How To Prevent Swine Flu

Swine flu continues to dominate the world news, and at the time of writing this article (May 4th) 9 new cases have just been confirmed in the United Kingdom, bringing the total here now to 27 according to the Health Protection Agency. Out of the 9 most recent cases, at least 7 appear to have been acquired through person-to-person contact.

The Department of Health reports there are now 23 cases in England and four in Scotland, and the total in London has reached 13, according to NHS London. This brings the current total to at least 985 confirmed cases worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its pandemic alert to Phase 5, which is just one step below the highest level which is known as the ‘pandemic phase’, although the WHO says it has no immediate plans for another rise. Mexican officials say the spread of the virus is now beginning to slow, but international experts continue to take a more cautious approach.

New strain of virus

This outbreak is due to a new strain of the influenza ‘A’ virus subtype H1N1, which is a reassortment of at least four different strains of influenza. Although early reports identified this new strain as swine influenza, its origin is still unknown and it has not previously been reported in pigs. Transmission of the virus to humans from pigs does not usually result in influenza in humans, and when it does it is usually a relatively mild case.

According to John McConnell, who is the editor of the Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal, the symptoms of swine and seasonal flu are almost indistinguishable. They include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue, although patients do seem to be reporting diarrhoea and vomiting more often with swine flu than is the case for ‘normal’ flu.

Like seasonal flu, swine flu is easily spread by the tiny moisture droplets in a cough or sneeze. If you don’t use a tissue and sneeze into an empty space, you will leave germs on surfaces that another person will pick up simply by coming into contact with it. Many experts claim that wearing a face mask offers little protection because they get moist which enhances the risk of transmitting the virus, plus the virus is so small it can go through the pores of the mask.

So what should you do to protect yourself from the virus?

Preventative measures

According to experts, taking a few simple steps will help to reduce the risk of getting swine flu and also stop the virus spreading. To reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus you should:-

• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing using a tissue and dispose of it carefully and quickly.

• Avoid touching your face, nose or mouth too frequently with your hands since swine flu appears to be transmitted through respiratory droplets in the same fashion as the common cold.

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water since swine flu like other viruses can be contracted by touching objects contaminated by the virus. At the moment we don’t know how long the swine flu virus can survive on surrounding surfaces.

• Clean hard surfaces such as door handles and remote controls frequently with a normal cleaning product to prevent the virus spreading.

• If you start to feel ill with cold or flu-like symptoms, stay at home and begin the usual home remedies for colds and flu.

• Use essential oils to protect yourself from the virus!

Essential protection

How can aromatherapy help to protect us from swine flu? Anti-viral essential oils can be used as a shield to both protect us and stop germs from spreading. As luck would have it, some of these oils also have ability to boost your immune system which increases your body’s ability to fight off infection thereby increasing your protection even further.

The reason anti-viral essential oils are so effective is because they are made up of a complex mixture of powerful natural chemical compounds which viruses and bacteria find very difficult to resist. The essential oil from a given species continually varies in the levels and ratios of its constituents, so these organisms find it very difficult to adapt and become resistant to them, unlike synthetic drugs.

Anti-viral essential oils

Eucalyptus, cajuput, palmarosa, ravensara, rosemary, white thyme and tea tree are powerful antiviral essential oils that can be used in a multitude of ways to offer protection. They can be used to make up personal anti-viral hand-wipes which you can carry with you and use after handling surfaces, telephones, computers and door-handles etc in public places.

To make these handy little hand-wipes, simply mix your chosen oils into water using some dispersant or solubiliser, adding 1 drop of essential oil to 5mls of water. Then, dip some cotton-wool pads into the water, wring out the excess and place them in little plastic bags to carry around with you. After using a hand-wipe a couple of times you can dispose it and next time use a fresh one.

The same essential oils can also be used in the bath when you return home, or can be vapourised around the house to kill any airborne virus. If you are feeling vulnerable try a bug-busting gargle using 1 drop of Tea Tree and 1 drop of Ravensara in a glass of hot water. Take a small mouthful of the mixture and gargle for about thirty seconds, then spit it out and repeat. All of the essential oils in the sidebar can be used in baths, gargles, vaporised or even inhaled directly from a tissue.

These individual essential oils and synergistic blends of them can then be used in the usual ways; in baths, massage, skincare, inhalations and vaporisers around the home or at work to give you all round protection.

Remember, prevention is always much better than cure.

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2009

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