Five myths about swine flu and what you should do if you are infected
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The death toll from swine flu this year has soared to around 600 with more than 100 deaths reported across the country since February 12. While the Centre has ordered additional stocks of medicines and diagnostic kits to strengthen the fight against the disease, you can do your bit by not giving in to these five myths:
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1) You can get swine flu from eating pork
Wrong! Despite the common name of the disease, eating pork products doesn’t spread H1N1 influenza (swine flu). The virus spreads through droplets expelled in the air from infected people coughing and sneezing. People are contagious from one day before to seven days after developing symptoms of swine flu.
2) The swine flu virus has mutated
Gene sequencing of the H1N1 virus by India’s two premier labs – National Institute of Virology Pune and National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi – last week showed the virus has not mutated. The virus infecting people this year is the same as the one that infected less than 1,000 people last year.
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3) There is no cure for swine flu
Having the anti-viral prescription drug Oseltamivir (commonly sold under the brand name Tamiflu) shortens the duration and severity of illness if the taken within 48 hours of the symptoms appearing. It also makes you less contagious and prevents infection. Oseltamivir also protects against other strains of influenza.
4) India has a shortage of drugs
There is no shortage. The virus causes mild disease in most people and less than 1% people infected need drugs for treatment. India has stockpiles of 60,000 adult doses of Oseltamivir (75mg and 45mg) and 1,000 doses of the paediatric syrup. Three pharma companies – Hetero, Natco and Strides Acrolab – have the manufacturing capacity and raw materials to produce the drug on a short notice.
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5) You get swine flu only once in your life
The H1N1 virus works like other seasonal flu viruses and may re-infect you in the coming years. Since you can get it again and again if you are in frequent contact with contagious people, all health-workers treating people with swine flu are vaccinated against it. The vaccine offers a one-year protection against the virus.
Should I press the panic button if I have swine flu?
Don’t. The H1N1 virus has not mutated and is no more contagious or deadly than other flu viruses. In fact, the death rate in 2015 has been lower compared to the figure in 2014.
Symptoms
You should get tested for the H1N1 virus if along with flu symptoms (fever, runny nose, sore throat and congestion) you have:
*Fever over 101 Fahrenheit for more than three days
*Extreme breathlessness
*Pain in the chest while breathing
*Lethargy
*Loss of appetite
*Nausea/vomiting
Protecting yourself
Swine flu spreads through droplets expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes or by touching surfaces contaminated by the droplets. You can protect yourself by staying away from infected persons, frequently washing hands with soap, and cleaning surfaces with disinfectant or warm water regularly.
People at high risk
*People with respiratory disorders, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.
*People with compromised immunity because of cancer, kidney diseases and uncontrolled diabetes.
*Pregnant women and children under five years of age. People aged 50 years or older.
Matchmakes five basic tastes to give you a duck soup guide to pairing ingredients the right way
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Opposites attract… |
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…not just in relationships, but on your plate too. Matchmakes five basic tastes to give you a duck soup guide to pairing ingredients the right way |
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Ever wondered why the right way to eat gathiya-jalebi is to take one bite of each until you’ve gobbled it up? Or why sweet chocolate spread translates into a decadent snack when applied on buttered bread? And why salty almonds are addictive, or why fenugreek turns palatable the moment it hits lemon juice? Welcome to the befuddling world of tastes. To cook an epicurean meal is to take into consideration all these flavours and work them in cohesion. Here is our fool proof guide to matching core flavours with one another: Sweet Salty Watermelon and feta, salt and caramel, blue cheese and chocolate – though these combinations sound odd at first, there are no two flavours that work as well as sweet and salt. Salt enhances the effect of whatever it is added to — bitter, sour, spicy or salty foods. Added to a naturally-sweet ingredient like sweet corn, sweet potato, caramel, jelly or almonds, salt cuts through the extra saccharine-ness, balancing the flavour by giving it a saline edge. [ad name=”HTML-1″] Sour Spicy For an Indian palate, this combination works best. Spicy is like an advanced version of salty — with more intricacies and dimensions. Salt enhances the spice quotient of an ingredient and makes it more palatable. Take for example Kerala’s masala-coated chips or jalapeno bread rolls and wasabi-hinted mayonnaise. The spicy elements in these combinations work to enhance the flavour of the overall dish. Most chefs balance out this duo by adding a touch of honey or a pinch of sugar to create well-roundedness. [ad name=”HTML-1″] Bitter Sweet Bitter can be controlled if a dash of sweetness is added to it. This gives you the health benefits of consuming bitter foods without having to ingest the horrible taste! Add a drop of honey to a spinach smoothie or mix sweet chunks of pineapple to a kale salad. Innately-bitter ingredients such as brinjal can be countered with a touch of sweet saffron. [ad name=”HTML-1″] Umami Anything Umami, the fifth taste, is hard to describe, but easy to detect once it’s on your tongue. The rich savoury taste that feels like it has the right amount of sweet, sour, salty and bitter is umami. Commonly found in ingredients such as mushrooms, certain cheeses and soy sauce, umami flavour goes well with anything. Combinations such as chilli sauce and shiitake mushroom, bamboo shoot with sambal, truffle and parmesan, tofu/seaweed and green tea show how umami flavours can be paired with almost anything! |