The outbreak of the swine influenza continues to grow. Hundreds of lives have been killed and thousands are affected. And as the number grows, can we be the next victim?
The swine influenza comes from three different strains of viruses, the swine's own influenza virus, the bird flue and the human influenza. These viruses create a new and deadlier strain of virus, the Swine Influenza Virus or the SIV.
The symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. So if you have gotten these, just consult a physician for a check up. Especially if you travelled from countries affected with SIV.
The influenza virus is really hard to eradicate because every now and then, the virus mutates so that the human antibodies won't be able to identify and kill the viruses.
As student nurses on duty, sometimes it's hard not to be scared of the threat since we are always in close contact with patients and it is hard to identify whether they are infected with the virus or not, even if the government says that the "Philippines is SIV free", for now. The best thing we could do is to wear a mask and wash our hands.
As a major prevention, it is advisable to to travel abroad especially in countries where cases of SIV is tremendously high. Swine raisers should also get some flu vaccines in order to minimize the possibility of getting the disease. We should also take some exercise and take some multivitamins to build a strong body resistance and ofcourse avoid stressful activities cause stress makes your immune system weak and weak immune system makes us a vulnerable target for these viruses.
So with these few reminders, I hope we'll all be safe!
