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10 Swine Flu Myths Busted - Wearing A Mask May Not Be Helping You

Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses that infect the respiratory tract of pigs, resulting in nasal secretions, a barking cough, decreased appetite, and listless behaviour. Occasionally, pigs transmit influenza viruses to people, mainly to hog farmers and veterinarians. Less often, someone infected passes the infection to others. 

The human respiratory infection caused by a particular influenza virus H1N1 strain — popularly known as swine flu — was first recognized in spring 2009. A few months after the first swine flu cases were reported, rates of confirmed H1N1-related illness were increasing in much of the world. As a result, the World Health Organization declared the infection a global pandemic.

Myths about Swine Flu -

Swine flu poses no real threat; it's just media hype.

According to the World Health Organization, swine flu is a global pandemic (2009).

H1N1 outbreaks are inevitable and can't be prevented.

While it's too late to prevent the outbreak, we can limit the spread of the virus and thus diminish the risks associated with infection. Doctors recommend getting vaccinated for the same.

If an employee or student gets sick, close down the office or school to stop the spread of the virus.

That's wasted time and energy and won't accomplish anything but hurting productivity. In reality, personal hygiene measures are among the best ways to prevent infection, including washing your hands with soap and water regularly, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, cleaning infected surfaces, covering your mouth when you cough and staying home when you get sick, (according to the Center for Disease Control).

The symptoms are like regular flu. You've got it if you've got a fever.

The symptoms of H1N1 flu can be like those of ordinary flu, but often they are not. You may suffer from nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhoea in addition to the usual suspects. And in up to half of all cases, people never develop a fever.

You're safe as long as you're healthy. Only sick, weak people get really ill.

Most of the children who have died of swine flu were perfectly healthy beforehand, and many of the adult victims also had no underlying conditions.

I'll be OK if I just eat organic food, take vitamins, wear a mask, wash my hands a lot and drink plenty of fluids.

Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water a day, and keeping your hands clean will definitely prevent you from catching any disease. Wearing a mask may also inhibit the germs from entering your system, but it is not a fool proof method. However, getting vaccinated is by far the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from swine flu.

Using hand sanitizer isn’t as effective as washing your hands.

Hand sanitizers have been shown to be very effective in killing the swine flu virus and should be used not only by people trying to prevent catching the virus, but also by people who have the virus to keep from spreading it to others.

I should stop shaking hands with people.

One can still shake hands with each other as long as they are not symptomatic. The swine flu takes a respiratory root of transmission through coughing and sneezing and landing on a susceptible host

I have a sore throat and have been coughing and sneezing, so I have swine flu.

For both seasonal influenza and H1N1, the symptoms are a high-grade fever – typically above 101 degrees — headache, body aches, coughing, and occasionally, more so with swine flu than seasonal flu, there is some nausea and vomiting.

Once this pandemic is over we'll be safe for another few decades.

Another animal flu virus could jump to humans tomorrow and start another pandemic, which could be far worse than 2009 swine flu.

Prevention of Swine Flu -

• Wash Your Hands
• Get Enough Sleep
• Keep Hydrated
• Eat Immune-Boosting Foods
• Avoid Alcohol.
• Be Vigilant of Surfaces
• Contact with Sick People
• Know When to Get Help

Please note: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of mycity4kids. Any omissions or errors are the author's and mycity4kids does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.