If you are concerned about whether or not you have a regular Type A Influenza virus or the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” virus strain you need not worry. There is a diagnostic procedure that is very affordable, will accurately determine your influenza virus strain along with other viruses you may be carrying and best of all takes only a few minutes to perform.
The annual seasonal flu virus that we are all familiar with is a Type A influenza of which there is over 800 known strains or mutations. Type A influenza is transmitted in various ways that we have all read about many times moves from city to city, state to state and country to country each year. During this “migration” the virus mutates, so that, by the time it comes back around next season we are affected by a mutation of last years strain. Therefore, last years seasonal “flu shot” doesn’t work on this year’s version. That is why we get new flu vaccinations each year.
It might surprise you to know that the “swine flu” or 2009 H1N1 virus is also a Type A influenza. The reason the “swine flu” is so different from the other Type A strains is because it has “crossed species”. According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus is a reassortment (mixing of genetic material) of four known strains of Influenza A virus: one from humans, one from birds, and two from pigs (swine).: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic . Another factor about “swine flu” that makes it different is that in many instances healthy people in the 19 to 35 age group are more affected.
This new strain was not on the immunologists “radar screen” when it was discovered in April of 2009 and it has taken several months to develop a vaccine for prevention and antiviral drugs to be administered once infected. That is also why a vaccine shot is available separately and not included with the annual seasonal flu vaccine should you decide to get immunized.
Because the medical community does not have a strong history on how the 2009 H1N1 virus will affect you it is prudent to follow the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and get immunized.
The annual seasonal flu is generally mild, except in some cases for people in higher risk groups, such as those with asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or a weakened immune system, who may be more severely affected. In addition, even for people who were previously very healthy, secondary infections, such as those caused by bacterial pneumonia or a relapse of the illness with worse symptoms, are considered very serious and require medical treatment.
Reading the various articles online and in the news media about the 2009 H1N1 virus you will find that there is not a definitive method of diagnosing the virus quickly and being sick is now more stressful. So you decide to go to the doctor.
If your doctor determines you have the flu he/she will not be able to distinguish between regular Type A virus or the 2009 H1N1 virus without a blood test. So what’s the problem? We know that results from a blood test are very accurate; however, it will take the laboratory from 3 to 7 days to get back to your doctor. In the U.S., when the H1N1 virus shows in your blood work the lab will normally send it on to the CDC, for confirmation which can take another 7 to 10 days. This means the turn around time for confirmation will take 10 days to approximately two weeks thus creating a critical delay in treatment. According the CDC, “Evidence for benefits from antiviral treatment in studies of seasonal influenza is strongest when treatment is started within 48 hours of illness onset”.
In light of the necessity to treat the patient the CDC recommends “When treatment is indicated, health care providers generally should not wait for laboratory confirmation of influenza to begin treatment with antiviral drugs because laboratory testing can delay treatment and because a negative rapid test for influenza does not rule out influenza”. (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/antiviral.htm)
Okay, does anyone see a big red flag? Like, administering antiviral drugs while not knowing if the patient has the swine flu virus or the seasonal flu virus? In the past, haven’t we been told by the medical community not to take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary because a virus may eventually develop an immunity to the drug?
Those questions bring us full circle to the question posed in the title of this article, “ARE YOU SURE?” The answer could be a resounding YES, if, the attending physician can use a microscope and knows how to identify the 2009 H1N1 viral cell. Unfortunately, the practice of cytology is not a medical school requirement and very few physicians have training or are trained adequately or use cytology in their daily practice. That statement was not meant to discredit or defame any physician, but merely to shine a spotlight on an extremely valuable diagnostic tool that has been overlooked.
Fortunately there are two Baja physicians, Dr. Federico Martinez of the Marbeck Center in Rosarito and Dr. William Hitt of the William Hitt Center in Tijuana, whom are experienced cytologist, can identify viral cells and distinguish the characteristics of those cells in order to make a rapid diagnosis.
As a public service, both doctors are offering to perform the viral diagnostic test for $25.00 dollars at either of their offices. Because the 2009 H1N1 virus cell is very distinguishable from other types of virus cells the doctor can tell very quickly if you are infected.
Testing appointments can be made at The Marbeck Center in Rosarito by calling (661)100-6000 or their U.S. number of (619)793-4727. The William Hitt Center Tijuana phone is (664)683-1788 and U.S. number is (888)671-9849.
The Marbeck Center and William Hitt Center also offer solutions for patients with Asthma, Allergies, Addictions, Auto-Immune System disease as well as many other issues.
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