Spread and Transmission of Swine Flu

 How does swine flu spread and transmit?

Swine flu may spread by respiratory secretions or water droplets when they are released into the air on coughing and/or sneezing by an infected and swine flu spreads like any other flu. These secretions spread the virus

 Through air or can help the virus settle on objects such as door handles, tables, car steering etc. If healthy persons come in contact with such objects and touches his nose or mouth, the virus finds its entry into the body. The exact mode of infection may not be evident in many of the cases. Sneeze is considered as potential carrier of infectious organisms. Each sneeze has been found to contain 40,000 droplets which are about 5 to 10 µm in diameter.

The swine flu origin has been a much debated subject. Many people believe that swine flu spreads by eating pork, in reality it is not so. Swine flu spreads from infected pigs to humans in the same way it spreads from human to human. Swine flu infected humans can infect other humans and also the pigs when they come in close contact with them.

 Swine flu or the influenza viruses are killed when the pork is cooked at temperatures around 167-212°F or 75-100°C. Hence it is safe to eat pork that has been cooked well

• Heat (167-212°F or 75-100°C), common household cleaning agents, soaps, alcohol based hand cleansers can kill the virus effectively. Washing hands with soap or alcohol based cleansers and tidying the house with cleaning agents on a regular basis can reduce the spread of infection among the family members
• It is safe to eat pork that has been cooked well
• The H1N1 virus does not spread through drinking water that is appropriately treated
• Risk of infection is more in highly crowded places

 What are the important facts about H1N1 influenza and how does it  spread

The H1N1 influenza can survive and remain potent to infect a healthy individual up to 2-8 hours after being deposited on surfaces of different objects.

• Heat (167-212°F or 75-100°C) the food or even drinking water, common household cleaning agents, soaps and alcohol based hand cleansers can kill the virus effectively.
• Washing hands with soap or alcohol based cleansers and cleaning the house with cleaning agents on a regular basis can reduce the spread of infection among the family members
• Eating pork is safe if it is cooked well.
•  Drinking water that is appropriately treated does not spread H1V1 virus
• Crowded places poses more risk than the least crowded ones

 How Swine Flu Spreads Quickly?

The capability of the novel H1V1 influenza virus to go through alterations speeds up the spread in the current scenario. Since most of the individuals are not resistant and exposed to this H1N1 virus before, the individuals with the risk of the new H1N1 influenza is rising at a great speed. Winter is a favourable season for the spread of H1N1 Swine Flu, as winters are coming it may spread faster.

In the past few decades the number of people travelling around the world has increased for different reasons, and therefore more and more people are expected to be affected by the new strain of virus at a faster pace.

At present the number of swine flu cases in US has been reported to be the highest with more than 98242 and confirmed cases of swine flu that have resulted in over 1008 deaths. The second highest incidence of swine flu are the WHO western pacific regions which includes countries like Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia and the nearby islands. These regions have 26661 cases of swine flu. People getting infected in other countries are also on the rise.