Many citizens are not serious about the flu, with a cough or fever they rush not to bed and not to the doctor, but on business. Viruses need this, because one sneeze is enough, for example, in a crowded minibus, and - voila - it's ready! The H1N1 flu that caused so much fear, or any other flu, found a dozen new victims. Why? Because one of the tricks of influenza viruses is to spread them by airborne droplets, the easiest and most effective way for parasites. Their second trick is their unique variability. When the victim's body begins to produce antibodies to the invading virus in order to destroy it, it quickly changes the structure of its proteins, becoming a new modification and at the same time remaining the same disease. That is why new epidemics are constantly arising, and doctors are developing new vaccines.
Why is the swine flu
Many people know that in the 20s of the last century, death walked around Europe under the name "Spanish". She took to the grave about 100 million earthlings. More recently, scientists have studied in detail the material taken from the corpse of a victim of a Spanish woman buried in permafrost, and found the H1N1 virus in it. Yes, yes, exactly the virus that made so much noise in 2009. Behindfor many years it has been modified many times, becoming H2N2, then H3N2, then H1N2, each time causing new epidemics. At some point, the virus got from humans to pigs, adapted (mutated) in new hosts and became swine flu, capable of living only in animals. After a while, the virus again got into a person and, having shown its unique abilities, mutated again, adapting to a new host. During this period of adaptation, the new strain of H1N1 caused a total of up to 50 cases of swine flu, and in people who, by the nature of their activities, were in contact with animals. Modifying further, the virus has developed a form that can not only be transmitted from a pig to a person, but also infect new people in the future. Thus began an epidemic of a disease called swine flu.
What is AH1N1
The letter "H" in the name of the parasite means hemagglutinin - a protein located on its surface and acting as a kind of ticks that cling to the victim's cells, because flu viruses do not live without clinging. It is the type of these biological "mites" that plays a decisive role in choosing a victim for the virus - a person, an animal or a bird. That is, the same virus is very rarely able to live in any living organism. Although there are exceptions. So, the H1N1 virus is so versatile that it can infect birds, animals, and people. The letter "N" stands for the enzyme neuraminidase. She is also a superficial protector of the virus from antibodies. In addition, it helps newly born viruses to separate from the cell and penetrate into the epithelium of the victim's respiratory system. Letter"A" means the type of virus. There are also B and C, but A is considered the most capable of modification, and therefore the most difficult to predict.
Differences in disease
H1N1 flu is not that much different from the classic seasonal flu and most people have no complications. But he also has one unpleasant feature - in some victims he is able to cause primary viral pneumonia, which cannot be cured with antibiotics (this is how it differs from bacterial pneumonia). If patients in whom the H1N1 virus has caused a complication in the form of viral pneumonia are not properly treated at the first symptoms, they die within a day. It was this circumstance that during the 2009 epidemic was the main cause of death for almost 2,000 people. Other differences between swine flu and regular flu include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Risk groups
Anyone can catch the H1N1 virus, but not everyone develops life-threatening complications. According to statistics, the following categories of the population are most susceptible to severe swine flu:
- small children (ages 0 to 2);
- pregnant;
- having any lung disease such as asthma;
- people over 65;
- suffering from chronic diseases of internal organs;
- HIV infected.
As you can see, swine flu poses the greatest danger to those who have a weakened body.
Routes of infection
Howalready noted above, the H1N1 virus is mainly transmitted by aerogenic transmission. Important: when sneezing or coughing, microorganisms escaping from the mouth or nose of a sick person can “fly” through the air up to 2 meters away. If a he althy person inhales them, they will certainly become infected.
But even those viruses that did not get to the victim, but settled on any surfaces, continue to live for 8 hours. That is, you can get infected with swine flu through household contact, for example, if you grab a handrail with viruses, and then eat without washing your hands.
The third way of infection is the most passive - pork from a sick animal. You can catch the flu in this way only if the meat is eaten raw or half-cooked, because with standard heat treatment, the H1N1 virus dies in a few minutes.
Classic symptoms of the disease
From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first signs of illness, it can take from one to three to four days, depending on the characteristics of the organism. The H1N1 virus can cause symptoms similar to the classic flu:
- general malaise;
- aches all over the body (myalgia);
- runny nose;
- headache;
- sore and/or sore throat;
- cough;
- rise in temperature to high levels (sometimes no temperature is observed);
- chills, fever.
Some patients complain of nausea, sometimes to the point of vomiting, and diarrhea.
H1N1 virus, symptoms of complications
So that irreparable trouble does not happen,you need to immediately contact a doctor for help if, against the background of an apparent cold, there are:
- very high temperature, not knocked down by pills;
- persistent causeless nausea;
- vomiting;
- heavy and/or rapid breathing;
- pallor and / or cyanosis of the skin, blue lips (more common in children);
- fainting, hyperdrowsiness;
- long absence of urge to urinate;
- pain in the chest and abdomen;
- dizziness;
- disorientation in space;
- children cry without tears;
- irritability for no reason;
- after some improvement in the course of the "cold", suddenly a sharp deterioration.
H1N1 virus, mild disease treatment
Diagnosis of swine flu, which passes without complications, is difficult due to the identity of symptoms with ordinary flu. The only way to determine the type of virus is by culture of cough sputum and mucus from the nose and mouth.
Mild flu can be treated at home. It consists in mandatory bed rest, taking antipyretic drugs if the temperature is above 38 degrees, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, cough and cold remedies. Young children should not be given medicines that contain aspirin, as complications (Reye's syndrome) are not ruled out. From antipyretics, you can drink "Nurofen", "Paracetamol", and for adults also "Ibuprofen".
H1N1 antivirals for mildform, you can use the following:
- Arbidol.
- Viferon.
- Grippferon.
- "Reaferon".
- Ingaron.
- Lipind.
- "Ingavirin".
- Cycloferon.
- Kagocel.
It is also advisable to take antihistamines, drink plenty of fluids - teas, fruit drinks, water with honey, decoctions of currants, raspberries, viburnum and medicinal herbs.
The flu goes away in about 6-7 days.
Treatment of severe forms
Complicated H1N1 influenza is distinctly different from seasonal influenza and can be recognized without waiting for culture results. With the symptoms characteristic of severe swine flu, listed above, the patient should be hospitalized, and if there are breathing problems, resuscitation therapy should be started immediately. For treatment, use "Oseltamivir" or "Tamiflu", "Zanamivir" or "Relenza", which inhibit the activity of neuraminidase. At the same time, antibiotic therapy is prescribed so that bacterial pneumonia does not develop against the background of viral pneumonia, the body is cleansed of toxins secreted by the H1 N1 virus, and symptomatic treatment is prescribed. The prognosis for patients with complicated swine flu is favorable only if the correct treatment is started in a timely manner.
If the disease is of moderate severity, when there is high fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, but there are no breathing problems, fainting, impaired consciousness and pneumonia, treatment is possible at home.
Precautions
Prevention of H1N1 mainly consists of limiting public places and contact with people who show the slightest signs of a cold (cough, runny nose). Doctors also recommend:
- wearing a mask in all public places;
- use oxolin ointment before going outside;
- after returning home, thoroughly washing hands, rinsing the nose and mouth;
- Refraining from snacking on the street and in public places without first washing your hands thoroughly.
It has been established that the swine flu virus quickly dies when exposed to not only high temperatures, but also antiseptics, such as soap, alcohol solutions, bactericidal agents. Therefore, in public places (schools, hospitals, catering outlets, and others) during the epidemic, it is necessary to do wet cleaning more often, wipe tables, door handles.
At the first symptoms of illness, especially if there is a cough, runny nose, fever, you need to call a doctor at home to avoid infecting other people.
At the moment, a new vaccine against H1N1 has been developed, which simultaneously helps against the classic influenza B, from H3N2 strains. It is impossible to get sick from the vaccine, since the whole viruses are not used in the vaccine, but only their fragments. However, after vaccination, you can still catch the flu, but it will proceed in a very mild form. Also, the vaccine does not protect against all other possible modifications of the H1N1 virus.
It should be done annually, preferably a month before the expected epidemic (in the autumn before the start of a dank, damp coldweather).
