Swine Flu RemediesSwine Flu Remedies and Information

[Perspectives] Book In Brief: Parents’ guide to H1N1

Outbreaks of infectious diseases have a way of grabbing the public imagination that outstrips any other medical event. The first decade of the 21st century has seen anthrax spores in the US mail, severe acute respiratory syndrome, avian influenza A H5N1, and now a pandemic of influenza A H1N1 (so called swine flu), which have generated a level of media and public attention that has at times bordered on the hysterical. (Source: LANCET)

Prior infection with an H1N1 swine influenza virus partially protects pigs against a low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Authors: Van Reeth K, Braeckmans D, Cox E, Van Borm S, van den Berg T, Goddeeris B, De Vleeschauwer A Most humans lack virus neutralizing (VN) and haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies to H5N1 avian influenza viruses (AIVs), but cross-reactive neuraminidase inhibition (NI) antibodies and cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses are common. These immune responses result largely from infections with seasonal human H1N1 influenza viruses, but the protective effect of H1N1 infection-immunity against H5N1 infection has never been examined. To this purpose, we have used the pig model of influenza and a low pathogenic (LP) H5N1 AIV. Pigs were inoculated intranasally with sw/Belgium/1/98 (H1N1) 4 weeks before challenge with duck/Minnesota/1525/81 (H5N1). While the viruses failed to cross-re...

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) Reports Asthma As Most Common Underlying Condition In Severe Cases Of H1N1 Swine Flu…

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Reports Asthma As Most Common Underlying Condition In Severe Cases of H1N1 Swine Flu; Cannabis Science Reports That Cannabis Has Been Long Used To Treat Asthma And Cannabis May Also Help Reduce Deaths From Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome From Swine And Avian Flu Cannabis Science Inc. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Antiviral Medications to Prevent and Treat Pandemic Influenza

Four different influenza antiviral medications (amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and/or prevention of influenza. All four usually work against influenza A viruses. However, the drugs may not always work, because influenza virus strains can become resistant to one or more of these medications. For example, the influenza A (H5N1) viruses identified in human in Asia in 2004 and 2005 have been resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Monitoring of avian viruses for resistance to influenza antiviral medications continues.