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Influenza A - H1N1( Swine flu);
Facts and Discussion
Douglas R. Yearout DVM
This fall
and winter, flu activity is
increasing, as it does every
year, and this season’s regular
flu vaccine is not expected to
protect against the H1N1 swine
flu. The swine flu is a
misleading term, as it is a
virus that contains genetic
pieces from four separate
viruses. The four DNA types
contained in the virus include
parts from the North American
swine flu, the Euro-Asian swine
flu, the North American avian
flu, and a human flu. It is
highly unusual to see a
combination of so many genetic
parts in the same virus—and this
particular genetic combination
has never been seen before.
In humans,
ordinary seasonal flu hits the
elderly the hardest, but with
swine flu, younger people are
more affected. According to the
World Health Organization and
the Centers for Disease Control,
up to 42% of ill individuals in
this pandemic are younger than
15 years, 32% are 15 to 29
years, and 24% are 29 to 59
years. Of illness-related
deaths, 36% are 30 to 59 years,
with acute to severe pneumonia
being the most likely cause of
death, and the true actual death
rate in the U.S. is lower than
1%.
The reason
that younger people are more
susceptible is that they do not
have cross-reacting levels of
serum antibody to this new
strain of flu. The older
generation is seemingly more
resistant to the swine flu
because they were exposed or ill
with the swine flu in the past
epidemics in the 1950s and 1960s
and have some remaining
cross-protective immunity.
Younger people do not have this,
and are thus more likely to get
sick.
The
majority of current flu’s are
H1N1 rather than the normal
seasonal flu, and the onset of
illness in patients in the
initial outbreak came later than
the seasonal flu. By the time it
arrived, the seasonal flu was on
its normal decline. It has been
said that none of the sick
patients have had any contact
with any sick pigs. In fact, as
of June, no Influenza A H1N1
novel virus has been detected in
U.S. pigs. It has, however,
been detected in pigs from a
farm in Alberta, Canada. Signs
of flu in pigs are much the same
as in people.
Swine flu
is a pandemic, meaning
that the majority of people have
little protective immunity to
the virus, hence increased
susceptibility. Because this is
a recombinant virus unseen
before, it has the potential to
produce a more severe disease.
And fear produced by the media
and the medical community causes
stress-induced weakness to the
immune system.
Some experts believe that
30% of the population could be
affected, with a 2%-5% death
rate, and they also caution the
public not to be fearful or
panicked.
So how
worried should we be? This
flu’s pattern of continuous
summer cases and then another
very early fall spike in cases
has not been seen in the U.S.
since 1957. But most swine flu
illnesses are mild, in the U.S.
Hospitalizations and deaths so
far have been fewer than seen in
seasonal flu’s. When pneumonia
is involved, at least one third
of patients have a secondary
bacterial pneumonia to
complicate the illness, and the
rest have viral pneumonia. The
majority of deaths in the 1918
flu epidemic were also due to
pneumonia.
Tamiflu is
an effective drug available to
treat this type of flu. Flu
masks and the sale of latex
gloves are especially hot
commodity items. But the
majority of efforts to fight
this pandemic are related to
vaccine prevention. A large
effort has been made to produce
millions of doses of a killed
virus vaccine and a live virus
nasal mist vaccine. My concern
with the live vaccine is that it
can possibly become pathogenic
again. As well, one concern is
the lack of long-term studies
done on the vaccine.
One of the
top business and government
concerns in the country is
getting enough flu vaccine for
their employees. On the other
end of the spectrum, there are
millions of people who do not
trust this vaccine protocol for
various reasons, mainly that it
has not been tested enough, or
that the flu itself is
preferable to possible side
effects of the vaccine. In
polls, two-thirds of parents say
they will delay or prevent
vaccines being given to their
children. Many alternative
medical health care workers such
as homeopaths and naturopaths
don’t expect that negative
vaccine issues affecting health
will be any different than those
seen with all other vaccines.
Members of
the military, many health
workers, and even some school
district employees are being
told that vaccination is
mandatory. Illness has caused a
shortage of teachers and nurses,
and even fire and police
protection have been affected.
But it has been estimated that
recent school closures have been
ineffective in hindering the
pandemic, and have cost the
country millions of dollars.
There is
an immunology phenomenon that
vaccines given to protect
against disease can actually
increase the susceptibility to
that disease. And a so-called
“perplexing” Canadian study
linking H1N1 to seasonal flu
shots is throwing Canadian
influenza plans into disarray
because of this phenomenon.
This controversy is testing
public faith in the government
agencies responsible for
protecting the nation's health.
Distributed for peer review last
week, the study confounded
infectious-disease experts in
suggesting that people
vaccinated against seasonal flu
are twice as likely to catch
swine flu.“It has confused
things very badly,” said Dr.
Ethan Rubinstein, head of adult
infectious diseases at the
University of Manitoba. “And it
has certainly cost us
credibility from the public
because of conflicting
recommendations. Until last
week, there had always been much
encouragement to get the
seasonal flu vaccine.”
So,
what can we do in the
homeopathic community?
Homeopathic treatment and
homeoprophylaxis in the face of
epidemics are a great gift here.
There are great case histories,
and positive results are
overwhelming. If a deadly
pandemic, or even epidemic,
happens, it will be an
opportunity to see the finest
cures in homeopathy. You should
stay in touch with homeopaths
through patient visits,
networks, and websites. For
homeopaths, keep excellent
records, stay informed and be
ready to stick your neck out for
what you believe in.
And
last but not least, as with all
flu’s, practice general hygienic
measures:
-
Wash the hands often and for
20 seconds with soap and
running water each time
-
Do not touch the eyes, nose,
or the mouth
-
Use alcohol-based gel hand
cleaners when no soap and
water is available
-
Wipe off door knobs, phones,
and sink handles often.
Quaternary ammonium
disinfectants, 10% bleach
solutions, and other
virucides will kill flu
virus on inanimate surfaces.
An exceptional green
non-toxic disinfectant is
Pure Green 24.
-
If gloves are worn, turn
them inside out when
removing and discarding them
-
Cover your mouth and nose
when sneezing with a tissue,
or at least the sleeve, and
discard the tissue
immediately
-
Stay away from public
gathering areas if possible
-
Stay home if you develop
signs of flu, and stay home
at least 48 hours after
fever is gone (although
there is evidence that
shedding can continue even
after this period)
Above all, be confident and
don’t succumb to the fear that
can lower your immune system
further.
Douglas R. Yearout, DVM
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