By now everybody probably knows about the dreaded Swine Flu or A(H1N1) flu virus originating from pigs. Unlike other viruses like SARS, which seems to dissipated faster as the virus acts fast so infections can be contained with proper quarantine procedures, the Swine Flu virus seems to act more slowly but fast enough to accelerate to a full blown flu ailment but not without causing it to spread around and infecting more unsuspecting victims who further spread it anew.
I remember reading sometime ago an article wherein allegedly the US government secretly created a harmless bug , or germ if you will, and sprayed it on certain busy airports as so to test its epidemic characteristics, to study how fast and how far a certain infectious disease is spread by travellers. Well with this flu virus, the US government can look no further as it has now found the perfect test condition platform but ironically, this is definitely not the scenario they would want to happen in real sense.
But by now people are worried and asking themselves when will this flu crisis be over? Many are feeling distressed that this malady is definitely affecting their lives and lifestyle that it has caused some fear and panic among ordinary people who are simply trying to run a normal life. Its has now been worrisome as the bug has travelled around the world in no time and has now invaded people’s homes, offices and schools.
Can the government and health authorities really prevent the further spread of this disease? In my opinion, I don’t think so. Or at least I don’t think they could, not just yet. After weeks of observation, the news seem to indicate that the virus seem to be spreading more, rather than dissipating. Thermal scanners at airports seem to be somewhat inutile as infected individuals oftentimes do not manifest the symptoms until much later after they have already gone through. Some who were caught with fever turned out to be just that. Many who arrived from abroad were able to socialize for a few more days before the symptoms showed. For those that checked themselves in when they felt sick and were positively diagnosed with Swine flu, were too late in a way as they have unwittingly already spread the virus. Some even said they never had fever symptoms all throughout the ordeal and that it felt just like an ordinary flu. Now the government health authorities are pressed to conduct “contact tracing” procedures in order to determine who and how many individuals have had close contact with the said infected person/s and recommend self quarantine measures but by then the virus could have exponentially infected more people already. Many have wondered how this virus has come about, where did it originate, how did it spread so fast and what’s being done about it seriously.
Apparently the health authorities aren’t very clear with its information campaign in combatting the virus. For one, the incubation period of the virus when persons are infected varies and one can manifest the symptoms by as long as 10 days from infection so by then many more could’ve been infected likewise. Recently, a student who arrived from the US and underwent the standard 10 day quarantine period, developed Swine flu symptoms after 13 days and still infected his classmates. What is the safety marker zone now? How is one tested to be positive for Swine flu as compared to having an ordinary flu? Are testing kits that fast and accurate? I’ve heard that one test accordingly cost a lot of money so do you think the poor would bother? From the inception of infection, when does the person become a contagious carrier? If I caught one today, can I infect another person like within the day or within a day or two? They say that a person is still contagious even after he was cured, so how do we know whether its safe to come in contact with that person or not? If the virus is airborne transmitted, which I believe it can survive through moisture in air like when a person sneezes or coughs, how long is the life span of this virus away from a human host before one who comes in contact with it is not infected and vice-versa? They say its 4 to 8 hours, upgraded from 2 to 4 hours and that’s too long. What’s scary is that a person who was exposed, never showed the symptoms nor got sick but then became a carrier and starts infecting others. That’s why on certain outbreaks on some locality, authorities are baffled and couldn’t determine where it came from. Do current flu shots work? An article I came across with said that there are about a hundred flu virus types out there and flu shots by today’s standards are only effective for about a half of these. So I’m wondering if the flu shots offered by the medical industry could cover this Swine flu specie together with other common flu viruses out there because these shots are definitely not cheap. Not only that, people pressed for cash opt for the cheaper flu type shot not knowing, or maybe knowing, that these shots can only offer prevention for about 10 or so types of the most common virus at the most. But then again it may not cover Swine flu, unless they take another shot which may cost more.
If there is a good side to this crisis is that authorities say the local virus infection seem to be of the “mild” type version and that most who had it got cured. That’s good news indeed. The bad is that people once infected but cured, develop a stigma and are being avoided like the plague. They say they’re being discriminated as if they have leprosy or something worse. But what if the kind of virus is that of the virulent deadly type and has entered the country? That could wreak havoc for sure on the economy as people will now be scared to leave their homes. Even then, the mild type can still kill if the afflicted ones are the very young or the elderly who have weak immune systems. In general I think that the government here and abroad, have miserably failed in its attempt to curb this epidemic crisis. By announcing and telling all not to panic, they are not totally convincing and is fooling no one that as long as more bad news are reported everyday, their efforts are definitely not helping their confidence building image. It’s still that early to put down our guard but its also not a good idea to panic either and so the sooner this crisis passes over the better it is for humanity. So bring out your hand sanitizers, alcohol and face masks because for now, I think Swine Flu is here to stay.
Posted by DinoFB 
