Many citizens do not take flu seriously, with a cough or fever, they are in a hurry not to bed and not to the doctor, but on business. This is what viruses need, because one sneeze, for example, in a crowded minibus, is enough, and voila - you're done! H1N1 flu, which has caught up with so much fear, or any other flu, has found a dozen new victims. Why? Because one of the tricks of influenza viruses is to spread them by airborne droplets, which are easy and effective for parasites. Their second trick is unique variability. When the victim’s body begins to produce antibodies to the penetrated virus in order to destroy it, he quickly changes the structure of his proteins, becoming a new modification and at the same time remaining the same disease. That is why new epidemics are constantly emerging, and doctors are developing new vaccines.
Why is the flu called swine?
Many people know that in the 20s of the last century, death walked across Europe under the name "Spaniard". She took to the grave about 100 million earthlings. More recently, scientists have studied in detail material taken from the corpse of a Spanish victim buried in permafrost, and discovered the H1N1 virus in it. Yes, yes, it is the virus that made so much noise in 2009. Over the years, it has been repeatedly modified, becoming either H2N2, then H3N2, then H1N2, each time causing new epidemics. At some point, the virus got from humans to pigs, adapted (mutated) in the new hosts and became swine flu, able to live only in animals. After a while, the virus again fell into a person and, having shown its unique abilities, mutated again, adapting to a new host. During this adaptation period, the new H1N1 strain caused up to 50 cases of swine flu, in people who, by the nature of their activity, came into contact with animals. Modifying further, the virus has developed a form that can not only be transmitted from a pig to a person, but also infect new people in the future. So began the epidemic of a disease called swine flu.
What is AN1N1?
The letter “H” in the name of the parasite means hemagglutinin - a protein located on its surface and playing the role of a kind of tick that clings to the victim’s cells, because without gripping, the influenza viruses do not live. It is the type of these biological “ticks” that plays the decisive role, which victim of the virus to choose - a person, animal or bird. That is, the same virus is very rarely able to live in any living organism. Although there are exceptions. So, the H1N1 virus is so versatile that it can infect birds, animals and humans. The letter "N" means the enzyme neuraminidase. She is also a surface defender of the virus from antibodies. In addition, it helps to separate the newly born viruses from the cell and penetrate the epithelium of the victim's respiratory system. The letter “A” means the type of virus. There are also B and C, but A is considered the most capable of modification, and therefore the most difficult to predict.
Disease differences
Influenza H1N1 has not so many differences from the classic seasonal and in most people it proceeds without any complications. But he also has one unpleasant feature - in some victims he is able to cause primary viral pneumonia, which cannot be treated with antibiotics (this differs from bacterial pneumonia). If patients in whom the H1N1 virus caused a complication of viral pneumonia do not begin to be treated correctly at the first symptoms, they die within a day. This circumstance was the main cause of death of almost 2 thousand people during the 2009 epidemic. Other differences from swine flu from normal are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Risk groups
Anyone can catch the H1N1 virus, but not everyone has life-threatening complications. According to statistics, the following categories of the population are most susceptible to the course of swine flu in severe form:
- small children (age from 0 to 2 years);
- pregnant;
- having any pulmonary disease, for example, asthma;
- people over 65 years old;
- suffering from chronic diseases of internal organs;
- HIV-infected.
As you can see, the greatest danger is swine flu for those who have a weakened body.
Infection pathways
As noted above, mainly the H1N1 virus is transmitted by an aerogenous route. Important: when sneezing or coughing, microorganisms escaping from the mouth or nose of a sick person can “fly” up to 2 meters through the air. If a healthy person breathes them in, he will certainly become infected.
But those viruses that did not fall to the victim, but settled on any surface, continue to live for 8 hours. That is, you can catch swine flu in a contact way, for example, if you grab a grab rail with viruses, and then, without washing your hands, eat.
The third way of infection is the most passive - pork from a sick animal. You can catch the flu in this way only if the meat is raw or semi-prepared, because with standard heat treatment the H1N1 virus dies in a few minutes.
Classic symptoms of the disease
From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first signs of an illness, it can take from one to three to four days, which depends on the characteristics of the body. H1N1 virus symptoms can cause the same as classic flu:
- general malaise;
- aches in the whole body (myalgia);
- runny nose;
- headache;
- perspiration and / or sore throat;
- cough;
- temperature increase to high levels (sometimes the temperature is not observed);
- chills, fever.
Some patients have complaints of nausea, sometimes up to vomiting, and diarrhea.
H1N1 virus, symptoms of complications
So that irreparable trouble does not happen, you should immediately contact the doctors for help if, against the background of an apparent cold, the following are observed:
- very high temperature, not knocked down by tablets;
- persistent causeless nausea;
vomiting
- heavy and / or rapid breathing;
- pallor and / or cyanosis of the skin, blue lips (more often in children);
- fainting state, hypersomnia;
- a long absence of urge to urinate;
- pain in the chest and abdomen;
- dizziness;
- disorientation in space;
- children cry without tears;
- increased excitability for no reason;
- after a certain improvement in the course of the common cold, a sharp deterioration suddenly occurs.
H1N1 virus, treatment of a mild form of the disease
Diagnosing swine flu without complications is difficult due to the identity of the symptoms with normal flu. The type of virus can be determined only by sowing sputum, secreted by coughing, and mucus from the nose and mouth.
With a mild form of flu, therapy can be done at home. It consists in mandatory bed rest, taking antipyretic drugs, if the temperature is above 38 degrees, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, cough and rhinitis medicines. Young children should not be given medications that contain aspirin, since complications are not excluded (Reye's syndrome). Of the antipyretic drugs you can drink "Nurofen", "Paracetamol", and adults can also drink "Ibuprofen".
Mild antiviral drugs H1N1 can be used as follows:
“Arbidol.”
“Viferon.”
“Grippferon.”
- Reaferon.
“The Ingaron.”
“Lipind.”
“Ingavirin.”
“Cycloferon.”
“The Kagocel.”
It is also advisable to take antihistamines, drink plenty of fluids - teas, fruit drinks, water with honey, decoctions of currants, raspberries, viburnum and medicinal herbs.
Influenza passes in about 6-7 days.
Severe Treatment
Influenza H1N1, which proceeds with complications, is markedly different from seasonal, and it can be recognized without waiting for the results of sowing. With the symptoms characteristic of severe swine flu listed above, the patient needs to be hospitalized, and if there are breathing problems, resuscitation therapy should be started immediately. For treatment, Oseltamivir or Tamiflu, Zanamivir or Relenza are used, which inhibit the activity of neuraminidase. At the same time, antibiotic therapy is prescribed so that bacterial pneumonia does not develop against the background of viral pneumonia, the body is cleaned of toxins secreted by the H1 N1 virus, symptomatic treatment is prescribed . The prognosis for patients with complicated swine flu is favorable only if timely treatment is started.
With a moderate severity of the disease, when there is a high fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, but there are no problems with breathing, fainting, impaired consciousness and pneumonia, treatment is possible at home.
Precautions
Prevention of H1N1 mainly consists in restricting visits to public places and contacts with people who have the slightest signs of a cold (cough, runny nose). Doctors also recommend:
- wearing a mask in all public places;
- before going out, the use of oxolinic ointment;
- after returning home thorough washing of the hands, rinsing of the nose and mouth;
- refusal of snacks on the street and in public places, without first washing your hands thoroughly.
It has been established that the swine flu virus quickly dies when exposed to not only high temperatures, but also antiseptics, such as soap, alcohol solutions, bactericides. Therefore, in public places (schools, hospitals, catering outlets, and others), during the period of the epidemic, it is necessary to wet-clean more often, wipe tables, doorknobs.
At the first symptoms of malaise, especially if there is a cough, runny nose, fever, you need to call a doctor at home to avoid infection of other people.
At the moment, a new vaccine has been developed for H1N1, which at the same time also helps against classical influenza B, from H3N2 strains. You cannot get sick from the vaccine, since the vaccine does not use whole viruses, but only fragments of them. However, after vaccination, you can still get the flu, but it will leak in a very mild form. Also, the vaccine does not save against all other possible modifications of the H1N1 virus.
You need to do it annually, preferably a month before the proposed epidemic (in the fall before the dank, damp, cold weather).