions that you can use to prevent infection.

Swine flu is known to spread in a similar fashion to the seasonal or regular flu. There are a few ways for the swine to be transmitted and it usually happens when the infected person sneezes or coughs without covering his or her mouth. The viruses will fly into the air together with saliva, mucus and other secretions from the infected person. At this time, they can be transmitted when a healthy person inhale the airborne particles or touches the contaminated surface.

Avoiding the virus is difficult when the particles are airborne when you do not wear a surgical mask to filter the air. Depending on where you live, it should be quite easy to get the masks for your family for protection purpose.

It maybe hard to prevent from touching contaminated surface but you can avoid infection by washing your hand frequently and avoid yourself from touching your mouth, face, nose or eyes when in public places. This is because the virus can only infect you if it successfully enters your respiratory system. And you should know that the virus will not be able to enter the body through the skin.

Is it possible to get the swine flu from animals?

The viruses that infect birds and animals usually do not infect humans. But there are special cases where a healthy person can get infected by the bird flu when handling a dead or sick bird or get in contact with the excrements or feces of sick birds. And most of the time, this disease will only transmit among close family members.

It is very hard to determine if someone is infected with swine flu just by looking at their physical appearance because the symptoms will differ depending on the individual. There are cases where someone who is experiencing mild symptoms transmitting the virus to another person and causes them to develop serious symptoms.

What Should I Do If I Am Infected?

The point to remember is, the swine flu will only be transmitted when there is person to person contact. So it is advisable to avoid or minimize contact with someone who is infected by the virus. And it will be your responsibility to prevent any social activities or going to work to avoid spreading the virus to the people around you. Make sure you will always cover your mouth with tissue when you sneeze or cough and dispose the tissue right away after that.

Wash your hands regularly and make sure you disinfect the surfaces from time to time. Seek medical attention and minimize contact with others to prevent infection. These are some of the prevention strategies that you can take to prevent yourself from getting infected or infecting other people around you when you have the swine flu.

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