Swine Flu Pandemic Heart Attack Health News Updates

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Swine flu pandemic could trigger spate of heart attacks.

The swine flu pandemic could trigger a spate of heart attacks if rates of illness surge as predicted this autumn, doctors warned.

Patients with heart disease are being advised to accept a vaccine against H1N1 swine flu as it becomes available next month in order to reduce the risk of fatal complications.

An estimated 5,200 people in England went down with the virus in the week before last compared with about 3,000 the previous week, suggesting that a predicted second wave of illness may be on its way.

About 2.5 million people with heart disease, as well as patients with other chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes, will be offered a flu jab. Last year, however, uptake of an annual vaccine against seasonal flu strains among patients considered “at risk” was only 47.2 per cent, researchers writing in The Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal said.

Andrew Hayward, an epidemiologist at University College London, and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that more efforts were needed to encourage people with heart disease and diabetes — which increases the risk of heart attacks — to have the flu jab. They reviewed 39 studies carried out between 1932 and 2008 and found that people with heart disease made up between 35 to 50 per cent of excess flu deaths.

All the population papers examined also showed a rise in deaths due to heart disease or incidence of heart attacks during times when the flu virus was circulating.

Flu can produce significant stress on the cardiovascular system and cause breathing problems, changes in blood pressure, a rapid heart rate and even direct effects on the heart.

The researchers wrote: “During influenza epidemics there are many deaths and serious complications in vulnerable populations. People with underlying chronic medical disorders such as cardiovascular disease are particularly at risk ... We believe influenza vaccination should be encouraged — especially in those people with existing cardiovascular disease.”

Health News – Swine Flu Outbreak Updates

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Indians determined to combat the H1N1 flu.

India is gearing up to be a major contributor towards preventing the spread of deadly H1N1 flu. Serum Institute of India, Ocimum Biosolutions and Dr. Suresh Mittal, a researcher in Purdue University, have all taken up initiatives to fight this fast-spreading flu. The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that if the current outbreak turns into a pandemic, up to two billion people around the world could be infected by this virus.

Commenting on the current progress made in the project, Jadhav said, "We will be getting the samples in another three weeks and if the testing goes as per plan, we can have the vaccine by 4-5 months." According to Jadhav, there were originally eight scientists working on the project, but now another five scientists may be added. "Our objective is to develop around 100 million doses", adds Jadhav.

The Ocimum Biosolutions is another Indian company that has launched a microarray based test, to detect the H1N1 virus. The test will be conducted on the updated version of the custom made OciChip platform that was used during the avian flu outbreak, three years ago.

The test will be conducted with the sequence information available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). "We have still not received any samples from the affected countries", said Anuradha Acharya, CEO, Ocimum Biosolutions. According to Acharya, the test will be validated in an Indian lab in the next two weeks before it is available.

In addition, to the microarray based test, the Hyderabad-based company has said that it can also provide a Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) based molecular diagnostic test also. "Both these tests can be conducted in a few hours and avoids the risk of patients with suspected cases infecting others when the wait is longer", adds Acharya.

Joining this league of companies is Mittal, a professor of comparative pathobiology in the School of Veterinary Medicine in Purdue. He has already received gene samples of the H1N1 virus and has started working on it, in his laboratory. Within a month, Mittal hopes to develop a vaccine ready for testing. He would be using the same approach that he had developed for the H5N1 bird flu virus during its outbreak.

According to a recent report by UN health agency, the number of confirmed cases of H1N1 infections stands at 4,379 in 29 countries, with a death toll of 49. India with its one billion people cannot be immune to such a threat without being vigilant. Both Jadhav and Acharya believe that India can prevent an outbreak, if there is rapid screening at airports and having the necessary stockpiles of anti-virals.

Source Link :- http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Indians_determined_to_combat_the_H1N1_flu-nid-56462.html

Health Tips & Benefits - Swine Influenza(Swine Flu) Symptoms,Facts

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A Swine Flu virus has health officials around the world working to contain the growing outbreak. Swine flu or Swine Influenza is a contagious respiratory sickness that is normally only found in pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus.

Normally the swine flu virus only spreads from animal to person containing the spread but When the flu spreads person-to-person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to combat because people have no natural immunity.

The swine flu virus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

Swine flu Symptoms :-

It was as regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting related to swine influenza. The symptoms can also cause many other conditions.