Health News and Scoops

As a Dallas-based physician, there has been a recent flurry of panic about the H1N1 (swine influenza). School districts closed down. Intramural sports statewide were cancelled. Some even suggested closing the border with Mexico, where approximately three quarters of a million people routinely cross back and forth every day. The panic certainly was fueled by the media reports. Likewise, the media can serve to educate the public about health issues.

What is H1N1 (swine flu)?

H1N1 (previously referred to as “swine flu”) is a respiratory illness. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. Other countries, including Mexico and Canada, have reported people sick with this new virus. This virus is spreading from person-to-person, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread.

Why was the H1N1 virus originally called “swine flu”?

This virus was originally referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that some of the genes in this new virus were similar to influenza viruses that have occurred in pigs. But further study has shown that this H1N1 virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. In fact, this strain is unique and was not previously recognized in either people or pigs.

How is H1N1 spread?

Flu viruses generally spread from person to person, often through the moisture in coughs and sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of another individual. Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object and then touches their own or another’s mouth or nose. You cannot get H1N1 from handling raw pork or eating cooked pork.

Is the H1N1 virus spread through animals?

It appears that the virus is spreading from humans to humans. No evidence indicates that any of the human illnesses resulted from contact with pigs or other animals.

Isn’t it better to be cautious?

According to the most reputable health organizations, including the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Departments of Agriculture and U.S. Health and Human Services, the H1N1 flu strain cannot be transmitted by eating pork; it is not a food safety issue. To be cautious, you need to take measures to avoid coming into contact with the virus, such as frequent hand washing. Visit elcerdoesbueno.com for more information.

It doesn’t seem clear to me.

The facts are clear. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has not found any evidence to indicate that any of the illnesses resulted from contact with pigs. The CDC web site states, “Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.”

When should I seek medical care?

Signs that you should seek immediate attention include: difficulty in breathing or chest pain, discoloration of the lips, vomiting and inability to keep liquids down, dizziness, absence of urination or seizures.

Can pork be part of a healthy diet?

Absolutely. Lean cuts such as tenderloin and pork chops rival chicken as an ideal protein source. Pork provides many under-consumed nutrients such as potassium, phosphorous and vitamin B12, a vitamin found only in animal foods.

Press

Control Risks, the international business risk consultancy, advises corporations to review their business continuity and pandemic preparedness plans to limit the impact of the swine flu outbreak to their operations and workforce.

As public anxiety deepens with the spread of the flu and rising death toll and the investor community is raising concerns about the possible implications of the virus on the stock market, Control Risks warns that companies should consider the impact of a potential pandemic on their business operations.

“The challenge of preparing for a pandemic is different from any other scenario,” says Brian Kaye, Vice President and National Practice Leader for Business Continuity at Control Risks. “It is a unique effort and must take into account variables such as the business model of the firm, the geography where a company operates and most importantly the culture of the organization.”

The emergence of a pandemic influenza could exacerbate existing weaknesses in the economic environment. Furthermore, many organizations have cut back on preparedness spending because of the perception that it could be delayed in dire economic times.

There are a number of specific areas companies should consider to minimize the risk exposure of their businesses and people. “There are measures that can help corporations and that will guarantee the continuity of their operations,” continues Kaye. “For corporations with outdated or without pandemic preparedness plans, the first step is for the executive management team to set guiding principles for the coming weeks and months which address duty of care responsibility and to communicate those decisions, as appropriate, to the workforce. There are also policies and protocols that, once put in place, can have a strong impact in countering a pandemic emergency.”

Control Risks has released a list of questions that will help corporations determine their level of preparedness.

Press

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is working with federal officials to contain the impact of an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico that resulted in the declaration of a national public health emergency in the United States.

The Department of Health is working to educate the public and health care providers of recommended steps to prepare for potential cases of swine influenza in Pennsylvania.

“At this point we do not have any confirmed cases of swine influenza in Pennsylvania, but we remain in constant communication with health officials at all levels,” said Health Secretary Everette James. “We are committed to keeping our health care providers, local health agencies, and the public informed as this situation develops.”

“The federal public health emergency declaration is simply a tool that allows for preparation and mobilization of resources to plan for and respond to this virus outbreak if we begin to see cases in Pennsylvania,” said Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Robert French. “We are coordinating our activities closely with our federal partners and all the public health and emergency agencies across the state,” said French.

The Department of Health has notified health care providers across Pennsylvania to be watchful for patients with influenza-like illness who may have been exposed to the new swine flu strain and to immediately inform the local health department of any suspected cases. The department will assist all health care providers in evaluating the patients, recommending control measures, and assisting in specimen collection and testing when indicated.

This notification follows confirmation of a new strain of swine influenza A/H1N1 virus in Mexico and five locations in the U.S., including New York and Ohio. To date, all U.S. cases were “mild” with only one person requiring brief hospitalization.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, swine influenza A/H1N1 is a new strain of influenza that has not previously been detected in swine or humans. The virus has also been confirmed in Canada and Mexico. It is still safe to eat pork and pork products.

The Department of Health provided information to all of the state’s health care providers and hospitals late Friday regarding the swine flu, including how to quickly report possible cases and how to submit samples for testing. Anyone who has traveled to or from the affected areas and has a respiratory illness should contact their health care provider or local health department before seeking health care.

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. Before the current outbreak, people rarely got swine flu, and usually only if they were in very close proximity to infected pigs. However, during the current outbreak, the virus is able to spread from person-to-person.

Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of regular or seasonal flu and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Although winter is over, there is still a low level of seasonal influenza occurring in the state.

There is no vaccine available at this time, but the swine flu can be treated with certain antiviral drugs. Persons with swine flu are contagious for up to seven days or longer after the onset of illness, so it is important to take the following steps to prevent spreading the virus to others:

• Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others;
• Cough or sneeze into the bend of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues;
• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
• Stay healthy by eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of rest and exercise; and
• Seek care if you have influenza-like illness.

The CDC is asking that those individuals who have a recent history of travel and experience mild, flu-like symptoms to stay home. However, if you feel your symptoms worsen or become severe, call or visit your health care provider.

(Source) Press

In response to confirmed cases of swine flu in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, European Union health officials are advising against travel to North America. At airports in Japan and several other Asian countries, thermal scanners are being used to identify fever among passengers from North America.

But in the U.S. the disease is already among us. The severity and extent are unknown. The SARS outbreak (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003 teaches that rigorous infection control in hospitals may be key to limiting deaths from swine flu in the U.S. Much will depend on what hospitals do when the first seriously ill victims arrive.” If hospitals have effective infection controls in place, the disease can be prevented from spreading to visitors, healthcare workers and their families,” warns Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., and Chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID), a national organization that educates the public and medical community about preventing infection. McCaughey explains that “77% of the people who contracted SARS in the Canadian outbreak were patients, visitors or workers in hospitals. SARS was almost entirely a hospital infection epidemic.”

SARS — four letters that filled the headlines in the spring of 2003, and then disappeared. “A report issued after the fact by the government of Ontario (The SARS Commission, Spring of Fear, December 2006) shows how hospitals in one city thwarted an epidemic while hospitals in another city made deadly mistakes” says McCaughey, an expert on preventing infection.

Many hospitals in the U.S. are under-prepared for a similar challenge. As many as ten percent of patients contract infections in the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile race through hospitals, spread by unwashed hands and unclean equipment. How can hospitals that are failing to prevent ordinary infections spread by touch contain a new, unknown virus that can spread whenever someone coughs or sneezes?

“The best defense against swine flu and other unknown pathogens is rigorous hospital hygiene and routine infection prevention. That is the lesson of SARS,” says McCaughey.

Dr. McCaughey is available to speak about the precautions that should be taken in hospitals, schools, day care centers, nursing homes and other places where the disease can spread easily.

Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., is founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths and former Lt. Governor of New York State.

Source

As autumn ushers in cold and flu season, and rising concerns about swine flu, many have questioned whether handshaking should be banned in the workplace, churches and other public gatherings. Although many medical professionals argue that common precautions such as frequent hand washing will safeguard hand shakers from sickness, many people aren’t willing to take that risk, especially professionals who are rebounding from the recession and can’t afford to get sick – literally.

In support of professionals in favor of banning the handshake in the workplace and others who are generally averse to the practice of handshaking, Jalanda James, a New York-based professional is launching StopHandshaking.com.

The site includes tips on alternatives to handshaking, and lapel pins to promote the campaign and help make declining handshakes less awkward.

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