Swine Influenza (swine flu)
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza
viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally
get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses
have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past,
this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.
FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Influenza Medicines, Diagnostic Test in
Response to Swine Flu Outbreak in Humans ->
Click to read.
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
At this time avian influenza (H5N1), also known as bird flu, is a
disease of wild birds and domesticated poultry like farm chickens,
ducks, and turkeys. Although millions of birds have been infected, only
a very small number of people have been infected (see www.sfdph.org/cdcp
for exact numbers). Because all influenza viruses have the ability to
change there is concern that the H5N1 virus could mutate and be spread
easily and widely by humans. If that happens, it is possible that a
pandemic or widespread outbreak of disease could occur. World health
organizations and the San Francisco Department of Public Health are
monitoring the situation and making plans to control avian influenza.
Tamiflu - oseltamivir - is a medicine to treat flu (infection
caused by influenza virus). It belongs to a group of medicines called
neuraminidase inhibitors. These medications attack the influenza virus
and prevent it from spreading inside your body. Tamiflu treats flu at
its source by attacking the virus that causes the flu, rather than
simply masking symptoms. Each Tamiflu capsule (grey/light yellow)
contains 75 mg of active drug and should be taken by mouth. Oseltamivir is indicated for the treatment of influenza in patients who have had symptoms for no more than 2 days.
It also is approved for prevention of influenza in children (one year
and older) and adults. Typical symptoms of flu include sudden onset of
fever and chills, cough, muscle pain, headache, fatigue and weakness.
Some people also get a stuffy nose and sore throat.
SIDE EFFECTS: The most frequent side effects of Tamiflu are nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, bronchitis, abdominal pain, headache and dizziness.
Administering Tamiflu after meals helps reduce nausea.
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