Year 9 science assessment task 2
Disease Investigation and Source Analysis
SWINE FLU
Where did Swine Flu come from and could it be a threat to humans?
Introduction
Swine Flu is an interesting disease to research as it sounds like it could be a serious life threatening pandemic. There was an outbreak in 2008 and I remember it being on TV. Swine Flu also known as H1N1 was known as a pandemic in 2008. A pandemic is a wide spread outbreak of an infectious disease. Swine Flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease, it can be transferred from human contact, droplets from a cough or sneeze and from surfaces that have come into contact with infected droplets i.e. tables, phones, handrails, tissues etc., the disease can live for about 2 hours outside
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of the human body. Body H1N1 is similar to influenza.
A cough or sneeze can spread a few thousand germs around the room. Swine Flu is caused by the influenza virus that normally infects pigs. The main transmission isn't from pigs to people, but from person to person. Swine Flu is known to have started around 2008, researchers believe it lingered in Mexico for a while and was mistaken for the common flu. It spread from pigs mucus to humans and then with people travelling around the world by human to human contact, sneezing, coughing, and even by standing near someone talking (droplets of saliva) with the virus.
When the Swine Flu, H1N1 pandemic broke out Australia International borders were monitored by Department of Health staff and Border Agency staff by screening all people entering Australia through international ports. People detected with high temperatures were referred on to Doctors. Once the virus was found to be not as deadly as first believed and that it was an impossible disease to stop from entering Australia anyway, the screening at Australia’s international borders were
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relaxed. Swine Flu is a threat to humans, it can affect and cause complications in people with chronic respiratory conditions, pregnant women, obese people, indigenous people and people with chronic cardiac, neurological and immune conditions. Children are also at high risk and are rapid spreaders of the Swine Flu. If people contract Swine Flu and have a high immune system they still need to take precautions as it has shown that it can still be fatal even in a healthy person. Some of the symptoms are similar to that of the common flu, these symptoms may include… • Sore throat • Fatigue • Runny nose • Cough • High temperature (38 degrees) • Headache • Chills • Body aches • Diarrhoea • Vomiting Swine Flu is detected by taking a swab of mucus or saliva from the nose or throat.
Tamiflu is a recommended drug to treat Swine Flu. You should only take Tamiflu if you have been in direct contact with a person that has been diagnosed with Swine Flu. Discuss with a doctor if it is necessary to take Tamiflu.
Conclusion
Generally Swine Flu should not be fatal to humans unless you fall into a high risk category of poor health. The best way to not contract Swine Flu, is not to contract it at all, prevention is better than cure. Frequent washing of hands is a must. Get a vaccination for Swine Flu if you believe you are at risk of contracting it. Plenty of sleep and a healthy diet and lifestyle is a must. Avoid sick pigs or sick people if possible. Avoid travel to countries or places where there has been an outbreak of Swine Flu.
REFERENCE LIST
Swine flu 2015, Better Health Channel, accessed 8 September 2015, .
Krause, L 2012, Swine flu, Health line, accessed 8 September 2015, .
Davis, C 2015, Swine flu, Medicine net, accessed 15 September 2015, .
Masterson, K 2009, Where did swine flu come from? NPR, accessed 16 September 2015, .
McCormack, 2015, personal communication (Quarantine
officer)
...influenza pandemic in one way or another; the use of quarantines were extremely prevalent among them. Also, the pandemic is directly responsible for the creation of many health organizations across the globe. The organizations help track and research illnesses across the globe. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for example, strive to prevent epidemics and pandemics. They also provide a governing body with directives to follow in case an outbreak does occur, and if one shall occur the efforts of organizations across the globe will be crucial for its containment. It is amazing that with modern medicine and proper organization that influenza still manages to make its appearance across the globe annually.
It has not taken human to human transmission yet, that we know of. So far all cases of the virus result from people coming into close contact with bird blood or droppings. If the transmission of the virus does take human to human form, it could unleash a global pandemic. This is the first time in history that humans have been able to prepare themselves for an epidemic. The bird flu virus travels with migrating birds.
John. M. Barry, The Great Influenza, The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History (New York: Penguin, 2004), 179
The Influenza virus is a unique respiratory viral disease that can have serious economic and social disruption to society. The virus is airborne transmitted through droplets release by coughing or sneezing from an infected person or by touching infected surfaces. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may even result in death. People with the virus usually experience fever, headache, shivering, muscle pain and cough, which can lead to more severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia. People most susceptible to the flu virus are elderly individuals and young children as well as anyone whose health or immune system has been compromise. The most effective way to counteract the influenza virus is to get the flu vaccine which is available by shots or nasal spray before the flu season as well as practicing safe hygiene. (CDC, 2013)
A few years before 1918, in the height of the First World War, a calamity occurred that stripped the globe of at least 50 million lives. (Taubenberger, 1918) This calamity was not the death toll of the war; albeit, some individuals may argue the globalization associated with the First World War perpetuated the persistence of this calamity. This calamity was referred to the Spanish Flu of 1918, but calling this devastating pestilence the “Spanish Flu” may be a historical inaccuracy, as research and historians suggest that the likelihood of this disease originating in Spain seams greatly improbable. Despite it’s misnomer, the Spanish Flu, or its virus name H1N1, still swept across the globe passing from human to human by exhaled drops of water that contained a deadly strand of RNA wrapped with a protein casing. Individuals who were unfortunate enough to come in contact with the contents of the protein casing generally developed severe respiratory inflammation, as the Immune system’s own response towards the infected lung cells would destroy much of the lungs, thus causing the lungs to flood with fluids. Due to this flooding, pneumonia was a common cause of death for those infected with Spanish Flu. Due its genetic similarity with Avian Flu, the Spanish Flu is thought to be descended from Avian Flu which is commonly known as “Bird Flu.” (Billings,1997) The Spanish Flu of 1918 has had a larger impact in terms of global significance than any other disease has had because it was the most deadly, easily transmitted across the entire globe, and occurred in an ideal time period for a disease to happen.
"Pandemic Flu History." Home. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web. 23 Mar.
One of the most virulent strains of influenza in history ravaged the world and decimated the populations around the world. Present during World War I, the 1918 strain of pandemic influenza found many opportunities to spread through the war. At the time, science wasn’t advanced enough to study the virus, much less find a cure; medical personnel were helpless when it came to fighting the disease, and so the flu went on to infect millions and kill at a rate 25 times higher than the standard.
Influenza is a major public health problem which has outbreaks all over the world. Resulting in considerable sickness and death rates. Furthermore, it is a highly infectious airborne disease and is caused by the influenza virus. Influenza is transmitted easily from one person to another person, which has a great impact on society. When a member of society becomes sick, it is more prone to spread to other people.
Influenza is very contagious and spreads rapidly from person to person. Influenza causes worldwide yearly epidemics. According to World Health organization Influenza affects 5-15% world’s population and resulting in 500,000 deaths yearly. Ottenberg stated that, in United States, an average of 200,000 were hospitalized and 36,000 died each year from influenza complications. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death among US adults and is related to 1 in 20 death in persons older than 65 years. Disease control and prevention estimates indicate that infections like H1N1 which is one of the types of influenza, have resulted in an estimated 42 to 86 million cases and 8520 to 17620 deaths. As I mentioned earlier that infections like influenza are very contagious, they can spread easily from hcw to Patient and back to hcw. The most efficient and effective method of preventing influenza infection is vaccination(The best way to prevent influenza is with annual vaccination).(Sullivan,2010) (Gregory,Tosh &Jacobson, 2005). Motivated by a desire to actively avoid illness Influenza may increase the risk for death in people with existing heart, lung, or circulation disorders. In fact, the higher than average number of winter deaths in people with heart disease may be due only to the occurrence of influenza during those months.Vaccination provides immunity to fight against infection.To increase resistance to harm by modifying the environment to minimize preventable illness (NEED TO CHANGE WORDING)
Illnesses have long haunted the human race. As long as these illnesses have existed, humans have developed ways to cure themselves, beginning with simple herbs and proceeding as far as vaccines and complex medicines. One cure that long eluded scientists was that of the influenza virus. Now, the influenza vaccine, or flu shot, saves thousands of lives a year and helps prevent serious complications resulting from influenza infection.
The human population has a high susceptibility to the contraction of new diseases and outbreaks of these diseases are of high risk. Diseases in recent times that have broken out into the human population are the H7N9 flu strain and SARS. Despite the risk, outbreaks like H7N9 and SARS have been controlled due to epidemiology and other disease control methods. Outbreaks of disease are not uncommon to the human population as they move to new areas around the world with foreign diseases that the native residents would have developed a resistance to.
Currently, one cannot explore the news without coming across the topic of the swine flu, scientifically known as H1N1. Swine flu is a respiratory infection derived from the influenza virus. The virus contains genetic materials from human, swine, and avian flu viruses. It was first identified in spring 2009, and since then has spread rapidly across the globe. The infection’s spread has been verified as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. As soon as the swine flu virus was isolated, scientists quickly developed a swine flu vaccine. Four vaccines have been approved by the FDA for the prevention of the swine flu. The vaccines will be ready for distribution in October 2009. Now the question is: To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate? Millions of people are now preparing to answer this question.
In Australia in the last ten years more then 137 known people have died and many more fallen very ill from contagious and infectious disease. Diseases such as diphtheria; tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps rubella and Haemophilus influenzae, This is a great tragedy considering all these diseases are easily preventable by immunisation.
The Flu was first founded in Seattle September, 1918. The avian flu can also be known as the “Bird Flu”. The bird flu is being passed around by migratory birds. It can be transmitted from birds to mammals and in some limited circumstances to humans. The flu will also be known as the H5N1 virus. The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because its virulent (deadly; extremely dangerous) and it can evolve like other influenza viruses. As many other viruses and illnesses the flu can be a lot more deadlier. When you get the flu the lungs are severely harmed from infected cells called macrophages and T-cells. The virus can spread way beyond the lungs but generally do not. Many people catch the flu and think they have the common cold because of some of the same symptoms. But actually the flu can be more dangerous if you don’t treat it immediately.
...e of surviving would be the one who has a less severe case of the swine flu, without hindering health problems.