Baby Boomer Health UPDATE:Swine Flu-How Are Symptoms Different From A Common Flu?

Baby Boomer Health UPDATE:Swine Flu-How Are Symptoms Different From A Common Flu? CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and the CNN Medical Unit producers, will answer these questions and anwers, for us. They will share news and views on health and medical trends and information about Swine Flu. Hopefully, these questions and answers will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.

This morning, CNN answered questions from viewers who are concerned about symptoms and their travel history. As Baby Boomers learn more about the swine flu, everyone is interested in all resources to help answer some of their questions about the Swine Flu. I thought this might be of interest to you and perhaps give you some answers to your questions that have been some Baby Boomer Health concerns. Here are those questions and answers.

How can you tell whether you have a common flu or swine flu?

The symptoms of the current swine flu and seasonal flu are very similar. Reports suggest that this flu virus may result in nausea, vomiting and diarrhea more often than the typical flu. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta says doctors in Mexico have reported seeing sudden dizziness as well. There’s no way to tell for sure without getting tested. If you’re feverish or have other flu-like symptoms such as a cough or a sore throat, you should see a doctor.

One positive aspect is that the swine flu cases appeared near the end of influenza season, Dr. Richard Besser, the acting CDC director told a news conference Tuesday. Had the outbreak occurred in January or February, public health officials would have had greater difficulty because of the number of people infected with the common flu.

My family returned from Mexico this week. We aren’t sick, but aren’t sure if we should stay away from other people. Can we spread the virus even if we feel OK?

In general, people who are not sick probably do not put other people at risk, said Dr. Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. There is no recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization that they should be quarantined.

Will the current economic situation make the swine flu outbreak worse because of unemployment or uninsured Americans who may delay going to the doctor because of their current financial situation?

If more people go untreated because they lack insurance or the money to pay to see a doctor, it would likely cause those people to become sicker than they would have been otherwise. Lack of care would not affect the spread of the disease if those people remained isolated and avoided close contact with others, as the CDC has recommended.

How long can the virus survive on objects? If someone sneezes and touches a grocery cart how will that cart carry the virus?

The virus survives on surfaces certainly for a number of hours. Even though the virus can survive on surfaces, the likelihood of it being transmitted from one person to another via a phone or surface is slim. It needs to get down into your lungs to make you sick, said Dr. Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. “I personally would not have a major fear of environmental contamination,” he said. “Virtually all influenza is transmitted from sneezing and coughing.”

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