Swine flu news is abundant in the media. As health authorities are asking the families and individuals to prepare for the upcoming flu season let's take a quick looks at a swine flu symptoms checker to see what signs and symptoms to watch for.
Great Britain's NHS, which is one of the largest publicly funded health services agency in the world has published a Swine Flu Symptoms Checker writes that good hygiene is the "single most effective way to slow the spread of diseases such as swine flu." Washing hands, cleaning surfaces, using tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze and putting the tissue in the bin as soon as you use it are the key factors of preventing swine flu.
Below are the swine flu symptoms checker published by NSH, however, according to BBC "those with children under five are specifically advised not to use the symptom checker on the NHS Direct website and contact the service directly."
While the sine flu (H1N1) symptoms are the same as the regular symptoms they may or may not cause more severe complications, according to NHS. Swine flu is different from seasonal flu in that most serious illnesses have been in younger age groups, as happened in all three 20th-century influenza pandemics.
The typical symptoms are:
* sudden fever, and
* sudden cough.
Other symptoms may include:
* headache,
* tiredness,
* chills,
* aching muscles,
* limb or joint pain,
* diarrhoea or stomach upset,
* sore throat,
* runny nose,
* sneezing, and
* loss of appetite.
NHS Swine Flu Symptoms Checker
If you have flu-like symptoms and are concerned that you may have swine flu:
* Read up on swine flu symptoms then use the NHS Direct swine flu symptom checker.
* If you are then still concerned, stay at home and call your GP.
* If the GP confirms swine flu by telephone, they will give you a voucher reference number entitling you to antiviral medication.
* Give this number to a healthy friend or relative and ask them to pick up the antivirals for you from a designated local collection center.
Go to the Treatment page for information on the treatment of swine flu.
In the United States an information fact sheet about swine flu, published by Mass.gov (pdf) informs that parents should call a doctor or seek medical care if your child has trouble breathing, has behavior changes like increased restlessness, anxiety and irritability, or isn’t drinking enough fluids. Be alert for skin rashes, dehydration or any other signs that your child is more uncomfortable than you would expect with the flu.
