Himbauan KBRI Tokyo sehubungan dengan Flu Babi

KBRI Tokyo menghimbau warga masyarakat Indonesia yang berada di Jepang sehubungan dengan sedang merebaknya flu jenis baru (H1N1) di beberapa wilayah di Jepang, bersama ini disampaikan informasi yang bisa membantu untuk memahami jenis penyakit ini sehingga bisa terhindar dari bahaya penularannya.

Apa Gejala dari penyakit Flu jenis ini ?

Sebagaimana halnya flu, penderita akan mengalami demam, batuk-batuk, sakit kepala , nyeri persendian dan otot, sakit tenggorokan dan hidung tersumbat dan kadang disertai dengan mual-mual dan diare.

Bagaimana Melindungi Diri dari Penularan ?

Pola penularan dari virus ini adalah sama halnya dengan flu yang menyerang saat pergantian musim, melalui cairan yang dikeluarkan saat melakukan percakapan, bersin maupun batuk. Penularan dapat dilakukan dengan menghindari melakukan hubungan jarak dekat dengan orang yang memiliki gejala serupa dengan penderita flu (paling dekat 1 meter) serta melakukan kegiatan sebagai berikut:

Hindari untuk menyentuh bagian mulut serta hidung;
Bersihkan tangan secra menyeluruh dengan sabnun dan air atau bersihkan dengan alkohol secara teratur (terutama sehabis menyentuh bagian mulut dan hidung serta benda-benda yang berpotensi menularkan virus);
Hindari hubungan jarak dekat dengan orang-orang yang mungkin menderita sakit;
Kurangi interaksi di lingkungan yang padat tempat orang lalu-lalang;
Perbanyak sirkulasi udara di ruangan dengan membuka jendela;
menerapkan pola hidup sehat termasuk tidur yang cukup, mengkonsumsi makanan yang bergizi tinggi dan tetap menjaga fisik selalu aktif.

Bagaimana seseorang mengetahui telah terkena virus H1N1 ?

Untuk membedakan antara flu biasa dengan flu H1N1 adalah sulit tanpa bantuan medis. Gejala yang dimiliki hampir sama. Hanya ahli medis dan pejabat kesehatan setempat yang bisa mengidentifikasi. Pada beberapa kasus mereka yang baru saja mengunjungi daerah-daerah yang banyak terdapat penderita virus ini (tidak melampaui jangka waktu 10 hari antara waktu kembali dengan mengalami gejala flu dimaksud) atau menderita panas tinggi sampai 38 derajat celsius, diharuskan untuk segera menghubungi pusat layanan konsultasi di masing-masing wilayah tinggalnya.

Apa yang sebaiknya dilakukan apabila Anda memiliki gejala-gejala penyakit tersebut ?

Tetap tinggal di rumah dan tidak bepergian ke tempat kerja, sekolah atau kerumunan orang;
istirahat dan perbanyak minum;
tutup hidung dan mulut ketika bersin dan batuk, apabila menggunakan tisu, agar bekas tisu dapat dibuang secara benar. Segera cuci tangan Anda dengan sabun, air atau dapat juga menggunakan alkohol.
Apabila tidak memiliki tisu saat bersin atau batuk, tutup mulut anda sedapat mungkin dengan menggunakan siku;
Gunakan masker untuk mencegah terkena cairan saat anda di lingkungan yang ramai orang;
beritahu keluarga dan teman-teman untuk memberitahu kondisi anda yang tekena penyakit dan hindari hubungan jarak dekat dengan orang lain;
sebelum menuju tempat sarana medis, upayakan untuk terlebih dahulu berkonsultasi dengan ahli kesehatan terdekat untuk mengetahui perlu tidaknya pemeriksaan secara medis.

Apabila seorang Ibu sedang masa menyusui bayi dan mengalami gejala penyakit ini apakah harus berhenti ?

Ibu yang menyusui dan terkena gejala penyakit tidak perlu menghentikan kegiatan terkecuali dianjurkan oleh dokter atau petugas kesehatan. Penelitian mengenai influenza menunjukkan bahwa pemberian ASI aman bagi bayi karena gizi yang diberikan melalui ASI memberikan imunitas dan daya tahan tubuh terhadap berbagai penyakit.

Apa yang harus dilakukan bila Anda perlu perhatian medis ?

Apabila memungkinkan, datangi pusat kesehatan dan laporkan gejala yang Anda alami. Jelaskan mengapa Anda merasa mengalami gejala terkena virus H1N1.
Gunakan masker saat anda keluar rumah.

Key facts about swine influenza

Swine Flu

What is Swine Influenza?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

How many swine flu viruses are there?

Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

Swine Flu in Humans

Can humans catch swine flu?

Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

How common is swine flu infection in humans?

In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

How does swine flu spread?

Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu?

In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.
In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?

To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 7 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.

What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?

There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent H1N1 influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.

What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there?

Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).

Swine Flu in Pigs

How does swine flu spread among pigs?

Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread mostly through close contact among pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs. Herds with continuous swine flu infections and herds that are vaccinated against swine flu may have sporadic disease, or may show only mild or no symptoms of infection.

What are signs of swine flu in pigs?

Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

How common is swine flu among pigs?

H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses are endemic among pig populations in the United States and something that the industry deals with routinely. Outbreaks among pigs normally occur in colder weather months (late fall and winter) and sometimes with the introduction of new pigs into susceptible herds. Studies have shown that the swine flu H1N1 is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25 percent of animals showing antibody evidence of infection. In the U.S. studies have shown that 30 percent of the pig population has antibody evidence of having had H1N1 infection. More specifically, 51 percent of pigs in the north-central U.S. have been shown to have antibody evidence of infection with swine H1N1. Human infections with swine flu H1N1 viruses are rare. There is currently no way to differentiate antibody produced in response to flu vaccination in pigs from antibody made in response to pig infections with swine H1N1 influenza.
While H1N1 swine viruses have been known to circulate among pig populations since at least 1930, H3N2 influenza viruses did not begin circulating among US pigs until 1998. The H3N2 viruses initially were introduced into the pig population from humans. The current swine flu H3N2 viruses are closely related to human H3N2 viruses.

Is there a vaccine for swine flu?

Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333, USA 800-CDC-INFO

Antigenic shift

Proses terjadinya keganasan flu babi

Pada umumnya zat kebal tubuh (antibodi) yang ditimbulkan karena imunisasi atau infeksi virus influenza secara alami dapat menangkal serangan infeksi virus yang kedua dan seterusnya. Prinsip serangan sistem kekebalan pada penyakit influenza tertuju pada hemagglutinin virus. Gen virus influenza ini mudah mengalami mutasi yang dapat membuat perubahan karakter virus. Sebagai hasil mutasi gen terjadilah perubahan komposisi asam amino hemaglutinin virus ini secara konstan, sehingga perlindungan penderita yang terinfeksi virus influenza menurun secara perlahan-lahan. Keadaan ini disebut antigenic drift. Perubahan yang perlahan-lahan ini tidak merubah kedudukan ikatan antibodi dengan antigen. Mutasi asam amino individual semacam itu tidak menimbulkan wabah. Sehingga hanya kehilangan kekebalan sebagian pada suatu populasi dan beberapa infeksi yang terjadi hanya menimimbulkan gejala ringan.

Tetapi jika seluruh bagian hemaglutinin baru terdapat di dalam virus, akan dapat menimbulkan wabah yang meluas ke seluruh dunia. Hal ini terjadi karena tidak ada lagi perlindungan kekebalan yang tersisa untuk melawan infeksi virus baru tersebut. Keadaan ini disebut antigenic shift. Pada suatu keadaan tertentu dapat terjadi dua strain virus influenza menginfeksi sebuah sel. Pertukaran segmen gen antara virus asal manusia dan virus asal unggas dapat terjadi dan akan menghasilkan virus reassortant baru.

Pertukaran partikel RNA terjadi pada proses pembentukan nucleocapsid virus baru. Sehingga diperoleh virus dengan selubung luar protein berasal dari suatu virus dengan partikel RNA baru yang berbeda dengan induknya. Virus ini bisa sangat berbahaya. Salah satu pandemik yang diyakini sebagai hasil reassortment antara influenza manusia dan burung adalah terjadi pada tahun 1918 dan menelan korban 20 juta orang meninggal.

Babi dinilai oleh para ahli sebagai tempat reassortment gen virus flu burung. Oleh karena itu memberikan hewan mati terinfeksi flu burung kepada babi dapat menimbulkan virus flu burung baru yang ganas. Untuk mencegah keadaan seperti ini maka dianjurkan agar ayam yang terinfeksi atau mati karena terinfeksi flu burung harus dimusnahkan dengan cara dikubur atau dibakar.

Virus flu dari manusia dapat menular ke babi dan virus flu burung dari unggas juga dapat menular ke babi. Pada tubuh babi kedua virus tersebut dapat bermutasi atau saling bertukar gen dan menjadi subtipe virus baru.

Pembentukan subtipe virus baru itu memungkinkan terjadinya penularan virus dari hewan ke manusia. Penularan dengan cara itu sangat mungkin terjadi apabila lokasi peternakan ayam, babi dan permukinan manusia berdekatan. Maka dari itu perlu diatur agar peternakan ayam harus terletak jauh dari peternakan babi untuk mencegah terjadinya reassortment gen virus flu burung dan flu manusia pada babi.

Sumber:
Infovet edisi 116, tahun 2004: Penanganan Flu Burung oleh Drh. Pudjiatmoko, Ph.D. Ilmuwan dari Masyarakat Ilmuwan dan Tekhnolog Indonesia (MITI)

Six phases of swine flu pandemic

The WHO has six phases of pandemic alert to access the potential for new global flu outbreak.

Phase 1:
There are no viruses circulating in animals that have been reported to cause infections in humans.

Phase 2:
An animal flu virus has caused infections in human in the past and is considered to be a potential pandemic threat.

Phase 3:
An animal or mixed animal-human virus has caused occasional cases or small clusters of disease, but the virus does not spread easily.

Phase 4:
The new virus can cause sustained outbreaks and is adapting itself to human spread (April 28, 2009).

Phase 5:
The virus has spread into at least two countries and is causing even bigger outbreaks (April 30, 2009)

Phase 6:
Outbreaks in at least two regions of the world; the pandemic is under way.

Basic questions and answers about swine flu

The swine-avian-human flu outbreak in Mexico has killed more than 100 people and sparked a worldwide panic. Around 20 people in the United State, others in Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Israel are also suspected of being infected with the new strain.

Although no infections have been reported in Japan, according to the Health, Labor and welfare Ministry, there is concern that the country is unprepared, having instead braced for new type of seasonal influenza and bird flu. Following are basic questions and answers about swine flu:

What is swine flu?

According to World Health Organization (WHO), swine flu is an acute respiratory disease caused by a strain of influenza virus A type. Many countries regularly vaccinate pigs, which suffer outbreaks throughout the year. Normally, only pigs are infected by the virus; however, humans have been infected in some countries before, including the United State and Spain.

How do people become infected?

The influenza can be passed to people by direct contact with infected pigs. Human- to-human transmission cases are limited to close contact and closed groups of people, according to the WHO.

The health ministry reported that, just as with seasonal influenza, direct contact with infected people, including exposure to their airborne cough or sneeze discharges, can lead to infection.

Can people get infected by eating pork and pork products?

According to the WHO, swine flu is not transmitted to human trough eating pork that is properly handled and well cooked, or other processed food derived from pigs. The virus is killed by a cooking temperature of 70 degree C.

What are human symptoms of swine flu?

As with other types of flu, symptoms can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea and respiratory tract inflammation. According to the WHO, symptoms can vary widely and in some cases lead to pneumonia resulting in death.

Is there vaccine can protect people from swine flu?

There are no known vaccines to prevent infection. According to the WHO, it is not known if the current seasonal human vaccines can provide protection.

What drugs are recommended for treatment?

According to the WHO, Tamiflu and Zanamivir are recommended for treatment in the United States and Mexico. But no particular antiviral drugs are recommended to prevent infection.

What protective steps should be taken?

The health ministry advises people who travel to Mexico to wear a mask to prevent infection through coughs and sneezes. They should also wash their hands often and gargle, and consult a local doctor when flu symptoms such as a fever or cough occur.

Has travel to Mexico been banned?

The Foreign Ministry has not banned trips to Mexico or issued travel warnings to people planning to visit the country. However ministry urges people to consider putting off going until the epidemic has abated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday (April 27, 2009) raised the pandemic swine flu alert level from phase 3 to 4, two levels below the declaration of a full pandemic. The elevated alert means there has been sustained human-to-human transmission of the new A/H1N1 swine flu virus and that scientists now believe government efforts should focus on slowing the spread of the virus rather than containing it at its source.

Source: Japan Times, April 28, 2009