In a serious move, Chinese President Hu Jintao called for a meeting on Thursday to discuss the swine flu outbreak with the nine most powerful men in China, who are members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, according to New York Times. The conclusions of the meeting were announced immediately after, which is rare move of transparency for the Chinese government.

After trying to control the SARS outbreak six years ago, the Chinese government is making a better effort and stronger approach to addressing the swine flu. Premier Wen Jiabo scheduled a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss how to deal with the disease and how to prepare for a possible outbreak in China. President Hu announced after the meeting that China would increase its inspection of pork and pig products, and re-assess its quarantine procedures.

Moreover, Vice Premier Li Kegiang toured the Chinese Center of Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing and asked that manufacturers step up producing more face masks, sterilization chemicals and flu vaccines. Although the swine flu is not believed to have hit East Asia, Central Asia or South Asia, there are suspicious cases that are awaiting test results, particularly in South Korea and Hong Kong. If the swine flu has not yet hit Asia, medical experts believe that it will soon.

With large populations in China and India, experts believe that it will be harder to contain the spread of the virus. Dr. Guan Yi, a microbiologist from Hong Kong University, said to the Times that with billions of people living in close contact, there will be several challenges to approaching the flu. The swift response of the Chinese government during the Sichuan earthquake that took place a year ago resembles the officials’ response to the flu today. Beijing officials seek to gain more support from the country to help control the virus when it arrives. 

This open approach to controlling the swine flu, which is a less severe disease than SARS, represents a vast change for the Chinese government. When SARS hit China, government officials were very secretive about news of the outbreak, hiding infected patients in closed military hospitals and not disclosing news about the outbreak for four months. The new strain of the swine flu has a genetic segment that is identified as coming from pigs in Eurasia, causing the Mexican ambassador to China to ask that his country not be blamed for the disease.

However, China’s agriculture ministry says that China is not the origin of the swine flu and that the virus has not been found in the country’s pigs. Chinese news media outlets have been drawing attention to the daily televised briefings that the government holds in Hong Kong, in an effort to raise awareness of the disease. The chief executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang had even toured a hospital that specializes in the treatment of respiratory diseases. Even with these extra precautions and stronger measures against the disease, the swine flu will inevitably reach China.

Though no swine flu case has been reported on the Chinese mainland, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has set up a working team to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and GAQSIQ to monitor the situation and deal with any emergency.

The MOH has sought the advise of scientists, too, who have done sequencing of the swine flu virus, and contacted the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. and Mexican governments to get the latest information on the epidemic.

The swine flu is a respiratory disease that infects pigs. Though normally it does not infect humans, people who come in close contact with pigs are vulnerable.

so my lovely daughter, 1 year old, had the stomach flu for the second time last week – the virus which is going around since i came down with it as well. i wanted to ask if anyone else has had similar experiences with this long recovery. my son always has cleared these types of infections quickly (24 hr recovery at the most)

the first time she got the stomach flu (about 10 mo), she was sick for about 5 days – minimal eating, only able to handle 2-3 oz of formula at a time, no solids, slow recovery back to more appropriate volumes of food and drink. the problem for me was she is on the 5th percentile in weight and there was already concern for poor growth.

so, last week she started vomiting. thurs all night, friday a little pedialyte and lots of vomit, some diarrhea. then sat still vomiting once am, once pm, sun still vomiting once pm, then monday one vomit in the morning. seemed like towards the end vomiting occurred after lying down and would happen even up to 10 hrs after food.

we are in the midst of the slow recovery and ability to hold down some food and drink. doctors say she’s fine, maybe some reflux.

what i want to know is does anyone else have a child that is so slow to recover from these gi illnesses? thanks. anon
Are you sure it’s not a food intolerance or allergy? I’d give her baby probiotics nonetheless and take her off dairy. anon mom Not exactly on point with your question, but I think the stomach flu that’s making the rounds just happens to be more virulent, i.e. not just a 24 hour variety. I got it 3 weeks ago, and it took over a week to get back to normal. Then I got it AGAIN, last week. Same exact symptoms, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, etc for 4 days. Just getting back to normal now. Maybe I never completely got over it the first time. At any rate, this time I used probiotics and that seemed to help my recovery. There is a probiotic available for kids called Florastor Kids that you can get at Elephant. Ask for the powder, which you can then mix with breastmilk or formula. My pediatrician said its safe for infants and recommended it to me when my baby was 3 months old (and got diarrhea from the antibiotics she was on.) anon My son had his first stomach flu at 17 months and it lasted for 11 days. The 1st day was projectile vomiting and diarrhea. The next 2 days he was better, kept stuff down, but had a low grade fever. Then, vomiting returned – for 4 days, with two of those days having diarrhea as well. Then, 4 more days of general malaise. After a stomach virus, my hubby is usually perfectly fine in 2-3 days, I however, am usually actively queasy/potty attached for 2-3 days, then recovering for another 3-5. Even as a child, I had at least 3 days of active vomiting and then another 2-3 days of sporadic illness.

Things that will help speed recovery: probiotics. Get some at Whole Foods or a health food store – they have special ones for kids, and get some for you too. They’re more helpful with diarrhea for kids, for adults, they just help you feel better overall. Keep up the fluid intake. Pedialyte has the right amount of glucose and salt (Gatorade has more sugar, which can prolong diarrhea.) Adults can drink pedialyte as well. Knudsen’s organic Recharge is a better rehydration drink than Gator/Powerade. Or, some electrolyte water (get it at Trader Joes, Whole Foods & Target), and you can add some fruit juice to it. Mashed potatoes, made with chicken broth; rice jook (cook rice in waaaay too much water then drink the rice water and eat the smushy rice); bananas & apple sauce are good for SOME folks, for others, the fruit sugar is a laxative, which you don’t want, so just keep an eye out for that. Cooked carrots are also a good one to eat.

What one doc told me was that after a moderate/bad stomach bug, the stomach gets into a vomiting pattern, which you have to break by keeping the foods really bland and easy to digest. Once that works for a few days, then re-introduce more normal food. Which contradicts current best practices, which urge getting back to a normal diet as quickly as possible. But some of us have stomachs that just can’t do that. Hang in there! Been there
i’ve noticed quite a few kids having these long GI illnesses lately (say, the past 2-3 years). personally, i think it’s due to the new rotavirus vaccination. it’s a live virus, and the vaccinated child sheds the virus in stool for up to 2 weeks afterwards. so any less than scrupulous handwashing on the part of the caregivers leads to the virus being spread. anon

How is this strain different from a regular flu?
"A couple of things. There are four genetic materials comprised into one hybrid here. There’s bird flu, pig flu from two different sources and the human influenza virus. So, it just makes it much more difficult to kind of pinpoint. (It’s) never (been) seen before. That’s one thing making it very significant."
It’s been deadly in Mexico, but not as yet in the United States. Do we know why that is?
"It’s unclear. First of all, there might not have been enough cases in the U.S. yet to reach that point, number one. Number two: There might be other factors at play. The health of the people who have become ill and subsequently died in Mexico might be different than the health of our patients. We’re looking at it all very closely."
We know, even if we got a flu shot this year, we’re not necessarily protected, and they’re saying the symptoms are very similar to those of regular flu. At what point should I go to the doctor?
"They have the same symptoms. High fever, body aches, cough, runny nose. If you have those symptoms for 24 to 48 hours and you are getting worse and not better, or you have an underlying medical condition that might put you at higher risk of the complications of influenza, you should see your doctor. Otherwise, supportive care, stay home, and let time pass."
Do I need to demand that my doctor treat me for it?
"They will test for it. But you don’t want to send too many people too quickly for just a regular viral syndrome to get tested, because that would overwhelm the (healthcare) system.
Is there any way to know the difference? What if I suddenly take ill? Should I immediately panic?
"Absolutely not. I mean, you really need to give this time. Most of the cases here, again, have been mild, and these viral syndromes do tend to be self-limiting. So really, do not panic at this point."
What should I be doing right now to protect my family? And is anyone in my family more susceptible?
"We don’t know the answer to that. That’s one of the things people are looking at. But the basic precautions apply. So, if you’re exposed to someone who’s sick, you want to try to stay as far away from them as possible. Hand-washing is very important because, actually, even though the particles are aerosolized and respiratory droplets, you actually expose yourself by touching your hands to your face. And, you know, the basic precautions apply.
What if I’m feeling symptoms, and go see the doctor. What does testing entail?
"What they’re doing right now at your doctor’s office or the emergency room, if necessary, is a nasal swab, on which they get the results back very quickly, usually within an hour. If it comes back type "A," then they know that they have the influenza strain. If they cannot get a type on it, that raises the suspicion that this might be the swine flu. It’s then sent to the CDC (federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for further testing."
This is treatable, right?
It’s susceptible to Tamiflu and Relenza if given early in the course of the illness.
Should I just start taking them if I think I might have swine flu?
"That’s not a good idea. These medications have some side effects. You really should not be taking them unless you’ve been seen by your doctor and tested positive."
Are protective surgical masks in order and, if so, for whom and when?
"Right now, the CDC is recommending that only when absolutely necessary, if you are in contact with a person who is infectious or has been diagnosed with this flu, you want to get what’s called an N-95 mask. A regular surgical mask can offer some protection (but N-95 is more effective in keeping out the smallest infectious particles). This is one piece of the puzzle and we want to emphasize, masks are not recommended for the general public at this point."

Here are a few basics about the swine flu outbreak. We’ll continue to update this post to keep up with new developments. Last update: May 1.

What is swine flu?

It’s flu that occurs in pigs. In rare cases, humans contract swine flu from close contact with pigs. The strain circulating now is cause for concern because it can pass directly from person to person. Like routine human flu, cases of swine flu can range from mild to severe. Many officials have now started to call it H1N1 flu; here’s a post explaining what that name means.

What is a pandemic, and are we having one now?

A pandemic occurs when a new disease spreads from person to person, in a sustained way, in more than one part of the world. The WHO’s pandemic alert level is currently at Phase 5, which means that a swine flu H1N1 pandemic is imminent, but isn’t yet occurring. That’s because there isn’t yet evidence of sustained transmission outside the Americas. A pandemic isn’t an indication of how severe a disease is. It is possible to have a relatively mild pandemic, characterized by a disease that causes mostly mild illness and results in relatively few deaths.

Is the disease the same in Mexico and the U.S.?

The virus appears to be the same. But the disease has seemed to be more severe in Mexico, where it has been linked to many deaths, than in the U.S., where most cases have been mild. It’s unclear why. One possibility is that many mild cases went unreported in Mexico. Or perhaps there are differences between the types of patients in the two countries, or differences in treatment.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms are similar to those of regular flu: fever, along with problems such as cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue. Some cases have also included reports of vomiting or diarrhea.

What should I do if I feel sick?

People with ordinary flu symptoms do not need to seek emergency care, New York City officials said. But people with certain warning signs in addition to basic symptoms should seek urgent attention. In children, those signs include difficulty breathing; bluish skin color; flu symptoms that begin to improve, then return with fever and worse cough; and fever with a rash. In adults, warning signs include difficulty breathing, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, and severe or persistent vomiting.

Can the swine flu be treated with drugs?

Two drugs, sold under the brand names Tamiflu and Relenza, may reduce the severity and the duration of the disease. But most of the patients who contracted swine flu in the U.S. have recovered without taking the drugs. Both drugs have also been approved to reduce the risk of contracting the seasonal flu. But, unlike a vaccine, they do not provide long-lasting protection. So their preventive use is typically limited to certain, narrow situations. The drugs, which are included in the federal government’s pandemic stockpile, are only available with a doctor’s prescription.

Does this year’s flu vaccine protect against the swine flu?

The CDC says the seasonal flu vaccine is “unlikely to provide protection” against the swine flu. The agency has created a “seed vaccine” specifically tailored to this swine flu. The seed vaccine could be used to manufacture a targeted vaccine if officials deem it necessary to do so. But manufacturing a new vaccine would take months.

Are there ways to reduce the spread of disease?

Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands often. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Avoid close contact with infected people. People who have mild symptoms should stay home from school or work until 48 hours after the symptoms have passed, to avoid spreading disease, New York health officials said.

Introduction:
For many people, cold and flu have become an inseparable pair, like salt and pepper or New Year’s and weight loss. Walking down the "cold and flu" aisle of any drugstore, you will find stacks of bright boxes with bold claims of help for those suffering from a cold or the flu. Since the two illnesses share some similar symptoms, and both come during "cold and flu season," the two often run together in people’s minds. We have a vague idea that they are different, but if pressed, have a hard time saying exactly how. The cold is much more common. The flu is much more serious.

What is it?
A single family of viruses – the influenza viruses – causes the flu.

Unlike with the common cold, both adults and children with the flu generally have a fever and feel sick all over. For the great majority of people, the illness is quite unpleasant but not dangerous.

However, the flu can be quite a serious illness. The most deadly recent worldwide outbreak was the flu epidemic at the beginning of the 20th century, which killed more than 20 million people.

Even today, more than 20,000 people in the United Sates die from the flu each year. This number is a small percentage of those who get the flu (much less than one percent). They are primarily those who are weak from advanced age or a major illness.

Still, about one percent of otherwise healthy children get sick enough from the flu to be hospitalized.

Who gets it?
Most people get the flu once every year or two or three – unless they are vaccinated. It can happen at any age, but is most common among school-aged children.

The flu is most common during the winter months.

What are the symptoms?
The flu can take many forms. It is not, primarily, a “tummy flu.”

Classically, the flu begins abruptly, with a fever in the 102 to 106 degree range, a flushed face, body aches, and marked lack of energy. Some people have other systemic symptoms such as dizziness or vomiting. The fever usually lasts for a day or two, but can last five days.

Somewhere between day 2 and day 4 of the illness, the "whole body" symptoms begin to subside, and respiratory symptoms begin to increase. The virus can settle anywhere in the respiratory tract, producing symptoms of a cold, croup, sore throat, bronchiolitis, ear infection, and/or pneumonia.

The most prominent of the respiratory symptoms is usually a dry, hacking cough. Most people also develop a sore (red) throat and a headache. Nasal discharge and sneezing are not uncommon.

The initial symptoms of inhalational anthrax can be similar to those of the flu.

Is it contagious?
The flu is very contagious. It can be spread by airborne, droplet, or contact transmission and by fomites.

How long does it last?
Inhaling droplets from coughs or sneezes is the most common way to catch the flu. Symptoms appear 1 to 7 days later (usually 2 to 3 days). Symptoms (except the cough) usually disappear within 4 to 7 days. Sometimes there is a second wave of fever at this time. The cough and tiredness usually lasts for weeks after the rest of the illness is over.

The flu is airborne and quite contagious, and with its short incubation period, it often slams into a community all at once, creating a noticeable cluster of school and work absences. Within 2 or 3 weeks of its arrival, most of the classroom has had it.

The UK government has drawn up a national framework for preparing for a flu pandemic.

If the swine flu outbreak became a pandemic, it would have a big impact on NHS services and our daily lives. The national framework includes making sure that the NHS is as prepared as it can be, and that treatment would reach people as soon as possible. It aims to protect the public by minimising disruption and the spread of the infection.
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Antivirals

One of the ways to lessen the symptoms of pandemic flu is to treat infected people with antiviral medicines, which have been used against the current swine flu. The UK has stocks of these medicines and there is enough to treat up to half the population should they become ill during a pandemic, which is a reasonable worst-case scenario. However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.

Testing has shown that the swine flu can be treated with the antiviral medicines oseltamavir (brand name Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).

Antivirals will help to:

    * reduce the length of time you are ill by around one day
    * relieve some of the symptoms
    * reduce the potential for serious complications such as pneumonia

Antivirals will not cure you, but they lessen the symptoms and help you to recover.

Will antivirals be given to people without flu symptoms?

Yes. The government is currently giving antivirals to the close contacts of the confirmed cases. The government will keep this under review as the situation develops.

The definition of close contacts is based on Health Protection Agency guidance, which states that individuals exposed to a probable or confirmed case within a distance of one metre or less and for longer than one hour should be offered antivirals as a precautionary measure.

How will I gain access to antivirals?

Arrangements are being put into place with local healthcare services for antivirals to be made available to those who need them.

People with symptoms and others at risk will be assessed by their GP. If antivirals are required, the GP will contact the local health protection unit, which is coordinating the distribution of antivirals.
Antibiotics

Antibiotics will play an important part in the response to a pandemic. The government has worked with clinicians to develop clinical management guidelines that identify the types of antibiotics needed to treat the complications arising for pandemic flu.

Work to advance further purchases has been going on as part of the government’s preparations, and this is now currently being accelerated.