Swine Influenza and You

Questions & Answers
Swine Influenza and You

What is swine flu?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?

In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. Other U.S. states have reported cases of swine flu infection in humans and cases have been reported internationally as well. An updated case count of confirmed swine flu infections in the United States is kept at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.

Is this swine flu virus contagious?

CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread?

Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?

Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?

First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?

People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?

Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?

We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
· Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.

Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
· Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
· If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?

If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water. or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. we recommend that when you wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.
In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
· Fast breathing or trouble breathing
· Bluish skin color
· Not drinking enough fluids
· Not waking up or not interacting
· Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
· Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
· Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
· Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
· Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
· Sudden dizziness
· Confusion
· Severe or persistent vomiting

How serious is swine flu infection?

Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

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BEWARE - AN APPLE FACTS

Please don’t eat the skin of the apple if it’s coated with wax …

Pleass. check before you eat many of the fruits here in Gulf, WAX is being used as preservation Purposes and then cold stored. You might be surprised especially apples from USA and other parts are more than one year old, though it would look fresh.

You might be surprised especially apples from USA and other parts are more than one year old, though it would look fresh. Becox wax is coated preventing bacteria to enter. So it does not get dry.

Please Eat Apples after taking the wax as demonstrated below.Please follow this and send it to 100 people so that after your death, you will be welcomed by candle lights.

If you disobey , even if u believe or not, you will be burn with candles. As we cannot bear that heat in our body, please forward it to 100 or more. This is real one.

SOURCE: - MYDIGITALINFO BLOG

Beauty Tips For Eyes

10 TIPS FOR YOUR EYES

The eyes are the part of the face we notice first. This is why it's important to make sure that your eyes look their best when attending to your makeup and care routine. Following are some great beauty tips for your eyes, no matter who you are.

1. Healthy eyes are beautiful eyes.

If your eyes are swollen, red, or other wise unhealthy, no amount of makeup is going to disguise this fact. If you wear contact lenses, make sure that you attend to all the care instructions for them. Also, protect your eyes by using cosmetics with sun screen included.

2. When putting on eye makeup, make sure it goes with the rest of your look.

Too many women forget that while the eyes are important, they must be in harmony with the rest of the face. Choose eye makeup that goes with what you're wearing, and with the look you choose on the rest of your face. Don't let your features go to war with each other to be the most prominent – you'll have to choose whether you want the focus to be on your lips or eyes, for instance. Overdoing it can just look garish.

3. Lay a good base.

A layer of foundation on your eyelids will help smooth out imperfections and help your eye shadow and liner look their best.

4. Choose a color theme.

This doesn't meant that you have to use a monochrome scheme for your eye makeup, but it does mean that it's a good idea to keep an idea of color harmony in mind as you apply your makeup. The colors that will work best for you depend on your skin tone.

5. Pay attention to your eye shape.

What works on one person won't necessarily look good on another. Figuring out what shape and set your eyes are can go a long way to helping you get the right look.

6. Select quality cosmetics.

It really matters whether or not your makeup is high quality. Don't let your tools work against you just because you can get a cheaper brand. You'll never achieve the same looks you can with a better brand.

7. Use specialized cleansers to remove your make up.

Soap and water are harsh and can irritate the eyes. Specially formulated eye cleansers are gentle, but made to remove old cosmetics.

8. Use darker, more heavily made up looks at night.

Daytime requires a more natural look. Apply mascara on the tips of the lashes only, and save the liquid liner for evenings. Harsh makeup in daylight can look overdone or silly.

9. Soften over-prominent eyes.

Just because the eyes are the first thing we pay attention to doesn't meant that they must be the focus of every look. If you feel that your eyes are too prominent, apply medium shadow and don't use high lights. This will make them appear deeper-set.

10. Keep up to date on the latest looks.

If you've been doing your eyes the same way for years, you can look dated without knowing it. Pay attention to what other people are wearing as well as the latest makeup styles, and form a look that's your own.

source:- Rite mail

facts To know about Cigarrate and its Smoke

1. - Second hand smoke contains 50 cancer causing chemicals. Of those, at least 11 are labeled as“Group 1 Carcinogens” - which are the most deadly.
2. - Radioactive lead is present in cigarette smoke.
3. - Hydrogen cyanide is found in small amounts in cigarette smoke. This chemical was used as genocidal agent in World War II.
4. - Ambergris (Otherwise known as whale vomit) is added to cigarettes by many manufacturers.
5. - There is enough nicotine in just 4 - 5 cigarettes to kill a healthy adult if it were consumed whole. Much of the nicotine is burned away.6. - 1/4 of all the youths alive today in East Asia will die from cigarette smoking if current trends continue.
7. - 3,000 kids each day in the U.S. pick up smoking each day. That number swells to 80,000%2B worldwide every day.
8. - China consumes approximately 1.7 trillion cigarettes every single year.
9. - It is estimated that trillions of filters containing tobacco and dangerous chemicals are laying on the ground, polluting our environment every year. Together, these cigarette filters weigh in the billions of pounds and are dangerous to the environment.

FOOD TIPS FOR HEALTHY VISION

'The Six Foods That are Best at Helping

You Get and Keep Healthy Vision.'

Your eyes are your window to the world, so protecting them is likely one of your top priorities. One of the best ways to keep your eyes healthy as you age is to include vision-friendly foods in your daily diet. And contrary to popular belief, carrots are far from the only food out there that is good for your eyes.

The following foods will not only help to nourish and support your eyes as you age, but many of them can also help to reduce your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration — the world’s leading cause of blindness.

1. Egg Yolks

Egg yolks are the best source of lutein, a yellow-hued antioxidant. One of lutein’s most talked about qualities is its ability to protect against cataracts and macular degeneration.

Lutein (along with zeaxanthin, another carotenoid) forms the yellow pigment of your retina and absorbs blue light, a harmful component of sunlight, says Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. Researchers also suspect that lutein’s antioxidant actions help to protect your eyes from light-induced oxidative damage. Lutein is also found in vegetables, especially green leafy ones, but when 10 volunteers ate different sources of lutein (spinach, eggs or one of two types of lutein supplements) eggs came out on top. Those who ate eggs as their lutein source had blood levels of lutein that were about three times higher than that of those who ate other lutein sources. The researchers suspect that other components in the egg yolk, such as lecithin, are responsible for its superior absorbability.

2. Brazil Nuts

One Brazil nut contains 120 mcg of selenium, which is about twice the Recommended Daily Allowance. Why is this a good thing? Because selenium’s antioxidant activity fights free radicals that may damage your eye’s lens and macula at the center of your retina. This may help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.

3. Blueberries (and Other Berries)

Blueberries contain anthocyanins, potent antioxidants that give fruits their red and purple color. Because of this, blueberries can help to prevent age-related damage and improve blood flow to your eyes. Anthocyanins also strengthen blood vessel walls, which can slow the development of diabetic retinopathy. The blueberry is quite possibly the healthiest fruit there is — it ranked number one in antioxidant capacity by researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Aside from blueberries, cherries, red grape, pomegranates, red cabbage, and beets also contain high levels of anthocyanins.

4. Salmon

Salmon and other oily fish like sardines, herring, and black cod are rich in omega-3 fats. A study from Harvard Medical School found that people who eat fish twice a week while avoiding unhealthy fats like trans fats have less than half the risk of developing macular degeneration as people who do neither. Meanwhile, omega-3 fats help protect light-sensing cells and are linked to a lower risk of cataracts.

When eating fish, be careful to choose wild, low-mercury varieties. As an alternative, you can take a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 supplement, such as fish oil.

5. Papaya

One serving of papaya will give you close to a three-day supply of vitamin C, which is one reason why papaya has been found to protect against macular degeneration. According to a 2001 study by the National Institutes of Health, people with macular degeneration could slow the disease by getting 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, and 80 mg of zinc every day.

6. Broccoli

Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting compound that’s also a powerful antioxidant. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, human retinal cells treated with sulforaphane were protected from oxidizing free radicals for several days.

Not a fan of broccoli?

Don’t worry, other cruciferous veggies like cabbage, kale, mustard greens and turnips are also rich in sulforaphane.

WEIGHT LOSS

Behaviour changes that can help weight loss.

We all know that dieting and exercising are the two key pillars of weight loss. However, there are some minor behaviour modifications that can help weight loss as well. I picked this from a pamphlet in my doctor’s office.

• They seemed like common sense ones and wanted to share…

• Evaluate what behaviours, activities or feelings trigger eating .


• Don’t use food as a reward for desired behavior .


• Drink plenty of non-calorific fluids, including water daily.


• Change usual eating places; avoid eating while involved in other activities.


• Make an effort to eat breakfast and small, frequent meals.


• Eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables at least 4 times daily .


• Eat slowly, putting your utensils down between bites.


• Weight should be checked on a weekly basis only.


• Clean high calorie, low nutried foods out of cupboards.


• Keep busy so the focus is not on foods.


• Shop from a healthy food list and not when hungry.


• Leave the table soon after eating and don’t feel a need to finish everything.


• Trim fat off meat and skin off poultry.


• Break the habit of nibbling while cooking or cleaning up from meals.


• Try low fat and low calorie food items (the taste keeps improving) .


• Exercise along with television exercise programs or during commercials when watching television.


• Nothing breathtakingly new, but something to keep at the back of our minds!