Swine Flu – H1N1 Influenza outbreak in Venezuela

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An outbreak of H1N1 flu has killed 17 people in Venezuela and infected another 250, private media and local authorities said on Monday. H1N1, often referred to as swine flu, was a flu strain that swept around in the world in a 2009/2010 pandemic.

The Venezuelan government has not yet confirmed the local announcement that a swine flu outbreak has occurred in the border states near Columbia.

According to Reuters, a former Venezuelan health minister, Rafael Orihuela, publicly released the news now acting as a local health authority. Speaking to a local TV station, Orihuela reportedly confirmed 17 deaths and said that “we’re suffering a tail-end of the pandemic.”

Swine flu became well known after the 2009 flu pandemic, which began in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and soon spread throughout Mexico, North America, and even to parts of South America.

One of the worst flu outbreaks in history, the 2009 swine flu ultimately killed 18,500 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

This number just represents confirmed cases, and alternative sources estimate that the real number was much higher. Epidemiological experts writing in Lancet, for example, estimate that the real death count was more than 280,000.

There are steps you can take in your daily life to help protect you from getting the flu.

– Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.

– Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.

– Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

– Practice good health habits. Get plenty of sleep and exercise, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat healthy food.

– Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

– If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.

Source: Health Newstrack, India


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