Swine Flu

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The year 2009 'till early 2010 was plagued with swine flu fear. Though most cases were mild, the virus was spreading real fast that thousands of people are added to the infection count everyday. What made it even scarier was the fact that there are people who were dying from it! NOT only did it cause concerns on households but also to different medical bodies from around the world including the World Health Organization.

For the most part, it caused major panics to parents; most specially parents of school children who were very vulnerable to being infected by the disease when they're at schools.

The 2009 H1N1 epidemic wasn't the first time that swine influenza infected the human race.

In February 5, 1976, a Fort Dix army private named David Lewis weakened and said that he "felt tired" and thinking that it was just probably an ordinary influenza. He went to a "forced run" and collapsed. He was revived by his sergeant but he died few days after. Four of the other soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey was also hospitalized with the same symptoms.

Two weeks after Private Lewis' death, health officials announced that the cause of his death was swine influenza which seemed to be closely related to the strain involved in the pandemic flu of 1918.

The possibility of the occurrence of yet another major flu pandemic alarmed health officials that they urged President Gerald Ford to have everyone in America vaccinated without knowing that one of the versions of the flu vaccines can inflict neurological damage.

40 million Americans were immunized between October and December then the government ordered suspension of the immunization program on December 16 after receiving reports of more than 64 cases Gullian-Barré syndrome across ten states.

Only one person was documented to have died from swine flu during that year.

What is Swine Flu?

In simple terms, it's just a type of influenza - an influenza virus that's supposed to only infect swine or pigs and NOT humans.

Swine influenza is also known by other terms such as pig influenza, hog flu, and pig flu. It is an infection by either swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine origin influenza virus (S-OIV) that are any strain of the influenza family of viruses that are common in pigs which includes strains of influenza C and subtypes of influenza A such as H1N1, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.

Pig influenza is a common ailment among (you guessed it!) pigs and chances of a pig-to-human transmission is very rare and it doesn't always lead to human flu; most of the time, all it does is produce antibodies in our blood. Animal to human viral or disease transmission is called zoonosis, and in the case of the H1N1 virus, it's called zoonotic swine flu.

People who are very prone to this type of swine flu infection are the ones with regular exposure to pigs so if you're one of those, you may want to consider some precautionary measures like using gloves and face-masks when tending to pigs specially when they're sick. And avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; they're the germs doors and windows into your body. Transmission doesn't always cause flu, it's rare and most are only mild cases but then there were cases of deaths from this virus so taking some precautionary measures wouldn't hurt!

Zoonotic Swine flu symptoms doesn't differ that much with usual influenza illnesses; you'll experience chills, fever, sore throat, muscle and joint pains, severe headaches, coughing, tiredness, and general weakness.

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Flu Virus Classification

There are three genera of influenza viruses that infect humans and can cause a flu infection. They are Influenza A, Influenza B, and Influenza C.

Of these three, two also cause influenza in pigs having Influenza A as the most common and Influenza C, the rarest. Influenza B has never yet been reported in pigs.

Swine influenza is known to be caused by H1N1, H1N2, H2N3, H3N1, and H3N2, which are all subtypes of Influenza A. H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the most common strains that causes swine flu in pigs worldwide.

Influenza C viruses can infect both humans and pigs but not birds. Some minor outbreaks from this virus was manifested in the past like the small outbreak that mildly infected children in Japan and California. Influenza C has was never known to have caused pandemics in humans in the past largely because of its limited host range and lack of genetic diversity.

Diet Suggestion

Most people do NOT know that they can fight illnesses such as swine flu from within. If you observed people who have suffered the most from swine flu's wrath, you'll come to realize that these people already have other diseases or have weak resistance against the disease. People who are aged 65 and older, pregnant women, children under fiver years old, diabetics, people with asthma, etc.

Healthy people are least affected by the disease if ever infected. Swine flu is a flu and if you have a strong resistance against it, there's a chance that you may not even be infected at all even when exposed to the virus.

You can boost your resistance by bombarding your system with vitamin c rich foods as well as other vitamin rich fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits are the riches source of vitamin c as well as other nutrients like bioflavonoids, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, niacin and vitamin B6 which are also very potent in fighting off diseases.

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Recommended Juicer Recipes For Swine Flu

Apple

Lemon

Carrot

Beetroot

Cabbage

Celery

Lemons have very potent anti-viral properties that fight infections and stops colds at its path. Carrots and cabbage boosts the immune system and produces anti-bodies that effectively fights off viral and bacterial infections. Celery adds up chlorophyll and other vitamins and minerals that supports the immune system.

Beetroot is a very potent blood purifier; both the rootcrop and leafy greens contains betakaroten, B complex vitamins, potassium, and phosphorus.

Apples are filled with antioxidants and ribofflavins; mixing apple in your fresh juice will help reduce the risk of respiratory / pulmonary diseases thereby strenthening your immune system in warding off swine flu.

You don't have to juice everything, just pick two or three from these fruits. Juice them everyday, specially in times of swine flu outbreaks.

Garlic

Ginger

You can experiment by adding more nutritious fruits and vegetables; like for example, if you want add some spicy feeling to your juice, you can add Ginger which is also a very powerful immune system booster.

Garlic may not smell nice on your juice but that foul smelling substance emitted by garlic when crushed is the one that repels fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Adding it to your daily juicing recipes keeps viruses away.

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