The mere mention of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, sends shivers down the spine since it has already claimed the lives of six people in South Africa.
The mere mention of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, sends shivers down the spine since it has already claimed the lives of six people in South Africa.
Can one survive it? What measures can be taken to prevent it? Grocott’s Mail consulted a general practitioner, Dr Giles Hartman, who has treated a number of patients suffering from swine flu, to shed light on this pandemic.
According to Hartman, swine flu is spread by coughs and sneezes like normal influenza.
He also explained that swine flu is a type A influenza and drugs such as Tamiflu can treat it effectively; doctors usually anticipate outbreaks of flu every year but did not anticipate a swine flu outbreak this year.
Darren Anderson, a student at Rhodes University, fell victim to swine flu, when what started off with regular flu symptoms of weakness, headaches and fever, worsened during the week.
Anderson then suffered from nausea and diarrhoea which commonly distinguishes swine flu from regular flu.
Flu misdiagnosis
When he went to a doctor later that week, he was told that he was suffering from normal flu and that testing for swine flu took too long, and then was sent home with cough mixture, lozenges and pain killers.
Within a day his condition worsened and he was rushed to hospital.
The doctor on call prescribed Tamiflu and the next day he was taken to St Dominics Private Hospital in East London.
Blood tests showed that Anderson had a massive viral infection and that the anti-bodies, while trying to attack the infection, had begun to attack his organs.
Anderson was told that had he stayed any longer without treatment he would have died, and feels that the first doctor "took it too lightly".
He recovered at home where he was quarantined and was told not to take part in any sport or heavy drinking for a month; since then he is back at university and in perfect health.
Isolated incident
Although Anderson’s experience of swine flu is one of the more serious cases, most of them have been mild.
Another, Jacques De Villiers, contracted the virus while on a squash tour in Johannesburg in July.
"I was running a temperature and had headache and flu-like symptoms," said Jacques.
"I did not take any medication and felt fine after two days but went for a test," he said; but two days later he was told that he had swine flu.
Hartman said that "swine flu is not any more deadly than other types of flu" and had himself contracted it while in England some time ago.
Hartman explained that people "should not panic since this is like normal influenza".
He suggested that in the event that one contracts it, "stay indoors, get rest, drink plenty of fluids, do not take aspirins and avoid coming into contact with large groups of people."
