If you've been infected with the swine flu virus, you'll start to get symptoms one to four days later. That means you in turn will be infectious about a day before your own symptoms appear, and you'll continue to be so for the following five to six days. Children and people who have a weaker immune system (cancer patients, for example) may stay infectious for slightly longer. It's best totry and avoid all unnecessary contact with anyone for as long as there's a chance you could pass the virus on.
If you have swine flu, you're likely to have a fever or high temperature (over 38°C /100.4°F) along with aching muscles, a sore throat and possibly a dry cough. You might also have a stuffy nose and no appetite. Essentially, the same sort of symptoms as seasonal flu. Most people recover within a week without any special treatment.
However,some people have had more serious symptoms including breathing difficulties,vomiting and diarrhoea; and in the severest cases the virus has caused pneumonia and made chronic medical conditions worse.
The vast majority of people can be treated at home - lots of rest, plenty of fluids, and pain relief for aches is generally enough. Avoid giving aspirin to children and young adults though, due to the risk of a rare but serious disorder called Reye's syndrome.
Antiviral medication is available from the National Pandemic Flu Service; a new, directservice for people with swine flu symptoms. The medications are oseltamivir,more usually called Tamiflu, and zanamivir, also known as Relenza. These stop the virus from reproducing. If you get them quickly enough, they can help ease your symptoms, shorten the illness by about a day, and lower the risk ofpassing the virus on. Many governments have built up a stockpile of theseantivirals as part of their anti-pandemic strategy.
The service assesses your symptoms online or over the phone and, if necessary, it will give you a unique authorisation number that will enable you to get antivirals from a local collection point. Just give a healthy "flu friend" your authorisation number and ask them to pick up your prescription for you.
Check your symptoms with them:
online at www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu
by phone on 0800 151 3100
by textphone/minicom on 0800 151 3200
If you think you have swine flu, don't go to your GP or A&E department in person -stay at home to avoid spreading the virus and get in touch with the National Pandemic Flu Service instead. Only phone your GP if:
Scientists have been busy developing a vaccine for swine flu and the first batch may be available by the end of October, although a precise date hasn't been announced yet. As such, 30 million double doses - enough for half the population - are expected by the end of the year. The government has ordered enough for the entire population, but naturally will give priority to those at greatest risk.That means the vaccine will be given to these groups first, in this order:
It's worth bearing in mind, however, that the vaccine may not be as effective as hoped ifthe virus mutates further.
For a start, before you go be sure that you can get medical advice if you or anyone you're with feels poorly, and do take over-the-counter medication with you justin case. If you already have swine flu, don't travel anywhere until your symptoms have stopped.
In addition, don't forget to check the Foreign& Commonwealth Office (FCO) website for information about the country or countries you're planning to visit. Alternatively, you can call their 24-hour advice line on 0845 850 2829.
Get yourself a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before you go. This entitles you to any necessary medical treatment while you're away, including for swine flu.
You can getan EHIC application form:
The virus itself can survive for up to 48 hours on hard, non-porous surfaces, 12 hours on cloth, paper and tissues, and 5-10 minutes on hands.
Although we already have a pandemic situation, it's still important for everyone to do what they can to stop swine flu from spreading.So, obviously, always cough or sneeze into a tissue, throw it in the bin and wash your hands immediately. You should also take care to clean surfaces regularly - not just worktops, but surfaces like door handles or telephones which people frequently touch.
Both alcohol hand gels and soap and water can help lower the risk of spreading swine flu by destroying the virus on contact. Wherever possible, you should use soap and water and only resort to hand gels when there's no easy access to a place where you can wash and dry your hands thoroughly.
But it's important to note that both gels and soap and water are only effective while they're wet - as soon as the surface is dry, the virus can begin accumulating again.
By contrast, Byotrol based hand foamers are unique in there ability to offer long-lasting protection against bacteriaand viruses while being extremely gentle on your skin.