How to Prevent H1N1 Swine Flu: Transmission & History

The H1N1 swine flu virus has certainly been having its "fifteen minutes of fame," if not a lot more than that these days. By now, you would certainly be a minority if you haven't at least heard a little bit about it. Stories with the feeling of a horror movie have dominated health reports on television news for months now. But what exactly is swine flu? Few people outside of the medical field probably understand it too well; but now you will.

Most people, prior to the last year, have probably never even heard of swine flu but it's existence has actually been recognized since 1930! At that time, researchers isolated the H1N1 virus from an ill pig and since then, several different variations have been identified. When observed in swine, this virus causes a high rate of illness but a low rate of death. Similar effects have been observed when the virus is transferred to humans with death being rare and occurring almost exclusively in patients already suffering from a co-existing medical condition. The very young and the elderly are most at risk to suffer complications from the virus.

Decades ago, recognized cases of swine flu in humans were observed amongst farm workers who came into close contact with infected animals but no transmission from person to person was observed, and communities with infected persons did not have any outbreaks. This perhaps indicates that the modern H1N1 has mutated in a way that makes transmission from person to person possible, but it is noteworthy that modern infection with H1N1 typically requires specific conditions to exist, making contraction of the virus typically more difficult that the contraction of a seasonal flu virus.

In 1988, a pregnant woman who had been exposed to ill animals at a local fair's swine exhibition contracted the virus and with the addition of suffering from pneumonia, died eight days later. This is not typical, even today, and reinforces the fact that infection in humans is typically only dangerous when another medical condition co-exists. In that instance, that condition was pregnancy, and most medical professionals today would be quick to point out that this, combined with the pneumonia, is why such an extreme condition occurred. This type of example remains very rare. A study done at the time indicated that some health care workers who were in contact with the patient did develop mild flu-like symptoms and the presence of antibodies in their blood, thus indicating infection. That milder type of reaction is observed most commonly today as most infections with swine flu produce symptoms similar to seasonal flu, and nothing more.

This isn't to say that one should not take precautions to avoid contracting this illness. Having it certainly is to be avoided if at all possible. Earlier, I mentioned that to contract swine flu, specific conditions have to exist which differ from the conditions to contract a seasonal flu virus. This is fantastic news because it allows us to arm ourselves with that knowledge to prevent illness. Let's talk a little bit about how a person might contract a flu virus. Modern research shows that the H1N1 virus is relatively static in our world; that is to say that it doesn't move around a lot on its own. Laboratory research shows that it tends to "stick" to objects rather than floating around the air like a seasonal flu virus is more likely to do. For example, in a typical flu season, contraction of seasonal flu is likely from breathing in air containing the virus, such as after an infected person sneezes or coughs. A person could certainly also catch swine flu in this manner but the chances are much lower.

Because research shows the tendency of the H1N1 virus to remain on objects more willingly than remaining in the air, the CDC (although I'm not a complete fan of them) has emphasized the importance of hand washing to prevent spread of the virus. Assumptions based on lab test results indicate that it is much more likely a person can contract swine flu by touching an object with the virus on it and then "giving it to himself." It can enter the body when a person with the virus on their hands eats or otherwise touches their eyes, mouth, or the inside of their nose (Gross!). For this reason, the best prevention is simple hand washing, like your mother always told you (At least, I hope she did!). Knowing this about the virus, I always wash my hands thoroughly with soap and warm water when I come home, after being out in public touching door handles, pens at the gas station, etc., etc., etc. This ensures that I have washed (and killed) the virus from my hands before I eat or happen to touch my eyes or mouth. I highly, highly recommend thoroughly washing your hands before you eat if you have been touching public objects at work, school, or out anywhere else. This is your absolute best defense against contracting the H1N1 virus. It is notable that H1N1 may be able to live longer on surfaces than seasonal flu. A household with a person that has had any virus, including colds, can benefit from swabbing objects such as doorknobs and sink handles with a few cotton swabs doused in rubbing alcohol. This kills any viruses on the surfaces. It is my personal opinion that there may be a benefit to washing a person's bedding and any clothing they wore during a viral infection, after their recovery, to ensure any remaining organisms are killed.

There are other commonly known defenses for fending off any disease, and I recommend these not only for that purpose, but just for the increased quality of life that they offer. It's no secret that a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and at least some exercise greatly strengthens the body and its immunities. A person who doesn't sleep or eat right and is immobile all the time without question has a higher chance of contracting almost any disease. I have also long been of the opinion that many, in fact most people, walk around everyday dehydrated. It is recommended that an adult drink eight to ten eight-ounce glasses of water a day (I drink much more than that!). Teenagers and athletes often have a higher need for water and it is recommended for them to drink ten to twelve glasses of water daily. The human body is sixty-five percent water and the role it plays in a person's health is greater than eating even. The cleansing properties of water in the body, and the way that it affects the consistency of body fluids such as mucus, is absolutely pivotal in its importance in preventing disease. If two persons both ingested a flu virus and one was hydrated properly while the other was not, the person who was dehydrated would have a greater chance of having the virus develop into an illness, as opposed to having it be destroyed by the body.

Now, we've talked about several important ways to keep your immunity high and have a much lesser chance of becoming ill during the flu season. Another great tool for overall health and immunity is a daily multivitamin, and almost all doctors recommend taking one these days. Ideally, it'd be nice if we could get all of the vitamins and minerals we need from the food that we eat, but even for a person who eats healthily, this can be very difficult. And that's not even considering that a lot of us are "on the go" so much that we ignore the quality of our food just in an attempt to eat and get on to what we're doing next! A good multivitamin is great for overall health and immunity and they can be found in a range of varieties and prices. I once found a decent bottle of multivitamins in a local discount store for only three dollars! So it doesn't have to break your budget. The quality of vitamins can differ but certainly, something is better than nothing. And on that note, vitamins with prices that seem way too high often are no better than a regularly priced supplement.

I have my own concoction of vitamins and supplements that I take if I feel I am starting to become ill. In the first stages of lowered immunity or infection, it is actually possible to "super-boost" certain elements in your body which can often help you destroy the viruses immediately before they progress to a full infection! This remedy had its origin with a family member of mine who passed it on to me, but over the years, I have added to it a bit and found what I believe to be the absolute best combination to fight off an impending illness. So here it is:

There are four central ingredients to this mixture and a lot of you probably already have some if not all of them in your home. First of all, if you feel you are starting to become ill, start drinking as much water as you possibly can. Don't make yourself to feel ill from it, but keep drinking excessive amounts of water. This will help your body start to flush out the invaders. There is one vitamin, one mineral, and one herbal supplement to take then. First, take about 2,000% daily value of vitamin C all at once. Vitamin C is non-toxic and water-soluble. Taking a lot will not hurt you in any way although I would not mix it with acidic beverages such as coffee. Second, take some zinc, about 300% daily value. That would be one 50 mg tablet. The herb, you may have suspected that I would recommend, is Echinacea. Take as much as the bottle says you can. Mine says that I can take one capsule four times daily. Take the maximum amount per the instructions for at least two days and supplement your vitamin c and zinc (with a lesser amount) after four to six hours. And keep pounding down that water. If you feel well enough, take a walk or do something to get your blood pumping just a little bit. This will activate your body's immune system and help to kill the disease. If you still feel "under the weather" the day after doing all of this, repeat the process.

I have used the above-described method several times with great success, twice this year even! I'm an absolute believer in it. Twice, I was starting to feel like I really might be catching something; I did the above remedy and within one day, I was just about back to normal! It's a real life-saver! Or at least, a real happiness-saver! On the note of actually having an infection, I guess I should mention one more seemingly obvious way to greatly reduce any spread of this disease and that is that anyone who suspects that they have it should stay home and not be in contact with co-workers or the public. It's unfair to others for an ill person to continue living their normal lives while infected. It typically only takes three to six days to get over a full infection of swine flu, certainly not the end of the world. But I'm confident that if you read this article through all the way, you will be able to greatly reduce your chances of becoming ill in the first place!

In conclusion, I hope you don't "buy into" the excessive hype that the swine flu has gotten in the popular media. There is no reason to be any more frightened of it than any other flu virus; you just need to take common-sense precautions, like you would in any flu season. I hope I have given you a good idea about where this virus comes from and how it is transmitted. You should be armed with the knowledge now to most effectively prevent, or at least greatly reduce, the odds of contracting the virus. Next time, we'll be talking about the use, effectiveness, and safety of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine! Hope to see you then!

(c)2009 Swine Flu Watch & Vaccines/GemStar Media