Swine Flu (H1N1/09)

Unless you are exposed to the flu before the vaccination is effective, it would not actually be the flu that causes these flu-like symptoms after a vaccination. It is not uncommon for symptoms that are flu-like (mild fever, achy muscles, headache, malaise, etc.) to occur immediately after receipt of a flu vaccination. This is not an indication of a viral infection, but, rather, these symptoms are due to the body's normal immune response to the vaccine and should go away within a couple of days. Since it is the normal body reaction to a vaccination, you would not be contagious to others who are healthy, either.

Vaccines trick the body into thinking there is an infection when there isn't. This causes the immune response that begins the process of creating the antibodies that will be able to inactivate the type of pathogen contained in the vaccine if you should be exposed to the same one in the wild after the vaccination has taken effect. [This takes usually around two weeks time after the inoculation in otherwise healthy people who are adults or children over 10 years old. Children 6 months old up to 10 need a series of vaccinations that take longer before effective. Babies under 6 months old cannot be vaccinated because their immune systems are too immature.] The immune response not only causes antibody production, but also results in the other germ-fighting mechanisms (which can include slight fever and the other flu-like symptoms).

Otherwise healthy people are not able to catch the flu from flu vaccinations because the pathogen in the vaccine is either totally inactivated/"dead" or is severely weakened so that it is not able to cause the infectious disease.

See also the related questions below for more information about the processes of an immune response.

The swine flu in 1976 was a disease much like our flus, but tougher - like the one we have today. Except the one hitting now is supposed to be more of a respiratory disease. I know someone who was affected by the swine flu back then because of a mistake the doctors made - they injected some people with the LIVE virus. That's how my teacher got it, and she says it was the closest she's ever been to dying, only because it weakened her sooooo much. Today's swine flu is doing the same thing, and those with weak immune systems and/or bad healthcare do have a chance of dying from it. Anyways, that's a little bit of info for you. Hope it helped!

Some viruses may be able to stand the usual cooking temperatures, however, the influenza viruses and viruses that cause the common cold (and many other types) can be destroyed by normal cooking temperatures of 167-212°F [75-100°C].

You would not be given any antibiotic for use to treat a cold or flu. They are both viral infections, not bacterial infections. Antibiotics are only for bacterial infections. If you have a secondary bacterial infection with a viral infection, you might be prescribed an antibiotic to treat that secondary infection, but not for the virus itself.

Yes, see also the answer of the question in the related question section below.

An epidemic is an outbreak of a disease among members of a specific population that exceeds the extent of occurrence of the disease normally found in that population. Epidemics affect those members of the population who do not have an acquired or inherent immunity to the disease. Although most epidemics are caused by infectious organisms, the term can be applied to an outbreak of any chronic disease, such as lung cancer or heartdisease

No because it's a respiratory disease... And if it did mutate and get on the pig... You are suppose to heat them up before eating them...

---- Not if the pork were cooked. Influenza virus is destroyed by heat [167-212°F (75-100°C)].

As always when handling raw meats, using normal precautions with hand washing would be important if there were swine flu virus on the meat. However, even though it is theoretically possible for a person with swine flu to pass it to a pig, it has not yet happened as far as anyone can tell.

That is exactly what happened to me and i happen to be quite experienced with lung problems. I have just gotten it again. do you have any wheezing or chest dicomfort? If you do, i would think yoiu have bronchitis

A flu shot will prevent the type of influenza virus or viruses that have been used to make the vaccine. A,nd it may sometimes protect against a different, but very similar, strain.

Having TB or any lung disease makes you at higher risk of catching and having complications from Swine Flu (A-H1N1/09 Pandemic Flu).People with underlying medical problems, and especially those involving the lungs, are strongly encouraged to get the swine flu vaccine when it is available. You will likely be on the priority list to be able to receive the vaccine among the first groups to get the flu shots. Watch your local news programs, talk to your pulmonologist or attending doctor, and stay alert for news releases about the vaccination program in your location.

There are currently two known subtypes of Influenza A that are infective to humans and called the Swine Flu. One is called Influenza Type A H1N1, it is infective to humans and pigs and was the initial swine flu strain that surfaced originally in the 1930s, again in the 1970's, and perhaps another time or two in very small outbreaks since then in humans, but which has been active in hogs for these decades.

There is also the new strain called Swine Flu that was identified first in late March, 2009 and has now become called Influenza Type A H1N1/09 Virus or Novel H1N1 (see the related questions below about the names of the new Swine Flu, what caused it and when and where it began).

They are caused by two different kinds of viruses. There are three types of influenza viruses that have been classified according to the types of proteins they have. There are Type A, Type B, and Type C influenza viruses. Type A and B each have many different strains. Type C does not.

Type A influenza is one of the more common types we see in the seasonal flu among humans and it is also a very common type that many other animals get. It has subtypes and strains that differ, which is why having one subtype will not give you immunity from all the other subtypes and strains.

Type B influenza is also a common type among humans and is found only in humans. It is not divided into subtypes but there are multiple strains.

Type C has been found in humans, pigs, and dogs. The symptoms are usually very mild, milder than those of Type A and B influenza viruses, and it typically doesn't cause epidemics. It is not divided into different subtypes or strains.

You could have only a few or all of them. You do not have to have all of them with your infection. It would be likely that you have the flu if you have fever, cough, body aches and a general feeling of being unwell. Since all types of the flu have similar or exact same symptoms, you can not be sure even if you know you have the flu if it is swine flu or not without lab testing. This is usually not done and is considered an unnecessary expense in most cases of non-hospitalized patients since the treatment would be the same regardless of the exact kind of flu.

Since 1952 the current understanding of Jehovah's Witnesses is that vaccinations are a personal conscience issue.

From at least 1921 until 1952 the then current understanding was that vaccinations were forbidden.

See links below.

There were some reports of dizziness and confusion among some Japanese teenagers who got the vaccination, along with some who had other neurological symptoms including hallucination. The side effects were short lived, but in some cases were serious. It is not clear why these teens in Japan had these symptoms, since they have not been reported by any recipients in the US, there is evaluation and monitoring underway to try to determine if the vaccine was the cause, and if there is a possible genetic or ethnic reason for those side effects to have been found only in those patients so far. In the mean time when adolescents and teenagers are getting the vaccine, they should be observed for any neurological symptoms such as these for the first few hours after the vaccination and report any signs like this immediately to the doctor.

Slight dizziness is one of the side effects that is more common from any flu shot, along with a low fever, aches, and soreness at the site of the injection.

In March and early April in 2009, cases of swine flu were first reported in the US in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas.

It was in March when the illness broke out in a small town in southern Mexico. La Gloria has about 3,000 people, and it is now believed the first human cases of the Novel H1N1 Influenza may have started there. However, although a particular pig farm in Mexico was thought to have perhaps had the first case of the flu among pigs, the Mexican government tested and found no evidence of that at the farm. It is now believed that the first case among pigs was more likely at a different farm in Texas.

The first known person to have contracted the 2009 H1N1 Influenza was a young boy named Edgar Hernandez from La Gloria. He survived the virus.

It was in March 2009 when the illness broke out in a small town in southern Mexico. La Gloria has about 3,000 people, and it is now believed the first human cases of the Novel H1N1 Influenza may have started there.

The first known person to have contracted the 2009 H1N1 Influenza was a young boy named Edgar Hernandez from La Gloria. He survived the virus.

yes, but not that long, they will die out eventually.

over 1900!

The media is saying 22 million in the United States, but many credible sources also point toward this being a "hoax" in order to encourage people into taking the Vaccine which could be "toxic".

The vaccines themselves contain no latex. The rubber in the syringes and vials is latex free. Tell the clinician who will give you the vaccine that you are allergic to latex before they give you the vaccination to be safest and to prevent their use of latex gloves during the vaccination. See questions below for the ingredients of the vaccines.

Since the daily and weekly counts of cases and deaths from the swine flu, which were initially required by the CDC, WHO, and national health departments of most nations have stopped since the pandemic was declared over, there is no way to know how many now. One reason is there are still ongoing cases scattered around the world even as of fall 2012. Another reason is that it was a burden on the reporting entities to try to track and report the numbers. And a large portion of people who had swine flu had mild forms and did not go to the doctor. Their cases could not be counted. And, if no lab test were done to confirm the specific type of flu, there is no way to know for sure if each case should be included in the count or if it is another type of flu.

The treatment is the same as for other types of flu, so there is no real medical need for testing to determine what form of flu someone has in most cases. For this reason, there is no definite count possible on cases of this type of flu any more.

If you are fighting an active bacterial infection like an abscessed tooth, usually the flu shot is not given so that the immune system isn't overly stressed by trying to deal with an infection of bacterial organisms at the same time as an infection of viral organisms. If you are still in the acute phase of the infection and taking antibiotics, you should check with the doctor who prescribed the antibiotics to find out if it is okay to get the flu vaccination. Usually the clinician at the location where you will be getting the vaccine will ask if you have recently had a fever (a sign that the immune system is fighting something already). If you have not, even if on antibiotics, they can go ahead and give the vaccination, however, it is best to consult with your own doctor in advance to determine if the time is right for you to get your seasonal flu vaccination while fighting a known infection.

There are no Federal laws against it's being made mandatory in the US. During the swine flu pandemic, New York created a law that did require mandatory flu vaccinations for those who worked in health care settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes, to protect the patients from exposure that put them at risk of complications and death in their vulnerable states. Some health care institutions and other types of companies also required that employees who worked in specific jobs, especially with the ill, had to take the flu shot. Some of those employers allowed work reassignment to a different position away from patients for employees who could not take the vaccines due to contraindications or allergies. It can be a valid job requirement and then it provides a decision and choice on the part of employees whether to continue employment or to take different employment instead of getting the vaccine.

The safety and effectiveness of flu vaccines has been proven over decades of use with very few untoward reactions or events reported other than allergic reactions, so the risk of your having a problem from the flu vaccination is much much lower than the risk of your giving a deadly disease to vulnerable patients or infants who could die from it, because you did not protect yourself.

influenza

The pandemic of H1N1/09, the influenza that started in 2009 and spread to every corner of the world, is still occurring in isolated outbreaks around the world and is expected to continue to circulate in the foreseeable future as one of the forms of influenza that may be prevalent in the flu seasons. This type of flu is no longer tracked separately from other types of influenza-like-illnesses, so numbers and specific outbreak locations are not reported.