Disease

‘Swine Flu’ or swine influenza is a form of the virus that normally infects pigs. There are many forms of flu and the different varieties have the ability to exchange genes with one another. The form of flu that originated in Mexico is a genetic mixture of viruses that have been seen in pigs, birds and people. It’s being called a Swine Flu because the overall structure of the virus is of the type that affects pigs. The virus that is active among the humans is currently coded as ‘H1N1’ sub-type. ...Continue reading »

Influenza is an acute respiratory febrile illness that affects a large number of people world-wide every year. The estimated number of influenza viral infections is anywhere from 350 million to 1 billion. In temperate zones of Northern Hemisphere seasonal influenza activity begins with the onset of winter in October and ends by March. In Southern Hemispheric temperate zones influenza cases occur between May to September i.e. their winter time. In tropical zones like India influenza occurs throughout the year but peak activity is seen in the monsoon season. ...Continue reading »

History

Long before the causes of disease were known and long before the processes of recovery were understood, an interesting thing was observed: if people recovered from a disease, rather than succumbing to it, they appeared to be immune from a second bout with the same illness. Perhaps it was these types of observations that led the Chinese to try to prevent smallpox-a deadly disease characterized by pus-filled blisters-by exposing uninfected individuals to matter from smallpox lesions. This process, known as “variolation,” took a variety of forms. ...Continue reading »