Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine flu viruses are not transmitted by food.
You cannot get swine flu from eating pork or pork
products.
What is known about human-to-human spread of swine
flu?
In September 1988, a healthy 32-year-old pregnant
woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died eight days
later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days
before getting sick, she had visited a county fair swine
exhibition where there was widespread flu-like illness
among the pigs.
In follow-up studies, 76 per cent of swine exhibitors
tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but
no serious illnesses were detected among this group.
Additional studies suggest that one to three health care
personnel who had contact with the patient developed
mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of
swine flu infection.
How are human infections with swine flu diagnosed?
To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a
respiratory specimen is ideally collected within the
first four to five days of illness and sent to the CDC
for testing.
What medications are available to treat humans with
swine flu?
Four antiviral drugs are licensed for use in the
United States: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and
zanamivir. While most swine flu viruses have been
susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent seven
swine flu viruses isolated from humans are resistant to
amantadine and rimantadine. Right now, the CDC
recommends oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment
and/or prevention of infection with swine flu viruses.
What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are
there?
The most well known outbreak of swine flu was 1976
one among soldiers in Fort Dix, N.J. The virus caused
illnesses in at least four soldiers and one death; all
were previously healthy. The virus was transmitted in
close contact at a basic training camp. It was thought
to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The
source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction
into Fort Dix and factors limiting its spread and
duration are unknown. The outbreak may have been caused
by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human
population in close contact during the winter.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
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