Swine Flu – What You Can Do

If you’ve turned on your television lately, checked the Internet, or opened a newspaper, you are very aware of the current swine flu outbreak. Media outlets everywhere are flooding us with reports of this global health threat. The news is developing very rapidly, with the facts seem to change hour by hour. As I write this, the first death in America is being reported. By the time you read this, things will no doubt have changed dramatically. While I hope those changes are for the better, there is much we simply don’t know.

But here are a few things we do know: Swine flu appears to be a new and particularly virulent strain of the influenza virus, which has made the transition from animal to human hosts. It has caused the deaths of more than 175 Mexican citizens (many of them healthy young adults) since mid-April. More than 100 cases have already popped up in the U.S., prompting officials to declare a public health emergency – while Israel, New Zealand, and Spain have just confirmed the first cases to appear outside of North America.

Could this outbreak reach pandemic proportions? Very possibly … but that doesn’t mean you should start to panic yet.

Mount Your Defenses

While swine flu is impervious to current flu vaccines, it does appear to respond well to antiviral treatment. So, if you start to experience flu symptoms, it’s a good idea to see your doctor sooner rather than later, since these drugs must be started within the first 48 hours after symptoms appear. Luckily, cases in the U.S. have been noticeably milder than those in Mexico. But that could change, and medical attention could make all the difference.

That said, practicing a little extra caution could go a long way in keeping you and your family safe. And, the most important defense is a healthy immune system.

Following a healthy lifestyle is key to staying well. That means eating a diet full of antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies, exercising, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress. These last two are especially important, say researchers at the University of British Columbia. In a study conducted in 2004, 83 healthy young adults were monitored for stress before, during, and after receiving a flu shot. The researchers also looked at a battery of different things like cigarette and alcohol use, level of physical activity, and how much sleep the volunteers got. It turns out that, as unhealthy as smoking and drinking are, the two things that really undermined the participant’s immune system were stress and a lack of sleep.

Practice Good Hygiene

There is new evidence that the swine flu virus has the ability to stay viable on objects like doorknobs and money for up to 48 hours. Dodging harmful bacteria and viruses mean practicing some commonsense hygiene habits. That means washing your hands frequently with good old-fashioned soap and water, and staying home if you’re sick.

Hand-washing is a simple habit that requires only soap and warm water. Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, these soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Plus, using an antibacterial soap may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products’ antimicrobial agents – making it even harder to kill these germs in the future.

While it’s true that you’ve been washing your hands all of your life, here’s a refresher course in how to do it properly.

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