How Long Does Swine Flu Last
December 20, 2009 by uttoransen
Filed under Disease and Conditions
Have you ever wondered how long does swine flu, or H1N1 usually last? There is no definite answer to this but it usually depends on how strong the attack is and if there are other symptom that exists. The symptoms that appear are actually very similar to what you will get when you have ordinary flu where the body will experience aches and pains, sore throat and other general lethargy and symptoms of common cold.
Do not panic if you suspect that you have the swine flu virus. Get enough rest and stay at home until you are fully recovered. Most of the time, normal treatment for regular flu is enough to treat the swine flu.
One thing that we can be sure of is that, swine flu is treatable and it is important to get an early diagnosis from the doctor. You shouldn’t feel worried about going to the doctor because you’re not losing anything by seeking medical attention.
Basic swine flu symptoms are usually noticeable in 5 days’ time. It starts with an incubation period before the symptoms start to appear. The duration for this incubation period is unknown but it usually lasts for 1 to 7 days. This is the time when the infected individual will spread the virus to the people around him.
When the symptoms start to show up, the swine flu will usually last for 3 to 7 days, and the person will probably continue to have coughing for up to 2 weeks. But those who are experiencing chronic illnesses such as AIDS, cancer and other respiratory problems will have higher chance to develop severe complications and symptoms such as sinusitis and bacterial pneumonia.
People who are above 65 year, pregnant women or children younger than 5 year are considered to be in the high risk category. Make sure you seek immediate medical attention if the symptoms gets worse.
It is important to know that swine flu can be cured if the patient is not experiencing other unrelated respiratory diseases and receives early treatment. This can help to strengthen their immune system and avoid them from getting swine flu in future.
There are still certain situations where the consequence of this disease is still unknown but there will be more treatment options available when doctors can find understand how it affects the various systems in our body.
It is still possible for the person who has recently recovered from swine flu to shed the virus for another one week. In fact, it can be longer if it involves young children. Make sure you are fully recovered before you continue to do your normal daily activities to avoid from infecting other people around you with swine flu.
The virus can spread when the person with swine flu virus coughs or sneezes, exposing particles containing the virus to surfaces like doorknobs. A healthy person is at risk of getting swine flu when he touches the doorknob and uses his hand to touch their nose, eyes or mouth. Washing hands frequently can help to prevent you from getting the virus.
My brother got infected with H1N1 or Swine Flu in Mexico. He got a mild fever and luckily he did not die.
If you look at the pandemic of 1977, when H1N1 or Swine Flu re-emerged after a 20 year absence, there is no shift in age-related mortality pattern. The 1977 “pandemic” is, of course, not considered a true pandemic by experts today, for reasons that are not entierely consistent. It certainly was an antigenic shift and not an antigenic drift. As far as I have been able to follow the current events, the most significant factor seems to have been that most people, who were severely affected, were people with other medical conditions.
2 of my cousins in mexico got infected with the swine flu virus. thank God, they recovered well. it is a great news that the pandemic on swine flu is gone now.