Agriculture Business Week

With so much in the news about swine flu, it’s wise and imperative to now what it is, and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones to lessen your fear of swine flu.

What is swine flu?
Swine Influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections happen. Human cases of swine flu usually happen in people who are around pigs, but it’s also possible for swine viruses to spread from person to person. In fact, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is recommending that the more appropriate name for the viral disease is “North-American influenza” since there has been no evidence of animal involvement.

How many swine flu viruses are there?
Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. This time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been HIN1 viruses.

What makes the new swine flu virus unique?
The new swine flu virus is very unusual. It has somehow acquired genes from swine, bird, and human flu bugs. It has also got genes from Eurasian swine flu viruses that are not supposed to be in North America.

Can the virus be contained?
The virus appears already to have started to spread around the world, and most experts believe that with readily available air travel, containment will be extremely difficult.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that restricting flights will have little effect. It argues that screening of passengers is also unlikely to have much impact as symptoms may not be apparent in many infected people.

The swine flu virus first identified in Mexico cannot be contained, warns Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO, as the economic impact of the outbreak continues to spread. The virus is now widespread, the focus should switch from containing it to mitigating its impact, said Dr. Chan.

Are there swine, flu infections in the Philippines?
Secretary Francisco Duque III of the Department of Health (DOH) stressed that no case of the human swine flu virus has been recorded in the Philippines as of press time, but all government hospitals are on the lookout for persons suffering flu-like symptoms. He also dismissed reports of an outbreak of the deadly virus in a Pangasinan piggery. Duque admitted that it is potentially possible for the dreaded human swine flu to surface in the Philippines (GMA News.TV, April 29, 2009).

“We can say it (entry into the country of the deadly new flu strain) is possible … it’s not improbable. Even the WHO has already said that the situation is already beyond containment,” Duque told reporters.

But he said the government, particularly DOH is doing all its best to prevent the virus from entering the country.

“To ensure that it will not come to the Philippines is already beyond me,” he added.

Is swine flu virus contagious?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. But this time, it is not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

How do you catch swine flu?
Spread of swine flu can occur in two ways:
• Through contact with infected pigs or environments contaminated with swine flu viruses.
• Through contact with a person with swine flu. Human-to-human spread of swine flu has been documented also and is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu like fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Health authorities advise people who live in places where swine flu cases, have been confirmed, or those who have travelled to Mexico, and have flu-like symptoms to see a doctor. Allergies won’t cause a fever, and run-of-the-mill stomach bugs won’t be accompanied by respiratory symptoms, notes Dr. Wayne Reynolds of Newport News, Va., spokesman of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

What is the incubation period of swine flu?
Dr. Eric Tayag, chief of DOH-National Epidemiology Center, said the virus can lead to death of an infected person within three to five days.

The incubation period of the disease is 5-10 days, but there were cases in Mexico when the infected person died within 3-5 days.

Tayag said the virus is more virulent than the common influenza virus, thus the need to prevent the spread of the disease.

I never come into contact with pigs. Am I safe from swine flu?
No. Transmission of the virus doesn’t require you to come into contact with pigs. It can pass from one human to another. But according to the CDC, there is evidence that people who do come into contact regularly with pigs may be immune to the swine flu.

People in Mexico have died from swine flu, but I don’t live anywhere near Mexico. Am I safe?
No. Any contagious disease can easily be transmitted around the world within a short period of time because people don’t stay in one place. Vacationers and business travellers may go to or leave Mexico or any other area where flu is prevalent. Any of them may have been exposed to the flu. If they are contagious, they may transmit the virus on planes, trains, in airports or other travel-related places.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?
To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first four to five days of illness, when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus. However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to DOH iOr laboratory testing.