How is Swine Flu test done?

Answer 1

If you’ve had contact with someone with COVID-19 or live in a community experiencing an outbreak and develop a fever and other symptoms of the disease, the CDC recommends you call your healthcare provider. Tell them about your symptoms and potential exposure to the virus, and they’ll make a call on whether you should be tested.

More specific guidelines vary from state to state. NBC News has a handy guide here.

It’s especially crucial that you call your medical provider if you’re elderly or have a serious chronic medical condition. Also, if you or a loved one are very sick (e.g., experiencing symptoms like difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, confusion, or bluish lips or face), seek medical attention immediately.

Answer 2

Lab testing for the specific swine flu virus

A respiratory specimen must first be collected within the initial 4 to 5 days of illness. Identification as an H1N1 influenza A virus requires the specimen be sent to CDC for laboratory testing, which your doctor would need to arrange. This is usually not done except in rare cases of hospitalized critical patients. The symptoms and treatment are the same regardless of the exact strain of flu, therefore, there is no need to know, in most cases, and the expenses of this type of esoteric lab testing may be prohibitive at the worst and not be necessary at the best.

Answer 3

The most common way they test is with a sample of fluids that they gather using a long swab that is gently brushed against the inside of your nose at the back and sometimes also in the throat. It is not painful or invasive.

Answer 4

It is hard to understand why someone would want to be sick with a potentially fatal flu. Are you thinking if you get exposed to it, you will get immunity and not have to worry about getting it at a more vulnerable time? If that is the reason, then your better choice would be to get the A-H1N1/09 Swine Flu shot as soon as it is available to you. That will do the same thing to give you the immunity, but because the flu shots are made from dead or weakened viruses, you won't get sick. It will still cause your body to make the exact antibodies that will have you protected for life against the same strain of the swine flu.

Answer 5

The doctor's office will take a swab of the back of your throat, or the lining of your nose or mouth. The swab is then run through a testing kit which looks for certain proteins associated with the influenza virus. If it comes back positive, you'll know because the nurse will come back wearing a face mask in most cases. The test is pretty quick and simple to run.

Answer 6

Go to the doctor and get tested. Then, send the test to the CDC to make it official. If the test is positive, you have swine flu.