SWINE
FLU – H1N1 – ALERT
Team
GurmatStudy
brings you some facts about H1N1 – SWINE FLU which has now spread in
a) Download
Information Presentation ( 1 MB)
b) Based on worldwide experience
documented by scientists, here are 5 solid reasons why you should not panic on
Swine Flu
1 Low Fatality:
Out
of over 2 lakh cases worldwide, the number of deaths is just short of 1,900,
or, less than 1%. WHO says many countries are no longer recording confirmed
cases. Actual number of cases might run into many more, which would bring down
the number of people dying of swine flu to much lower than 1%. Many of the
deaths are also due to underlying conditions or complications. In short, swine
flu is not a killer disease like TB (death rate 3.5%) or respiratory diseases
(death rate 11%).
There
is more likelihood of death in a traffic accident (1.8%) or a fire
(1.4%)
than by catching swine flu
2 Moderate Symptoms: Fear of suffering
is next only to fear of death.
Swine
flu causes aches, fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose and in some cases
vomiting. All this will make you (and your family) pretty miserable if you do
get infected. But it's no different from having a severe case of common flu or
cold. And, the symptoms can be reduced by taking (under doctor's guidance!)
suitable painkillers and analgesics.
Compare
this to the suffering caused by diseases like malaria or cancer, or by a stroke
3 Short
Duration:
The
illness lasts up to a week in most cases. In some cases it may be shorter. It
won't haunt you for a month or two like jaundice or typhoid. For this week you
will suffer some isolation, but mainly you will be resting throughout, and
having lots of fluids. No injections, no drips, no constant testing. Tamiflu is
there, but studies show it only reduces the duration by one to two days
4 Complete Recovery:
After
the fever goes away on its own, you will feel weak for a few days - then back
to normal. There are no lingering effects, no scars, no
slow road to recovery. No future complication - in fact, you would have
strengthened your immunity to the flu. You can start interacting with others
within 24 hours
5 Panic
Creates Problems:
If
you panic, rush around, crowd hospitals at the slightest sneeze, you might end
up increasing the chances of actually getting swine flu. Besides, you will be
unnecessarily choking the stretched medical system. Swine flu is a disease, not
the end of the world. Treat it with respect and deal with it