"In Transbaikalia, due to the A / H1N1 flu epidemic, conscription has been suspended!" "The President of the United States did not have enough swine flu vaccine!" "The official data on those infected with the influenza A / H1N1 virus is 10 times understated!" "In Perm, you can get tested for swine flu for 860 rubles." “The number of deaths from swine flu is increasing!”
More dangerous than a Spanish woman?
Here are just a few of the hundreds of titles that are now full of the pages of the Russian press. Numerous articles convince us that a pandemic will soon cover the entire globe. It will leave us almost no chance of survival! Involuntarily you begin to think: why not take a vacation in the fall and spend it within four walls, isolating yourself from the world where an insidious virus is in charge? And in the morning crush on the subway, you flinch from every sneeze of fellow travelers pressed against you. Be that as it may, to date, five deaths from influenza A / H1N1 have been recorded in Russia, the number of cases is approaching two thousand.
So is it possible that the swine flu, which appeared in Mexico and began to travel the Earth, surpassed in its danger the legendary Spaniard, which in 1918-1920 killed almost 100 million people in 18 months?
Boy from the village of La Gloria
The first case of influenza caused by the A / H1N1 virus occurred in the village of La Gloria, home to one of the largest pig farms in Mexico. A four-year-old boy developed symptoms. The kid recovered, and the flu safely got out of the village. And, despite the fact that all schools, shopping centers, swimming pools and even restaurants in Mexico City were immediately closed, it was not possible to stifle the epidemic in the bud.
Promotional video:
Many countries, having learned about the misfortune, immediately limited the flights of their citizens to Mexico and completely stopped the export of meat products from this country. At all airports, passengers arriving from areas adjacent to the center of the epidemic were measured temperature. By the way. The World Health Organization (WHO) said epidemiological control at air borders is unlikely to have a positive effect. It is clear that a person who needs to go through customs will simply take a couple of aspirin tablets and lower the temperature for a while. Moreover, as it turned out, swine flu can occur without an increase in body temperature.
Highly contagious
Indeed, despite the precautions, outbreaks of influenza A / H1N1 were recorded, except for Mexico, in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Spain, New Zealand … According to the WHO, as of early October, 343,298 cases of the disease were registered in the world. The number of deaths is 4567. And this despite the fact that annually more than half a million people die from seasonal flu on the globe. In Russia, 591 people were diagnosed with influenza A / H1N1. Should you worry? It is surprising, however, that the epidemic began in the spring, although we are used to "flu" in the fall or early winter. Moreover, although a four-year-old boy fell ill first, the main risk group for swine flu is not children or the elderly, as usual, but people from twenty to fifty years old. This age group appears to have little or no immunity to the A / H1N1 virus. In children, the disease is fairly easy, and they generally recover.
Piggies have nothing to do with it
But you shouldn't relax. It is believed that even when compared to others, swine flu is highly contagious.
The A / H1N1 virus has been known to scientists since 1930. However, it has changed a lot since then. A pig can be exposed to a human or avian influenza virus, and the virus changes and new strains appear in its body. Can a person get the swine flu? Only if he is constantly in contact with these animals, for example, when working on a pig farm. But after eating thermally processed pork meat, you cannot get sick. So some countries, in particular Egypt, which began to destroy the livestock of innocent pigs in a panic, were probably in a hurry.
Mask and more …
How does this disease proceed? Its onset, like any flu caused by another type of virus, is abrupt. There is weakness, headache and muscle pain, cough, runny nose, vomiting and diarrhea. Sometimes pneumonia joins.
How is the virus transmitted from person to person? Well, first of all, of course, by airborne droplets. Indeed, sneezing, a sick person sprays particles of saliva and nasal mucus around him, literally stuffed with a virus. Of course, in this case, you can only protect yourself with a mask. However, the Russians, unlike, for example, the Japanese, consider wearing a mask beneath their own dignity. And in vain. During the Spanish flu, for example, in some cities around the world people were not allowed to use public transport without masks. True, it is difficult to judge now whether it helped or not. Perhaps, without such a simple protection, the victims of the terrible epidemic would have been much more.
But, it turns out, you can get the flu just by touching the object that the patient was holding. Call - My hands before food! today is more relevant than ever. But this should be done not only before meals. Leading epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists urge to wash hands with soap and water as often as possible during an epidemic, especially when coming from the street. Moreover, it is not enough to rinse them quickly: hands should be washed for at least two minutes, thoroughly soaping several times and then washing off the soap suds. If you wash your hands in a public institution, then, without turning off the water, dry them with a paper towel, and then turn on the tap with the same towel. And in no case touch your face, do not rub your eyes!
And you also need to remember that, having had the flu, adults remain infectious for about a week, and children - three times longer. Therefore, having coped with the ill-fated virus, do not rush to work - you can cause illness for others.
Probably, a vaccine will soon appear to protect us from A / H1N1. But we must bear in mind that the virus of any flu is very insidious and constantly changing, therefore, when the vaccine is ready, it will already be able to resist it. The only good news is that, having been vaccinated against any strain, we will be much easier to cope with the virus that tries to dominate our body.
Is the virus artificial?
In the spring, when it became known about the beginning of the swine flu epidemic, the Minister of Health of Indonesia, City Fadila Supari, suddenly announced that the virus that causes this disease was created artificially! And it was created by genetic engineers of the West, bribed by some pharmaceutical companies who want to get rich out of epidemics. The minister believes that the United States is creating new viruses and infecting them with the population of developing countries, in particular Indonesia. “I don’t exclude. - said Ms. Supari, - that in this case we are talking about biological weapons. The opinion of City Fadila Supari was supported by some experts, for example, the famous Australian virologist Adrian Gibbs.
But in this assumption, apparently, there is a rational kernel! The panic caused by the threat of a new epidemic has led to a jump in the value of the shares of some Western pharmaceutical companies. And to be honest - our manufacturers and sellers of vaccines will also receive significant profits. In addition, in anticipation of an epidemic, people literally sweep pills, syringes, gauze bandages from pharmacy shelves …
However, this excitement is also beneficial for the authorities of some countries, who want to switch the attention of the population from the economic crisis and other social problems to the upcoming struggle against the great and terrible A / H1N1.
However, WHO experts do not share this point of view.
Blame … the aliens
Ufologists also did not stand aside from the discussion of the origin of A / H1N1. However, every time planet Earth is exposed to some kind of misfortune, they put forward one, not too original version. In their opinion, the swine flu virus was indeed created artificially, but not by terrestrial, but by alien genetics. The "little green men", ostensibly with persistence worthy of better use, are trying to create a means to lime earthlings. The vacated territories should be populated by aliens who, for one reason or another, wander in the Universe in search of the Promised Land.
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №47. Author: Elena Landa