Diagnosis
Swine flu is diagnosed by the history of the patient more so if he lives in an area that is affected by this strain of virus. The symptoms of flu add to the suspicion. As a part of diagnosis it is also important to consider if he has traveled to a high-risk area or has been in contact with an infected person.
Confirmation requires using a ‘Swine Influenza Test Kit’ to analyze samples from nasal, nasopharyngeal or throat swabs.
Sometimes more than one type of sample may be used. Although the Kit is not FDA approved it is believed to be a good test to detect the H1NI virus. The FDA however directs that the kit can be used in case of an emergency.
There is a minuscule chance that this kit can produce a false positive result but overall it is quite reliable.
A correct diagnosis is important to keep the spread of the disease under check.
Reference:-
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This is an informative article on this subject and I really enjoyed the read. My regards and appreciation to the writer of this amazing material... To know more about Flu Symptoms
I am so worried about catching the swine flu. I have done everything in my power to protect myself and my family. Even to the point that if it were to become so out of control that we needed to be locked in our house for some time due to the pandemic.
Very good illustrations by Medindia.net. Dr.GANGADHAR RAO HYDERABAD
An interesting Abstract from a recent paper on Swine Flu
Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Investigation Team
Background - On April 15 and April 17, 2009, novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) was identified in specimens obtained from two epidemiologically unlinked patients in the United States. The same strain of the virus was identified in Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere. We describe 642 confirmed cases of human S-OIV infection identified from the rapidly evolving U.S. outbreak.
Methods - Enhanced surveillance was implemented in the United States for human infection with influenza A viruses that could not be subtyped. Specimens were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for real-time reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction confirmatory testing for S-OIV.
Results- From April 15 through May 5, a total of 642 confirmed cases of S-OIV infection were identified in 41 states. The ages of patients ranged from 3 months to 81 years; 60% of patients were 18 years of age or younger. Of patients with available data, 18% had recently traveled to Mexico, and 16% were identified from school outbreaks of S-OIV infection.
The most common presenting symptoms were fever (94% of patients), cough (92%), and sore throat (66%); 25% of patients had diarrhea, and 25% had vomiting. Of the 399 patients for whom hospitalization status was known, 36 (9%) required hospitalization. Of 22 hospitalized patients with available data, 12 had characteristics that conferred an increased risk of severe seasonal influenza, 11 had pneumonia, 8 required admission to an intensive care unit, 4 had respiratory failure, and 2 died. The S-OIV was determined to have a unique genome composition that had not been identified previously.
Conclusions A novel swine-origin influenza A virus was identified as the cause of outbreaks of febrile respiratory infection ranging from self-limited to severe illness. It is likely that the number of confirmed cases underestimates the number of cases that have occurred.
Raja Ramachandran, Senior Resident Nephrology, PGIMER, Chandigarh,INDIA
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