Re: Guidance for Schools 2009-2010
A personal advice:
Parents, if your child get infected at school by H1N1, consult your doctor in the first 48 hours of symptoms. The antiviral Tamiflu makes the sickness last a shorter time and be less severe. It is important to start taking it in the first 48 hours of symptoms.
"The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. "
"How does Tamiflu work?
Viruses cannot reproduce on their own. To reproduce, a virus latches onto a living cell inside some organism, inserts its genetic material into that "host" cell, and takes over the cell's reproductive "machinery." The virus makes copies of itself - maybe hundreds. (Sooner or later, this kills the infected cell - causing disease.) All of those new viruses break out of the host cell and start the process over, attacking other cells.
But what if the new viruses can't get out? This is where Tamiflu comes in. Tamiflu traps the new viruses inside the host cell. Eventually, the viruses die.
If you want to really get scientific: Two proteins on the surface of the virus enable it to enter and exit the host cell. The first protein, hemagluttinin, lets the virus attach to the cell and inject genetic material inside. The second protein, neuraminidase, then opens the cell membrane to let the new viruses out. Tamiflu inhibits the work of neuraminidase; that's why you hear Tamiflu called a "neuraminidase inhibitor." Another tidbit: Hemagluttinin is the "H" and Neuraminidase is the "N" used in naming virus subtypes -
A personal advice:
Parents, if your child get infected at school by H1N1, consult your doctor in the first 48 hours of symptoms. The antiviral Tamiflu makes the sickness last a shorter time and be less severe. It is important to start taking it in the first 48 hours of symptoms.
"The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. "
"How does Tamiflu work?
Viruses cannot reproduce on their own. To reproduce, a virus latches onto a living cell inside some organism, inserts its genetic material into that "host" cell, and takes over the cell's reproductive "machinery." The virus makes copies of itself - maybe hundreds. (Sooner or later, this kills the infected cell - causing disease.) All of those new viruses break out of the host cell and start the process over, attacking other cells.
But what if the new viruses can't get out? This is where Tamiflu comes in. Tamiflu traps the new viruses inside the host cell. Eventually, the viruses die.
If you want to really get scientific: Two proteins on the surface of the virus enable it to enter and exit the host cell. The first protein, hemagluttinin, lets the virus attach to the cell and inject genetic material inside. The second protein, neuraminidase, then opens the cell membrane to let the new viruses out. Tamiflu inhibits the work of neuraminidase; that's why you hear Tamiflu called a "neuraminidase inhibitor." Another tidbit: Hemagluttinin is the "H" and Neuraminidase is the "N" used in naming virus subtypes -
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