Swine Flu Vaccine – Hunt for the Cure
The H1N1 virus being relatively new, no vaccine to cure the disease has been produced as yet. The problem becomes even graver with the fact that none of the commonly available medicines used to cure seasonal flu has been found to be effective against swine flu.
Scientists from around the world have already started to work on the swine influenza vaccine and some have even claimed to be very close to achieving their goal.
Even after the swine flu vaccine is made, it will take a lot of time for scientists to test it and make sure that it is safe for human beings to receive it. For the vaccine to be considered safe for people, it can take anywhere between a few weeks to a year or even more.
Swine Flu Vaccination in India
In India, the first swine flu death was reported in Pune and the city is among the front runners in the world to produce swine flu vaccines. A group of scientists at the Serum Institute of India are hard at work to produce the swine influenza vaccine, which could save the lives of hundreds of people with swine flu symptoms.
Although no swine flu vaccine is available in the market to ensure safety against the disease, certain medicines, which can cure the disease are available. There are 2 medications in the market that have been shown to be effective against swine flu, Relenza and Tamiflu. These medicines have to be administered within 2 days of the onset of symptoms (which last about a week), and are said to shorten the duration of symptoms by about 2 days. Because early detection is vital for the efficacy of these drugs, rapid detection is necessary. Many manufacturers are currently working on versions of a rapid swine flu test to allow early detection in minutes, as opposed to days as is with traditional virus testing.
Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects
The most common side effects of tamiflu as reported in some cases are vomiting, pain in the abdomen, nose bleeding and redness in the eye. Besides these, in certain extreme cases, some children have reported neurological disorders involving hallucination and abnormal behavior. The swine flu vaccine should therefore be taken only under the supervision of an expert.