Although the name 'swine flu' brings up a lot of extra fear and worry, it is important to note that swine flu is just an influenza A H1N1 virus.But the death of

14-year-old Pune girl has put the government on the backfoot.This is the first Swine Flu death recorded in India.

Here are the symptoms and treatment for the deadly diseases and how to fight it.....

Symptoms and treatment

-- The basic symptoms for swine flu are similar to the seasonal flu - fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, headache, body aches and fatigue.

-- Diarrhea and Vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu.

-- H1N1 strain is a mutated form of the swine virus. It is communicable only through human-to-human contact.

-- Swine flu is not a food-borne disease and does not spread through pork.

-- Tamiflu, Relenza are prescription drugs effective against these strains of Swine Flu.

-- There is no vaccine for swine flu as yet.

-- The incubation period ( the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appears ) is one to seven days.

-- If an antiviral agent is warranted, it should ideally be initiated with 48 hours from the onset of symptoms.

Serious Swine Flu Symptoms

More serious symptoms that would indicate that a child with swine flu would need urgent medical attention include:

-- Fast breathing or trouble breathing

-- Bluish or gray skin color

-- Not drinking enough fluids

-- Severe or persistent vomiting

-- Not waking up or not interacting

-- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

-- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Precautions

Here are a few simple dos and don'ts that will help prevent spreading the infection.

-- Maintain hygiene, wash hands frequently.

-- Avoid contact with those who cough and sneeze.

-- Avoid crowded places and social gatherings.

-- If there are any symptoms, contact the doctor immediately as the treatment drugs are not available in the open market.

-- If infected, stay home and avoid travelling.

-- Always cover mouth while coughing or sneezing, to avoid the disease from spreading.

--Kuldeep Kumavat