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With all of the media talk about this new and quite frightening Swine Flu that seems to have originated in Mexico, the fear of a pandemic is becoming more and more of a reality. Though the flu has not spread to many locations outside of Mexico, it is a threat as travelers bring the bug home. So, we all have many questions: What is Swine Flu? What are the symptoms of it? How can I avoid getting sick? Can my pets get the illness? These are all good questions, and hopefully, you will find the answers here.

There are some animals that share enough similar traits (when it comes to health) with humans that they can pass diseases back and forth. In this case, Swine Flu is a strain of the influenza virus that originates in pigs. This particular outbreak of the virus originated in Mexico and has begun to spread to other countries. The way it works is this: the flu starts out in swine and is passed to someone who works close enough to the animals to catch the virus. Once the Swine Flu has made the jump to humans, a new strain is formed that can be passed from one human to another. From human to human, the virus is passed by touching surfaces that contain the virus or breathing contaminated air.

The symptoms of Swine Flu are very similar to the normal influenza that we are all familiar with. The big difference is that the flu vaccine offered does not safeguard against swine flu. And, the symptoms of swine flu can be more pronounced and dangerous. These symptoms include sore throat, muscle aches, fever, exhaustion, sneezing and coughing. If you or anyone you love seems to be becoming ill with these symptoms, it would be best to go ahead and visit the doctor.

The number one way to avoid getting sick, and this goes for Swine Flu and standard influenza is to wash your hands frequently. The easiest way to get sick is to touch a contaminated surface (such as a shopping cart handle or a door knob that someone who just sneezed in their hand touched) and then inadvertently, spread the germs to your mouth, nose or eyes. SO, a regular hand washing can be your best friend. Also, keeping a hand sanitizer ready so that you can rinse your hands after being in a public place is another good idea.

Now, to the big question: can our pets get infected with Swine Flu? And, all research points to a resounding no. While dogs and cats have their own strains of the influenza virus that can make them sick, they do not pass illness back and forth to humans. Our genetics are too different from theirs. So, even if someone in your household becomes ill with the Swine Flu, researches say that your dogs and cats are safe. The same holds true for the regular flu. Birds however are a totally different story. Most types of influenza are spread by wild birds. Though birds do not show many symptoms of the flu at all, they can be a factor in spreading the influenza virus to swine. At this point, it is very highly unlikely that a pet bird could give you the flu or vice versa since birds are not the cause of a human strain of the swine flu.

So, a sense of relief comes in knowing that our pets are safe from this outbreak. The dangers of sharing the Swine flu with our beloved animals are non-existent. And, the dangers to our pet birds are so minimal that they might as well be non-existent. And, humans can work to avoid getting sick at all by practicing basic good hygiene.

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