专家:如何有效预防猪流感

世界卫生组织25日对在墨西哥造成至少20人死亡的新型猪流感病毒表示“非常担心”，认为这种病毒明显带有转化成流行性病毒的潜在可能。何为猪流感？有何预防措施？和谐英语搜集外媒热点，帮你打消疑虑。让专家来告诉你该怎么做。

What You Need to Know About Swine Flu

What many people do not realize is that the flu is generally a much more serious illness than most people appreciate. Even the "typical" flu season results in 36,000 American deaths each year, according to CDC statistics.

The swine flu is a type of influenza virus usually found in pigs. The most common version is H1N1, and the current virus causing concern is a new variation of that virus. Swine flu does not typically pass to humans directly, but such transmission can occur. The current swine flu virus concerns health experts because it has shown the ability to pass from human to human.

When a person gets the swine flu virus, it takes 48 hours before the infected person actually begins to feel ill.

"It takes time for the virus to get down and start to create an illness. That interval between exposure and onset of illness is called the incubation period. The virus hasn't manigested itself," Schaffner said.
Once a person becomes ill, they can stay that way for anywhere from 48 hours to seven days. So far, in the United States, the cases of swine flu have been mild.

There is no vaccination for the swine flu system. U.S. and WHO officials said they are beginning work on a vaccine, but that could take months to develop.

Two prescription anti-viral drugs -- Tamiflu and Relenza -- have proved effective in combating the swine flu virus in victims in the United States. The Obama administration has released 12.5 million courses of the country's stockpile of 50 million courses of Tamiflu.

Health officials and doctors don't recommend people go to the hospital if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Rather, they should contact their doctor.

Doctors recommend getting rest and drinking plenty of fluids, and using Tylenol and Advil, which have proven effective for flu symptoms.
Doctors recommend "self-quarantine" for those inflicted with the influenza, so that it does not spread to others. If children are sick, they should not be sent to school. For adults, they should stay away from their workplaces and maintain as much distance as possible from others. Travel on buses or airplanes is not recommended.

Doctors say it is only natural for flus to spread in places like schools, where there is a lot of interaction.

It is hard to distinguish the symptoms of a swine flu from any other flu.
Schaffner said the one distinction is that the swine flu is not a common cold.

"Common cold has its symtoms from the neck up -- sore throat, stuffy nose and feeling crummy. However influenza tends to make you feel much more ill. You can have a sore throat but then you also get cough and muscle aches and pains," he said.

The Swine Flu Symptoms

Hayden Henshaw, an 18year-old from Cibolo, Texas, who was diagnosed with the swine flu last week, said he felt regular flu symptoms.

"You just get really run down, my skin and my muscles were achy. I had a cough and slightly feverish." he told ABC News.
His father, Patrick and 11-year-old sister, Hannah, also got the flu from him.

"It's just like any other flu but the vaccine doesn't help with this strain," his mother, Robin, told ABC News.

Doctors recommend looking out for symptoms such as a fever of more than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.

In the absence of symptoms, officials say people don't have to get tested. If they are experiecing the symptoms, they you should take precaution and stay away from others.

The WHO is developing a profile of the "typical case" of swine flu, but thus far, the symptoms appear to be essentially the same as those for the usual winter flu. The only way to definitively diagnose swine flu is to have laboratory testing done to determine the exact subtype of the virus.