A/H1N1 Swine Flu Virus

Late April 2009, there has been a growing concern by people all around the world about the swine flu virus. With the shocking death toll in Mexico and increasing number of confirmed cases in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Israel and Spain the probability of a pandemic happening becomes increasingly real. The public needs to be more aware about the disease and understand its risks as well as its consequences.

What we understand at this juncture is that this disease has reached a stage where it is transmittable from human to human, and more and more people have been infected. A simple gesture such as a hand shake or coming into contact with contaminated surfaces such as doorknobs, tables, handrails, lift buttons or towels becomes is another chance to contract the virus. We need to be more aware that we will have to wash our hands with soap more often and thoroughly.

There is no tangible method to distinguish if you have contracted the swine flu virus as it could appear to be nothing more than the average cough and flu. The disease and its symptoms may vary from adult to child, and from individual to individual. However there are some warning signs that we should all be wary of. Consult your doctor immediately should you have flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough and any of  these – muscle ache, headache, sore throat and difficulty in breathing.

UPDATE The World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations, raised its pandemic flu alert on 6 June 2009 to the top phase 6 on a six-point scale for the influenza A H1N1 virus. The move will trigger heightened health measures in the WHO’s 193 member states. The move to phase 6 reflects the fact that the disease is spreading geographically, but does not necessarily indicate how severe it is. Learn more about WHO’s alert levels.

UPDATE Drugmakers have managed to obtain the seed virus for the A (H1N1) in the past 2 weeks. This will enable them to begin production process of growing the virus in eggs. They are on track to have a vaccine ready for the northern hemisphere in autumn. Remember to sign up to receive the latest updates.

Currently, the new strain can be treated by antiviral drugs called Oseltamivir (the generic name of Roche Holding’s Tamiflu tablets) and Relenza (a spray made by GlaxoSmithKline).

UPDATE 17 July 2009 The WHO stops giving tally on persons affected by A(H1N1) flu as the pandemic is moving around the globe at an “unprecented” speed. Instead, the WHO said that it would focus on regular updates from newly affected countries, in order to keep track of the global progress of the new influenza A(H1N1) pandemic. “In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks”, the WHO said. The policy shift was partly motivated by the “mildness of symptoms in the overwhelming majority of patients, who usually recover, even without medical treatment, within a week of the onset of symptoms”.

UPDATE 22 July 2009 - 240 healthy adult volunteers in Australia were injected by CSL Ltd today with its experimental vaccine against H1N1, the new virus strain that sparked the first influenza pandemic in 41 years. CSL is testing the vaccine over the next seven weeks as it prepares to fill orders from Australia, the U.S. and Singapore. The World Health Organization and Melbourne-based CSL’s larger rivals such as Sanofi-Aventis SA will be watching the test to help determine whether one or two shots are needed to protect people and how many doses can be produced. “The fundamental data that we and others around the world are interested in are the immune response to the first and second dose,” Andrew Cuthbertson, CSL’s chief scientific officer, told reporters in Adelaide. The test results will also show the effects of different doses, he said. Volunteers are required to keep a diary for six months and record any signs and symptoms, including nausea, increased temperature and swelling around the injection area, Seaton said.

CSL Limited develops, manufactures and markets human pharmaceutical and diagnostic products derived from human plasma. The Company’s products include pediatric and adult vaccines, infection and pain medicine, skin disorder remedies, antivenoms, anticoagulants and immunoglobulins.

Tags: h1n1 | influenza A(H1N1) | swine flu | Tamiflu | vaccine

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