It’s the aporkalypse! Pigs are infecting humans right and left with a deadly virus and people are dropping like flies! Not really, although this is the impression one might gather from reading newspapers or watching TV in the past few weeks. “170 dead in Mexico” scream the headlines, filling the screens with armies of masked people, bringing to mind scenes from science fiction horror flicks like Outbreak.
Like the Ebola outbreak that struck Uganda in late 2007 (information leaking suspiciously only after CHOGM was completed), the latest eruption of a rare, exotic and largely unknown disease has struck fear in the heart of the public.
What exactly are we dealing with here? ‘Does “swine flu” mean that I have to give up my pork habit?’ – is undoubtedly the question circulating around some kafundas in town these days. Never fear friends, let’s get some facts straight.
1. You cannot get swine flu from eating well cooked (or roasted) pork
“Swine flu” refers to the fact that this virus, a strain of the H1N1 virus type A (there are three types – A, B, and C, with type A occurring in many species and the cause of many flu pandemics historically), was likely created by mutations resulting in the combination of multiple virus strains, which combined genetic material from humans, pigs and birds. In other words the pig was the “melting pot” for this new strain of the virus. The resulting flu is a respiratory disease, and is passed primarily through coughing and sneezing, and is not unlike the common flu (also an H1N1 strain) that can bring with it fever, body aches, cough, fatigue, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea.
This recently discovered strain was first passed from pig to human, but now passes from human to human, which is why it has been a major public health concern and why the World Health Organization has warned that it could trigger a global pandemic. You cannot get swine flu from eating well-cooked pork or pork products. To protect yourself, as with any other flu, you should wash your hands regularly and especially before eating or touching your nose or mouth. Viruses can live for two hours or longer on everyday objects that we regularly touch, such as money, desks, door handles, computer keyboards, etc.
3. You are more likely to die in a road accident driving home from the airport than you are to die from catching swine flu on the plane
In the United States, which borders Mexico, the country where the swine flu outbreak first occurred, around 36,000 people die from the flu every year. The number of deaths from swine flu (which last week numbered 7 laboratory-confirmed cases, all in Mexico) simply pales in comparison to deaths from major killers in the US or elsewhere. The fear of swine flu is more a fear of the unknown than of a legitimate threat to one’s health, much less the future of mankind. In Uganda, road accidents, malaria, meningitis, pneumonia and the like are far more likely to kill you than swine flu.
In the event that you experience flu symptoms and you have recently travelled to or been in the company of someone who has traveled to a country where cases of swine flu have been reported (at press time, this included Mexico, the US, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Spain, Germany, Israel, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Switzerland, or Austria) you should report to your doctor or clinic immediately. Hotlines in Uganda as reported by the New Vision last week are 0712805738, 0392966317 and 0772664721.
4. Experts are not panicking, neither should you
Aside from the fact that panicking is rarely a useful response in any event, the fact that most experts in the fields of virology, molecular biology, chemistry, public health and others are not running for cover should be a signal that the general public need not fret too much about this latest flu scare. This is not to say that governments and citizens should not take reasonable precautions or that the situation could not escalate further, but nothing so far indicates that this strain of influenza is likely to cause mortality on a massive and worldwide scale. Moreover, there are antiviral treatments, such as Tamiflu, effective against this type of flu virus, H1N1, though governments will have to ensure they have sufficient quantities and access to these drugs should the virus spread.
*****
Last Thursday the WHO upped the level of influenza pandemic alert to the second highest, phase 5. This means that human-to-human transmission has occurred in at least two countries, a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent”, according to WHO. In a statement released last week, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said, “Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world,” however, “On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than any time in history.”
The world may be better prepared, which is one reason not to panic despite the flood of frightening news stories, but it is also upon governments to ensure that they are prepared to protect their citizens should such a pandemic strike. Uganda is said to have 10,000 doses of Tamiflu in its National Medical Stores, apparently left over from the avian flu scare. Antivirals should be taken within two days of contracting the flu for highest efficacy. There is not yet a vaccine available for swine flu.
This apparently highly contagious disease constitutes a genuine threat to public health worldwide, but don’t let fear get in the way of your daily activities – we are not yet staring in the face of an aporkalypse. And certainly don’t let all the scaremongering get in the way of your penchant for pork. If you are kicking back at Zanzi this weekend you won’t keel over, at least not from swine flu. Just make sure you wash your hands first.
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