You might have noticed more and more people getting sick lately, and it is because it is the time of year when the influenza virus is at its peak. The weather gets colder and suddenly it becomes very easy for the body to become susceptible to disease. Lately I have found that so many of my clients are coming to see me with symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus that spread in early 2009. Even though it has been a year since the H1N1 tightened its grip on the nation, there are still different strains of it affecting people every day.
When the H1N1 flu first spread, many people were hospitalized and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) officially declared it a pandemic. The unfortunate thing about the virus, also known as the “swine” flu, was that it started out like a regular flu with the usual symptoms: coughing, runny nose, sore throat, body aches, sneezing, sniffling, and a high fever. This of course led many to believe it was just a bug going around. It did not become a pandemic until it started hospitalizing and even killing people in severe cases.
It seems that since the H1N1 hit the United States there has been more than one strain of it, and it has mutated from what it was to begin with. I find that it has changed in both intensity and strength since the first wave hit, and it is not easy to detect. It can cause anywhere from mild to severe respiratory distress, making it difficult to identify, but still easy enough to dismiss as a common cold. I’ve also found that most doctors’ offices do not even have a simple way of testing for it, as is done with more common diseases.
If you feel you are starting to get a little sick, the CDC recommends staying away from public places so as not to spread it, and washing your hands as often as you can. As always, it is best to consult your physician if you feel you might be coming down with a strain of the H1N1 virus. With all of the people that come to see me describing similar symptoms, it almost seems as though the swine flu is just as prevalent today as it was 2 years ago!
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm
