What is swine flu (H1N1 Virus) FAQ
Is the new swine flu virus contagious?
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) says the new swine flu virus is highly contagious and is spreading from person to person.
Swine flu spreads in the same way as ordinary colds and flu. The virus is spread through the droplets that come out of the nose or mouth when someone coughs or sneezes.
If someone coughs or sneezes and they do not cover it, those droplets can spread about one meter (3ft). If you are very nearby you might breathe them in.
Or, if someone coughs or sneezes into their hand, those droplets and the virus within them are easily transferred to surfaces that the person touches, such as door handles, hand rails, telephones and keyboards. If you touch these surfaces and touch your face, the virus can enter your system, and you can become infected.
The flu virus can live on a hard surface for up to 24 hours, and a soft surface for around 20 minutes.
What is the incubation period for swine flu?
According to the Health Protection Agency, the incubation period for swine flu (time between infection and appearance of symptoms) can be up to seven days, but it is most likely to be between two and five days. But it is too early to be able to provide details on virus characteristics, including incubation period, with total certainty at this time.
When are people most infectious?
People are most infectious to others soon after they develop symptoms, although they continue to shed the virus (for example, in coughs and sneezes) for up to five days (seven days in children). People become less infectious as their symptoms subside, and once their symptoms are gone they are no longer considered infectious to others.
Should I avoid contact with people suspected of having swine flu?
All suspected cases who have swine flu symptoms will have been asked to stay at home and restrict their contact with people. Most people should go about their normal life, including going to school or work. This includes children who attend a school with a confirmed case of swine flu.
There is no need to avoid contact with people who might simply have come into contact with those having the illness, such as the parents of children at schools with a confirmed case but who are not themselves ill.
Will I die from swine flu?
For most people, the illness has been mild and self-limiting. The virus has caused severe illness in a minority of people, many of whom have had underlying risk factors such as a long-term condition. NHS staff are well trained in treating people who become hospitalized by swine flu and can give effective treatment for any secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumonia.
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TopINews! Technology, Sports, Entertainment, News, Magazine.
July 10th, 2010 at 10:21 am
The electron microscopic picture (red) is taken in my laboratory, but used without my permission.