The difference between swine flu and the novel coronavirus covid

The novel coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak from Wuhan, China, has now infected more than 45,000 cases globally and claimed more than 1,000 lives. In the midst of an outbreak of a disease that resembles SARS, China and its surrounding countries are also facing an outbreak of swine flu. How to distinguish between the coronavirus in Wuhan or COVID-19 and the swine flu (H1N1)?

Difference between coronavirus (COVID-19) and swine flu (H1N1)

Swine flu or H1N1 is a type of respiratory infection that attacks humans. The disease, which is better known as the H1N1 influenza virus, is normally caused by pigs, both on farms and through veterinarians. However, in certain cases the swine flu virus can be transmitted from human to human.

When compared to the COVID-19 coronavirus, the swine flu transmission rate is quite high because it is easily transmitted between humans. For example, a person with swine flu who sneezes can spread bacteria and viruses through the air.

However, the swine flu virus has been shown to survive on inanimate surfaces, such as tables and door handles, so it is quite different from the transmission of the novel coronavirus.

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Let's get to know what are the differences between COVID-19 and H1N1 that you need to know so you don't recognize them wrong.

1. Locations of COVID-19 and H1N1 findings

One of the things that distinguishes between COVID-19, aka the novel coronavirus, and swine flu is the location where the outbreak was first discovered. Reporting from the CDC page, the swine flu outbreak was first discovered in 2009 in North America just when spring was in progress.

When compared to swine flu, the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China, to be precise on December 31, 2019.

However, both COVID-19 and H1N1 later spread globally and infected many people in countries other than where the virus was first discovered.

2. Distinguishing the symptoms of the novel coronavirus and swine flu

Apart from the location of the first findings, there is a slight difference between the COVID-19 coronavirus related to the symptoms it causes.

For the Coronavirus COVID-19, the symptoms experienced by sufferers are almost similar to the common cold, such as

• high fever over 38 ° C
• difficulty breathing
• coughs and colds
• sore throat
• ever traveled to China

Meanwhile, swine flu also shows slightly different symptoms from COVID-19, such as:

• fever is sudden and doesn't always occur
• dry cough and runny nose
• headache
• vomiting and diarrhea
• watery and red eyes

However, the difference in symptoms between these two diseases lies in fever. If the initial symptoms of COVID-19 are characterized by high fever, fever in swine flu does not always occur.

Swine flu that is not properly treated can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, shortness of breath, seizures and confusion, to death. Therefore, some people sometimes panic and experience a misdiagnosis during the outbreak of the disease from swine flu because the symptoms are almost similar to COVID-19.

If you experience some of the symptoms above, consult a doctor immediately to get the right treatment.

3. Method of treatment

Judging from the symptoms caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus and swine flu, you might think that the treatments you are undergoing will not be much different. In fact, this is not the case.

Coronavirus COVID-19 does not yet have a specific drug. However, the treatment that has been undertaken so far has focused more on relieving the symptoms experienced by sufferers so that they can fight viral infections in the body.

Meanwhile, the condition of swine flu sufferers can improve within 7-10 days after receiving treatment. Both the COVID-19 coronavirus and swine flu, the treatment being undertaken aims to relieve the symptoms experienced by patients so as not to experience complications.

However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four types of drugs to treat swine flu, namely:

• Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)
• Zanamivir (Relenza)
• Peramivir (Rapivab)
• Baloxavir (Xofluza)

The four drugs are used to fight H1N1 virus infection, but it does not rule out the possibility that the virus cells will form resistance to the drug. Therefore, during the treatment period, doctors often add antiviral drugs to people who are at high risk.

4. Virus intermediary animal

Both the COVID-19 coronavirus and swine flu virus infections both originate in animals. However, of course the types of animals that act as intermediaries for the virus to the human body in these two diseases are different.

In the COVID-19 coronavirus, the source of the virus is alleged to have come from bats. Then, the virus cells present in bats develop in the body of the pangolin, which is one of the wild animals that is quite popular for consumption in China.

As a result, when the animal flesh is consumed, the virus cells undergo mutations in the human body. From humans who are first infected it then spreads to other people through respiratory droplets in the air.

Meanwhile, as the name implies, swine flu originates from pigs, both living and dead. Infected pigs usually show symptoms such as:

• fever
• cough, which makes a barking sound
• difficulty breathing
• depression and appears to have no appetite.

However, not a few pigs infected with swine flu show no signs at all.

From the type of virus intermediary animal you can see the difference between the COVID-19 coronavirus and swine flu. However, for now, further research is still needed to ascertain which wildlife is the source of the COVID-19 virus.

5. Transmission of disease outbreaks

Finally, the difference between the COVID-19 coronavirus and swine flu is transmission. Although both of them come from animals, swine flu can be transmitted through live pigs and dead pigs.

In addition, swine flu transmission can also occur through contaminated animal feed and inanimate objects, such as clothes, knives, kitchen utensils and shoes. In fact, this epidemic is also thought to spread among pigs through close contact or in close proximity to infected animals.

Infected herds of pigs, including those already given the vaccine, are also at risk for the disease even though they don't show serious symptoms at first.

On the other hand, the COVID-19 coronavirus can transmit the virus from sufferers to other people when the transmission distance is close enough, which is about 1-2 meters or 6 feet.

Just like swine flu, the transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus is thought to come from droplets of saliva produced by an infected person when coughing or sneezing. Then, the droplets can stick to the mouth or nose of people who are close to the patient until they are inhaled into the lungs.

In addition, according to a number of reports from media in China, it is revealed that transmission of COVID-19 can occur through the air. This can occur when there is an aerosol transmission that has been mixed with the virus and respiratory droplets from an infected patient. As a result, the mixture allows the virus to be quickly inhaled by people who may not have had the infection at first.

Until now it is still not 100% scientifically proven whether a person can become infected by touching items contaminated with the virus.

Between COVID-19 and swine flu is not that different. So, it's best if you feel unwell and experience the symptoms above, immediately consult a doctor to get treatment.