Background
- In a globally wide spreading disease of this nature, it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions.
- However, contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
- Therefore, proliferation should be the primary concern and it should be arrested early on.
- Only portals of entry for H1N1 viruses are the nostrils and mouth/throat.
- Therefore, H1N1, like other Influenza viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates there.
Some Misconcepts
- Most N95 face masks are not foolproof. They are designed to stop about 95% particulates of 0.3, while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1.
- Drug prescribed for swine flu i.e. Tamiflu does not kill the virus. However, it prevents the virus from further proliferation till the virus limits itself in about 1 to 2 weeks during the virus natural cycle.
Checks, Precautions and Prevention
- You should improve your immunity with foods that are rich in vitamin C or take vitamin C tablets.
- You should wash your hands frequently and properly.
- You should keep hands off the face except while eating or taking bath.
- You should gargle frequently (at least twice a day) with warm water with salt or Listerine in it. H1N1 takes 2 to 3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected person.
- You should also clean your nostrils with warm salt water once every day. For doing this, you can swab both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water. It brings down virus population.
- You should drink plenty of warm liquids. Drinking warm liquids wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive.
