When the Swine Flu popped onto the radar screen this winter, I happened to have one of the best front row seats to the scare. This is because I am an American who has been living in Mazatlan, Mexico for the past three years and whole experience left me with some valuable information that I can share with you. You see, for about a month or so, people in general were convinced that a serious pandemic was underway. The result is that I was able to see how they responded and the measures that they took.

You Definitely Won’t Be Alone In Your Concerns

Perhaps you have questioned the actual effectiveness of simple things like medical whips in the overall scheme of things in a “genuine flu epidemic”. Hey! Germs are everywhere, so what can some small wipes do? What you will find is that you definitely won’t be alone in your concerns and that far more effective preventative measures will be deployed all around you.

All the Little Places That You Will Come Across

People wearing face masks in stores and public places, antiseptic gel dispensers at the entrances to buildings, door knobs being disinfected hourly and business employees having their temperatures taken as they arrive for their shifts. So medical wipes function is to fill in all the many smaller, yet very crucial “gaps” in between – for instance after handling a gas pump, a grocery cart or the keys on the ATM etc.

Your Final Defensive Barrier To the Bug

Don’t worry. What you’ll find is that everyone else will be doing the best that they can to prevent the spread of the bug but there is only so much ground that can be feasibly covered and still be able to function throughout the day. Remember that this bug is primarily spread by touching something that it’s on, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Hence; medical wipes are your final defensive barrier along with a face mask.

Don’t Be Surprised If You Find Empty Store & Pharmacy Shelves

The deal is thought that you have to buy the wipes, your face masks and rubber gloves now. Don’t listen to the government figures that show that they have enough for everyone because what I found in Mexico is that the first people who rush to the stores buy them all up. You see, if you wait until the flu hits, you may end up like me – able to find face masks, and alcohol but unable to find rubber gloves, medical wipes and Tamiflu.

You’ll Be One Among Many – All Doing the Same Thing

Those items were simply gone! You also may have some consternation about running around in public with a face mask and rubber gloves on. Wiping everything down with medical wipes before you touch them. Won’t people point and stare at you? Not to worry! You’ll be one amongst many, all doing the same thing and you’ll also notice that people only communicate when they have to and move much quicker to get their business done.

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Got an important presentation coming up?

Don’t want to miss an important date because of flu which everyone around you seems to have?

What can you do to beat the flu bug?

Antibiotics aren’t going to work on influenza as that is caused by a virus. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses.

So what can you do to beat flu?

You best bet is to boost your immune system. In other words, take care of your health.

What do you eat? Do you get enough rest.

1. Sleep early every night.

I can’t overemphasize the importance of sleep. Notice how lousy you feel if you go without sleep. It is when you sleep that your body repairs itself. That’s when your body produces the white blood cells and everything else it needs to fend off invaders. That way, when confronted with the flu viruses, your body is in a better shape to defend itself.

2. Get your annual flu jab.

The young children and the elderly are most susceptible to flu, so youo might want to get the young ones and the elderly immunized. There are flu jabs available which must be taken every year if you want to keep the virus at bay. The flu virus mutates rapidly, so what works this year wouldn’t bother next year’s bug. The jabs won’t necessarily prevent flu, but at least if you do contract flu, if you have been immunized against it with a vaccine that is effective against that particular flu strain, that bout of flu would be less severe.

3. Stay away from crowds

Especially when the flu bug is in the air. The flu virus is extremely contagious. One sniff and lots of viruses are scattered in the air, waiting for the next victim. Maybe your body would fight it off and you wouldn’t sucuumb to the infection, but if you can minimize exposure to the bug better still. Avoid crowded places as far as possible.

4. Wash your hands before you eat.

Wash them thoroughly too with soap, for at least a minute, rubbing the soap all over the hands thoroughly, then rinsing it off. Have you any idea how many viruses your hands inevitably pick up as you go through the day. Opening the door, resting on a table.. things you barely notice you come into contact with everyday. Wash your hands before you eat so you don’t put more germs than necessary into your mouth.

5. Keep your hands off your face.

Throughout the day, avoid touching your nose and mouth with your hands as far as possible as that’s the surest way to get the germs from you hands where they can easily invade your body.

6. Exercise

Keep fit. Get active. A healthy body is less likely to fall sick so go for a walk, or a jog every single day. Ride a bike. Walk in the park. The exercise and fresh air will be good for you.

7. Carry an umbrella or raincoat with you.

Prevention is better than cure. Some people are more likely to succuumb to flu if they get soaked in the rain and stay wet for a long period of time. Are you one of them? If you get soaked, as soon as possible, take a hot shower or warm bath after that to warm up. If it rains, use the umbrella or wear a raincoat.

8. Take your vitamins.

Do you have a balanced diet? Are you getting all the nutrients you need in your food. Even if you eat plenty of veggies, would you have all the nutrients? Is the soil in which the veggies were grown depleted of the necessary nutrients? Vitamin supplements would help you ensure you get the necessary vitamins and minerals your diet might lack. Even then, that’s no excuse for eating junk. Take your vitamins. Eat fresh food, fresh fruits and vegetables and cut down oily, sugary snacks.

With the swine flu now holding the potential for a worldwide pandemic, there is perhaps no one more worried about getting sick than women who are pregnant.

This is particularly true for those of you over 35 who may already be struggling with fertility issues – or maybe undergoing fertility treatments right now.

The good news is that pregnancy doesn’t necessarily increase your risk for getting the swine flu – or any other type of flu. However, it is important to note that if you do get the flu while you are pregnant, studies show you are up to five times more likely to suffer serious complications – such as pneumonia. And that is often where most of the flu fatalities lie.

In terms of risks to your baby, the greatest threat from illnesses such as the flu occur from high fevers in the mother during pregnancy. Sustained body temperature over 101 degrees, and particularly over 102 degrees can increase the risk of miscarriage and lead to an increased risk of neural tube defects in your baby – which include life-threatening malformations of the brain and spine.

The good news is there are things you can do to prevent these problems even if you get the flu.

The first is to control your fever.The March of Dimes recommends acetaminophen (Tylenol) but talk to your doctor first to make certain it’s okay for you. You should also try to keep your body as cool as possible with cold compresses, and drink plenty of fluids. Pregnancy is not the time to “sweat out ” a fever.

Second is continue to take your prenatal vitamins – particularly 1000 mcg of folic acid. Studies conducted at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities in England, found that women who took a multi vitamin high in folic acid during pregnancy decreased their baby’s risk of birth defects, even if they ran a fever while pregnant.

In terms of the the two medications used to treat swine flu – Tamiflu and Relenza – like other flu medications they are ranked by the FDA as “Category C ” drugs – meaning they have not been tested for use during pregnancy. That said, it’s important to note that there have not been any cases of birth defects or other serious health concerns linked to the use of these drugs in pregnant women who have used them.

So, if symptoms are severe, your doctor might suggest a course of either drug, and if this is the case, experts say don’t be fearful.

Finally, relax and don’t worry! Right now, the stress and anxiety of worrying about getting sick is likely to cause you more harm than the risk of actually getting the flu, which at this point is still quite small.

For more tips and information on swine flu and pregnancy, and some important details on what to do if you contract swine flu while undergoing fertility treatments, check out this article on GettingPregnantNow.org.

For more health and beauty information for women over 35 visit www.RedDressDiary.com.

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Swine Flu is a respiratory disease in pigs triggered by a virus called H1N1. The new strain of H1N1 is a deadly combination of viruses from pigs, birds and humans. They symptoms of Swine Flu are sudden fever, coughing, extreme exhaustion and muscle aches. There is also diarrhea and vomiting more than normal flu.

Risk factors: Medical experts say that people, who are exposed areas where pigs flock are at risk of contracting the virus. The strains of Swine flu rarely pass on from humans to humans. In rare cases, the virus mutates into a form that can move from one person to another. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak has apparently undergone such a mutation and may stay like that for a longer period of time.

Can Swine flu be prevented or cured? There is no vaccine which can prevent swine flu. Medicines like Tamiflu and Relenza can be effective, if taken in the early stages of the disease.

Is it safe to eat pork? Swine Flu is not caused by eating pork or its products including salami, ham and sausages. However, it is a good practice to cook pork over 70 degrees C, which kills the virus.

Why is it called swine flu? The virus is called swine flu because one of its surface proteins is similar to viruses that usually infect pigs. Pork industry in the US are putting pressure on the officials to change the name of the disease, because no pig as such have been found infected with this particular illness which has spread among humans.

Bird flu is not a problem that affects only the birds but the humans too. It is known that this condition is not treatable and more than that we have statistics that prove that more than half of the affected persons died.

It is also known that a vaccine was developed in order to prevent the spreading of the virus. This vaccine is not produced in large quantities and in case of a pandemic there is no chance for everyone that is affected to get one.

That is why it is recommended for the governments to consider stockpiling vaccine against H5N1 bird flu, before a pandemic starts.

When they realized the virus will not b stopped in Asia for at least a couple of years and that the risk of H5 is much higher the policy changed. The US government decided to ask manufacturers to make 4 million doses while other Europe countries choose to create a stockpile of 2 million doses each.

Specialists agree with the stockpiling but they do mention that in a world of over six billion people 4 million doses, or 2 million doses for each country is nowhere near enough to make a significant difference. The doses will only get to a small part of the countries population and at a global level no significant changes will be seen.

More than that until now the WHO said that making a stockpile of vaccines is useless. That is because nobody knows which flu will lead to a new pandemic.

The problems that occur in Asia and the unstoppable outbreaks makes even the specialists to change their minds. It is well known that the bird flu virus called H5N1 is making more and more human victims so the possibility of stockpiling occurs again. More than that, recent studies proved that the vaccine could provide some protection even if it does not exactly match the pandemic virus.

Another hard reality says that humans require two shots of the vaccine in order to get immune to a strain of flu that they have not developed before. For H5, a single shot is enough for priming people’s immune systems.

Now that it was proved that the vaccine is useful the only problem that occurs is the production of the vaccine. In US only half of the requested production is done. It is good to know that companies have a two to three-month window between production runs of ordinary flu vaccine to make H5 vaccine. Some even say that they can not do that because someone has to buy the production.

So, if you want to find out more about bird flu treatment or even about bird flu info please click this link http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/