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Thursday, 23 May 2013

H1N1 Virus



H1N1 Virus

 

H1N1 virus is a subtype of influenza A virus. H1N1(also known as”swine Flu virus”) is a new influenza virus, first detected in some of the people in the USA (April 2009). This virus was spreading in the pattern similar to that of seasonal influenza. It is believed that H1N1 virus started spreading in Mexico first and than almost whole world was effected.

H1N1 Nomenclature

World Health Organization (WHO) has renamed the swineflu Virus as - influenza N1H1 virus. the name H1N1 came because of the two main proteins found in this virus, they are Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase. These H protein (hemagglutinin) and N protein(neuraminidase) are important as they are responsible for infecting human beings. Each and every Viral strain has these H and N proteins, they are of many type and the number that follows H and N type on the strain describe there specific type. In influenza H1N1 virus they are present on 1st position. Hence the name given to them is H1N1. These two proteins are important because they are the main reason for causing infections in humans. The H protein (hemagglutinin) allows the virus to attach to human host cells and the other one i.e. N protein(neuraminidase) destroys mucous thus causing infection.
In the initial phases of outbreak this virus was called as “swine flu virus” as the lab test found that many genes of this virus are similar to swine influenza virus found in North American pigs. Later studies show that this virus is very much different from that found in pigs. Its composition consist of genes of human, birds (avian) and pigs(swine)and so is is called “quadruple reassortant” by the scientists.
The CDC named it as - “Novel influenza A (H1N1)” and World Health Organization (WHO) named it influenza A (H1N1).
H1N1 virus was initially called ’swine flu virus’ and this outbreak was called “Swine flu” but many people and groups objected this name due to social and economical reasons related to swine or pork usiness,
therefore the name was changed by C.D.C and W.H.O. This virus is called by different names in different parts of the world - Israel & South Korea called it the “Mexican virus”. Later the South Korean press used “SI”, for “swine influenza”. Taiwan suggested the names “H1N1 flu” or “new flu”.

 

H1N1 Vaccine

H1N1 Vaccines:
The seasonal flu vaccine that we usually receive will not provide any protection against the H1N1 virus, H1N1 vaccination to protect against the H1N1 virus (sometimes called “swine flu”) have been produced. There are two kinds of H1N1 vaccines that is given with a needle, usually in the arm and a nasal spray, both the H1N1 vaccines are made by growing the virus in chicken eggs. The manufacturers that produce seasonal flu vaccines also produces the H1N1 vaccines against the H1N1 flu pandemic. CDC is now encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against H1N1 flu pandemic.
About H1N1 vaccines:
The most important feature of the H1N1 vaccines manufacturing process is the 1,200,000,000 chicken eggs required to make the 3 billion doses of H1N1 vaccines that maybe required worldwide. The entire chicken farms around the world are been dedicated to producing eggs for the purpose of incubating influenza viruses in the chicken eggs for use in H1N1 vaccines. It takes at least six months from initial to its end process. But no wonders we’ll try and get that in a minute for preparing are H1N1 flu Vaccines. Commonly used process for producing an influenza vaccine was developed in the 1940s. Its co-inventors was Jonas Salk, who has develop the polio vaccine which has remained unchanged since then. The process is taken care by the World Health Organization and begins with the detection of a new swine flu virus Pandemic and to prepare the H1N1 vaccines. Which allows the virus to grow well in chicken eggs, then the hybrid is tested to make sure that it grows well, safe and produces proper antigen response, (Antigen is any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it.) An antigen maybe a foreign substance, from the environment as chemicals, bacteria, viruses, or pollen. An antigen may also form within the body, as with bacterial toxins or tissue cells. When the H1N1 vaccine gets inside your body, the pandemic strains surface antigens will produce antibodies against it.
The standardized kit provided to H1N1 vaccines manufacturers so that they can test how much virus they are making and how effective it is. This process serves to standardize H1N1 vaccines doses across the manufacturers and takes four months to complete its process.
Once the swine flu virus is produced, it is sent to pharmaceutical companies in different parts of the world for large-scale production of the H1N1 vaccines. The companies finds the virus to increase yields and produces seed virus banks that will be used in the bulk production to increase in chicken eggs, which is been injected into each 9 to 12 days old fertilized eggs, and this is where the 1.2 billion chicken eggs come in. The virus incubates in the egg white for two to
three days and is then separated from the egg. This the process of the H1N1 vaccines.
H1N1 vaccination :
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommends that swine flu or H1N1 vaccine should first go to:
1. Pregnant women
2. Household contacts and cabdrivers for children younger than 6 months of age
3. Health care and emergency medical personnel.
4. All children and young adults from 6 months through 24 years of age, and
5. Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
Its possible to get a seasonal flu vaccine and the swine flu or H1N1 vaccines at the same time. unless both are not the nasal spray version of the flu vaccine. Instead kids can get one as a nasal spray and one as a flu shot. kids aged nine years old and under need, two doses of the H1N1 vaccines separated by at least four weeks to get full protection against the swine flu through H1N1 vaccines. But at the same time older children, adults, need just one dose. Keep in mind that even if the child was diagnosed with swine flu, unless the diagnosis was confirmed by adverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, they should still get the H1N1 vaccines. Most the people have not had that test and simply had a rapid flu test in their doctor’s clinic or where diagnosed based on their H1N1 (Swine flu) symptoms still went for the dose of the H1N1 vaccine as ‘precaution is better than cure’,

H1N1 flu vaccines availability:
Although five companies are making H1N1 vaccines shots, including Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, GSK, Medimmune and CSL,
Doctors are not able to directly order H1N1 vaccines from them. Instead, the federal government is purchasing all of the H1n1 vaccines shots and then is distributing H1N1 vaccines via a centralized distribution program in the country. Paediatricians and other health care providers can order H1N1 flu vaccines if they want to receive H1N1 flu vaccines to give their patients suffering from H1N1 pandemic.
H1N1 vaccination side effects / Dangers :
The FDA has approved four vaccines for the prevention of H1N1 . Recent preliminary reports from clinical trials of these H1N1 vaccines have described common H1N1 vaccination side effects / Dangers. 90% of H1N1 vaccines receivers achieved a strong immune response within three weeks, a sign that the vaccine is working. Local Side Effects/ dangers from Approved H1N1 vaccines no deaths or serious adverse events have been reported from any H1N1 vaccination. Approximately 44% of vaccine receiver has reported mild side effects within 7 days of receiving the first dose of H1N1 vaccine. 86% of the volunteers that received Novartis’s H1N1 vaccines reported adverse reactions after one or both doses the most common local side effect experienced was injection site pain. The reactions were quite mild and resolved after 72 hours. Side effects or H1N1 vaccines occurring at the location where the vaccine had been administered include the following:
1. Tenderness
2.Pain
3.Redness
4.Hardening of skin
5.Swelling
6.Bruising
less than 1% experienced a severe adverse reaction to immunization. Severe H1N1 vaccination side effects / Dangers reported include, malaise, muscle pain, and nausea. Muscle aches were the most common side effect reported by participants receiving the H1N1 vaccines produced by Novartis, and no severe systemic side effects were reported. The following are common whole-body H1N1 vaccination side effects / Dangers occurring in response to either H1N1 vaccination.

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