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WHO HAS THE HIGHEST RISK TO GET H1N1 SWINE FLU

Posted by Admin on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 02:31 AM

H1N1 swine influenza is a very aggressive fast moving virus. It is transmitted through the airways. All that is required is that a person touches a surface where the virus is present; and brings his hand up to his nose or mouth where it will find its way to into the respiratory system. Once there, it will multiply and continue infecting others as it again gets into the atmosphere through the exhaling of air through the nose and mouth. It is almost impossible to contain, the best solution is to completely isolate the infected person.

Once a person is infected the symptoms will take between two to five days to show up, but during this time the infected person continues to spread the virus all around him. Our way of life makes it extremely difficult to contain this virus, people need to car pool, and take buses, trains, and subways to work. Business globalization places million of people on airplanes daily, many of these are carrying the virus and taking it across borders and oceans and continents.

After the epidemic at the beginning of this year, a vaccine was developed, but there is not enough for everyone in each infected country and there will never be enough to protect the population of the world. Even if there was enough, this is a mutating virus that changes every time the flu season comes along. It grows resistant to medication and mixes with other strains changing its characteristics, it is basically a medical nightmare.

Every person in an area where infection has been detected is at risk. H1N1 does not respect anyone, the old, the young, the weak and the strong; anyone can fall prey to it if proper precautions are not taken. Data collected and analyzed during and after the recent epidemic show s a certain, but not complete, immunity to the virus in healthy people over sixty-five years old. The reasons for this are still undefined but apparently this group is the least affected by the virus. It will take time for the data to be sorted out and further studies to be made but there seems to be some truth in this, which is worth looking into.

Authorities have had no time to determine who is liable to get infected and who is not. At this point in time, the CDC considers everyone vulnerable. Not enough statistical information is available to determine if in fact, real differences exist between one group of people and another. For now it has been determined that every person can and will be infected if exposed to the virus. Even after being vaccinated the probabilities of remaining virus-free are between 70% and 80%, the remaining 20% who got the vaccine will be infected anyway.

There is more concern about the secondary consequences to infection. Old, sick people, small children, pregnant women, people with immunological deficiencies; these people are at great risk due to the devastating effect the virus has on the body. The defense system is weakened in such a way that any other complication can take place. Bronchitis, pneumonia, different types of infections; all of these and many others can take advantage of the virus’ effects and flare up leaving an already weakened system wide open to further attack from existing affections.