Since the initial outbreak of swine flu in Mexico the world has become increasingly alarmed by the spread of this disease. It has now crossed many countries’ boundaries to become a global threat. It is not as life threatening as say, bird flu but it has caused some deaths, albeit in people who all ready suffered some underlying health problem that made them more vulnerable to any infection.

Basically, swine flu is simply a form of influenza type A, a seasonal flu that most of us are accustomed to and against which some are vaccinated – health workers and the elderly.

A vaccine is imminent but there are doubts as to how effective it will be since the virus can keep on mutating and therefore be difficult to combat It seems as though viruses have a natural tendency to survive by altering their DNA structure and making them difficult to pin down.

If you should be unlucky enough to catch flu and you think it could be swine flu don’t panic. You should simply do as you normally would if you feel flu-like symptoms, i.e. get to bed and take plenty of fluids, some vitamin C and some analgesic. You will not need to worry too much if your symptoms are consistent with those of normal flu, which are:

What are the symptoms that you do need to worry about? You should seek urgent medical attention for children who have: breathing difficulties, dehydration, blue or grey skin colouration, continuous vomiting, severe fatigue, inability to interact, severe cough, or high fever.

On the other hand there are symptoms that are not common with normal flu and should be taken more seriously. If children experience the following symptoms then urgent medical treatment is required: breathing difficulties, dehydration, blue or grey skin colouration, continuous vomiting, severe fatigue, inability to interact, severe cough or high fever

People who have an inadequate immune system are more at risk of infection than the rest of the population and should therefore take extra precautions to avoid becoming infected by staying away from public places and washing their hands frequently. People with a compromised immunity include Aids sufferers, recipients of transplanted organs, and people receiving treatment for cancer.

If for any reason your immune system is not up to scratch you can be more vulnerable to swine flu and should take extra precautions to try to avoid being exposed to it. Don’t go out into public places or socialise unnecessarily for the time being. Your immunity could be compromised if you suffer from Aids, have an organ transplant, or are undergoing treatment for cancer. One last point is that the very young are at particular risk as their immune systems have not yet developed, and to a lesser extent so are the elderly since immunity fades a little as we get older.

About the author: Jackie Compton is an experienced epidemic expert. To get more details on swine influenza and find out whether you require professional help go to Qualityhealth.com . If you are afraid of Swine influenza you can get health offers to protect your family also at Qualityhealth.com