Swine flu

Swine flu

Swine flue is a respiratory disease of pigs. It was isolated in 1930. It is caused by Influenza type A which brings about the disease in pigs. This happens on a pretty regular basis and doesn’t cause many deaths in pigs. The pigs certainly get ill and it happens with a large number of pigs usually in the fall and winter months of the year. That is when most of the human population gets their versions of influenza injections as well, better known as “the flu shot”.Every year the flu vaccines that are received by humans are just a bit different. The virus used to make our flu injection is grown in a lab dish to make a vaccine that most likely matches the strain of the influenza that is expected that season. The strains of flu morph every season and although the symptoms of the flu are the same or mostly similar to the last year’s strain, the vaccinations can be targeted to the specific strain or species of the virus that will affect people that year. If a person get the vaccination and still gets ill with the flu it is said that it is possible the person got a strain of the flu that was more severe or not covered in the vaccination the person received. It is impossible to cover every variation of a virus that is continually changing.Viruses can change constantly and that is the same of the swine flu. Pigs can become infected with other viruses that have reassorted or “swapped genes” and a new strain of the virus is born. Pigs can get infected with avian (bird) flu, human and other strains of swine flu from other pigs too and then the reassorting/ gene swapping begins again creating a new subtype of that virus.There is a vaccine to protect pigs from the virus but currently no vaccine to protect humans from catching swine flu. A seasonal influenza vaccination grown and manufactured for humans will only partially protect a person. Since there are 4 substrains of swine influenza type A, the seasonal flu shot will give a person only partial protection from only one of the variations of the swine flu but not against the main species of the swine flu that we are seeing in the world news in the past week or so.The symptoms of swine flu closely mimic the symptoms of human influenza. Coughing, fever, runny nose, fatigue, headache and a loss of appetite are consistent with both human and swine influenzas. Additional symptoms which may require being seen by a physician include chills, nausea, congestion, sore throat, lethargy, a fever over 101 degrees, vomiting and diarrhea which can bring about dehydration and put the sick person at additional risk. This will usually land the person a night or two in the hospital with IV fluids and meds. Swine flu doesn’t usually infect humans but this does occur when a person has close proximity with pigs that are infected and then is around other people. The person can catch the swine flu virus from the pigs that are infected and it is then passed on from an infected person to others through coughing, sneezing and casual contact. Just as in human influenza, if a person touches something which has the flu virus on it and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth they can then contract that virus.With most viruses there is a window period called “shedding”. That would be the ideal time where sputum (a respiratory sample coughed up) is obtained and sent to the CDC for examination. During this shedding period, there has not been sufficient time for the body to send out any protection and the virus can be more readily identified. Shedding a virus is much like shedding old dead skin cells and can easily spread a virus during that time frame. For adults shedding a virus occurs most likely 4-5 days after the infection is received. The antigen can be identified most easily during that window period of shedding.When an antigen, the invader disease state that infects the person, enters the body, there is an antibody response to that antigen or invader. That is when our little soldier cells (white cells) respond to the invading infection and build more and more little soldier cells to fight the infection. Children may shed longer due to decreased antibody loads due to age or vaccinations received thus far in their little lives. This antigen/ antibody response usually takes care of the invader and we get better but those persons who are compromised health wise have a much harder time of it. Persons with compromised pulmonary functions, diseases that do not allow for full recovery such as HIV and cystic fibrosis are also at increased risk and should take all precautions to avoid catching swine flu.

So how do we as a community protect ourselves against the swine flu?

Education. Education. Education!!!!!!
Every year Health Departments around the country preach the gospel of Good Community Health through hand washing, cough control and sneeze protection for those around us. These are the 3 main things a person can do to protect themselves from almost any invader disease state. Just like condoms add barrier protection for those who use them, we, as a community, are asked to make a barrier of our own sniffles and sneezes to avoid passing our germs to the next person. Make it a practice to wash hands often, especially with children who don’t think to wash their hands and often share toys, food and germs. As adults it is necessary for us to make good examples of ourselves and teach our children good hand washing practices to avoid spreading diseases. This applies to avoiding passing a cold to avoiding passing on swine flu. Carry hand sanitizing gels or wipes if you feel you will be where there may not be adequate facilities for hand washing. Kleenexes now come in varieties where they capture germs on the tissues and the germs are disposed with the tissues. Zinc is always a good option for staying healthy. Sleep and a proper diet can also help, but barrier methods and cleanliness work the best for not passing on germs and infections.If you or a loved one comes down with an illness that you suspect could be the swine flu it may be best to see a physician if the symptoms begin to mimic a worse illness than just a regular flu. If there is fever, persistent coughing that sounds like a barking, fever, vomiting or diarrhea, go to a healthcare professional and get checked out. An ounce of prevention is worth a lot in this situation, but when that fails, is there a pound of cure to be had?Testing has shown that the human swine influenza H1N1 (the main strain of swine influenza) can be treated with the antivirals oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). If you suspect you may have had contact with someone who has any symptoms of the swine flu it may be necessary to be on antiviral therapy to avoid spreading the disease and to recover. If there are any further questions or concerns about the state of your health and swine flu, please contact your healthcare professional for early treatment.

Peth Vadgaon

(Peth Vadgaon, PethVadagaon,PethWadagaon,PethWadgaon) Peth Vadgaon is a famous town in Maharashtra state of India, around 20 km from Kolhapur. It is Historical City of The Great Maratha Dhanaji Jadhav.Dhanaji Shambhusinha Jadhav (1650 – 1708), popularly known as Dhanaji Jadhav, was one of the great warriors of the Maratha Empire. His name became inseparable from the name of Santaji Ghorpade with whom he made terrifying campaigns against Mughal army continuously from 1689 to 1696. After Santaji, Dhanaji became the chief of the Maratha army in 1696 and remained on the post until his death in 1708.At the beginning of the Rajaram’s regime, Dhanaji was a Pancha Hajari, a chief of 5,000 soldiers. In September 1689 along with Santaji, Dhanaji attacked Aurangzeb’s General Shekh Nizam who had blocked fort Panhala. Nizam was severely beaten and his treasure, horses and elephants were captured. During 1689 – 1690, Santaji and Dhanaji were directed to prevent the Mughal army in Maharashtra to enter into Karnataka after Rajaram’s flight to Gingee. On 25 May 1690, Sarjahkhan alias Rustamkhan was defeated and captured near Satara by Ramchandra Pant Amatya, Shankaraji Narayan, Santaji and Dhanaji which proved to be a big blow to Aurangzeb. In the month of December in the same year, Santaji and Dhanaji were promoted and were placed respectively under the supervision of Ramchandra Pant Amatya and Shankaraji Narayan Sacheev. In the last quarter of 1692, Dhanaji and Santaji were sent to Karnataka to release the Mughal pressure around Gingee. On the way to Karnataka on 8 October 1692, Dharwad was captured by 7000 Maratha soldiers under both of them. In December 1692, the Mughal army under Zulfikhar Ali Khan around fort Gingee was blocked and beaten by Santaji and Dhanaji as a result of which Zulfikhar Ali Khan had to approach to Rajaram for compromise. On 9 January 1693, Dhanaji captured Aurangazeb’s General Ismailkhan Makha, arrested him and took him to Gingee. After lengthy negotiations with Rajaram, Zulfikhar Ali Khan was granted a safe way out in March 1693 which Santaji did not like. He argued with Rajaram and left the place without his permission as a result of which Dhanaji was given tentative charge of the army chief. Santaji, however, soon resumed his duties. In September 1695 during a great tussle at Chandan Vandan, Dhanaji lost one of his sons on the battlefield. On 20 November 1695, Kasimkhan; Aurangzeb’s powerful General in Karnataka, was attacked, defeated and killed by Santaji and Dhanaji at Doderi near Chitradurga. In December 1695, Dhanaji was defeated in a battle near Vellore by Zulfikhar Ali Khan. In June 1696, by order of Rajaram, Dhanaji attacked Santaji for his rebellion near Vriddhachalam but was forced to retreat. Soon thereafter Santaji was officially sacked and his charge was given to Dhanaji again. In March 1697, Dhanaji defeated Santaji at Dahigaon with the help of Hanmantrao Nimbalkar.

www.pethvadgaon.com/