How will I know if I catch Swine Flu or the H1N1 virus?
To start the symptoms are very much like any other flu. The media has stirred up a lot of fear about the possible consequences of Swine Flu. Swine Flu is, just another form of influenza. It is one of the many influenza viruses that make the rounds each year.
The main reason for the additional fear associated with the Swine Flu is that it has incorporated elements of the swine and bird influenza viruses into itself and very few people have developed any immunity to it. There is also no help from your yearly flu shot since they are developed more than a year in advance and the swine flu is more recent.
All of this means that the strain of influenza could become a pandemic if it begins to easily spread from person to person.
Swine Flu Symptoms
According to the CDC, much like seasonal flu, symptoms of swine flu can include:
- fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, is sometimes absent
- cough
- runny nose or stuffy nose
- sore throat
- body aches
- headache
- chills
- fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme
- diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu
Signs of a more serious Swine flu infection might include pneumonia and respiratory failure.
If your child has symptoms of Swine flu, you should avoid other people and call your pediatrician who might do a rapid flu test to see if he has an influenza A infection. Further testing can then be done to see if it is a swine flu infection. (Samples are being sent to local and state health departments and the CDC for confirmation of Swine flu.)
Serious Swine Flu Symptoms
Some more serious of Swine flu are below. If you notice any of these symptoms you should seek immediate medical care for your child:
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
