Swine Flu Prevention

Swine Flu

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alert on the outbreak of human swine influenza that has claimed 81 lives in Mexico. Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by Type A influenza virus. Although the swine flu does not usually affect humans, there had been cases of human infections with swine flu and human-to-human transmission has been reported. A number of confirmed human cases infected with the new strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus have been identified. Many countries around the world are responding to contain the spread of infection and are monitoring the situation closely.

Causes

Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. The spread of swine flu is believed to be the same way as how seasonal flu spreads. Most common transmission of person to person infection is through coughing or sneezing of persons with influenza. Swine flu infection is contagious. People with infection may be able to spread the flu virus a day before the symptoms appear and up to a week following the onset of illness.

Signs & symptoms

Just like the seasonal flu, swine flu infection in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of swine flu may include the following:

- High fever
- Cough
- Muscle pains
- Sore throat
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting or diarrhoea

See your family doctor if you have any of the above symptons. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience the following warning signs:

- Breathing difficulty
- Confusion
- Persistent vomiting
- Sudden dizziness
- Complications

Swine flu infection can be serious and life threatening. Deaths from pneumonia and respiratory failure have been reported with severe swine flu infection.

Treatment

There are antiviral medications available to treat and/or prevent swine flu infection. Anti-viral medications such as oseltamivir or zanamivir fight against the influenza viruses from reproducing in the body. These medications, when taken early in the course of infection (within 2 days of the appearance of symptoms) may:

- reduce the severity of the infection with faster recovery from the illness
- prevent serious flu complications.

Prevention

One of the ways to protect against swine flu infection is to prevent its spread. Since the illness occurs through direct contact with infectious material and respiratory secretions, it is important to practise good personal hygiene. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

1. Cover Your Nose and Mouth
- With a tissue when you cough or sneeze and dispose the tissue properly in the trash after use.

2. Wash Your Hands
- Regularly and thoroughly with soap and water
- Before and after preparing food
- After going to the toilet
- Before and after eating
- After blowing your nose
- After using your hand when coughing or sneezing.

3. Contain the Spread of Flu
- Use a serving spoon when sharing food from a common dish
- Do not share personal items such as toothbrushes and towels
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- If you are sick, avoid crowded areas and wear mask
- Stay at home and do not go to work or school if ill
- See your family doctor if you have flu like symptoms and if you had recent travel to areas with cases of swine flu.

4. Build Up Your Immunity
- If you are a smoker, quit smoking. It harms you and your family
- Take more fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are the most power-packed combination of nutrients your body needs for good health
- Drink the equivalent of 8 glasses of fluid daily
- Engage in 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on 5 or more days a week
- Learn to relax and rest.

5. Keep Your Environment Clean
- Do not throw leftover food on the floor or in the open
- Do not leave food in common areas for stray animals
- Do not spit on the floor and common areas
- Throw used masks, tissue or litter into rubbish bins.

Above are extracted from Health Promotion Board, for your information. For the benefit of yourself, family, friends and colleagues practice good hygiene habits. For more information, kindly visit : http://www.hpb.gov.sg/

Exercise

Few of my friends, either from high school or colleges has started asking me to join them for jogging or hiking.

Secretly in my mind I were thinking, "I'm a lazy bump and do I really need exercise? I went for a jog before but not hiking!"

Perhaps, I should join them to have a better healthy life instead of sitting in front of laptop and tv most of the time.

Guess its time for a change. A good one indeed.

Will think of it! In the meantime, I will do some light exercise at home. =)

The Top Five Cancer Causing Foods

Live Life Without Limits!

And Tell This To Whom You Care!

The top five cancer-causing foods are:

1. Hot dogs

~ Because they are high in nitrates. The Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and bacon

~ Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts

~ Doughnuts are cancer causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams, may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries

~ Like doughnuts, french fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process.

5. Chips, crackers and cookies

~ All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amount of trans-fats.

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Brain Damaging Habits

1. No Breakfast

~ People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating

~ It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking

~ It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar Consumption

~ Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution

~ The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation

~ Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head Covered While Sleeping

~ Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working Your Brain During Illness

~ Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking In Stimulating Thoughts

~ Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely

~ Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.

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The Main Causes Of Liver Damage:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main causes.

2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too Much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring and artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired except if the body is very fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to 'schedule'.

DO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH!