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Swine Flu at Epidemic Levels in Parts of UK: Flu Strategy Moves from Containment to Treatment Phase

Swine or pig flu first reached the UK in April 2009 when holiday makers came back from Mexico carrying the infection. Initially patients were immediately isolated in hospital and any close contacts were asked to quarantine themselves for a week and given antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza to prevent them becoming ill if they had already caught the virus.

Swine Flu Cases Expected to Top 100,000 a Day Soon

But these measures failed to contain the spread of the highly infectious virus and the United Kingdom is now at number three in the world swine flu hotspot ratings (only Mexico and the US have a higher number of cases). The number of incidences of the disease in the West Midlands area of England and in London is now approaching epidemic levels.

In the last two months, over 9000 people are believed to have already contracted the deadly strain which, although present in pigs for many years, has finally crossed to humans. The number of new and suspected cases appears to be doubling each week. If that rate of infection continues then some 100,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed every day by August, according to opting health.

Flu Diagnosis and Antiviral Medication Vouchers Now by Phone

The UK Government’s pandemic influenza strategy has now moved from the containment phase to the treatment phase as public health officials recognize the spread of the potentially fatal disease can no longer be contained. This means that antiviral medicine will no longer be issued to contacts and will not automatically be given to victims unless their underlying medical history or symptoms warrant it. Nor will schools etc. be automatically closed.

People believing they have caught the bug are being asked not to visit their General Practioner (GP) but to phone instead and the Doctor will make a diagnosis over the phone. There will no longer be automatic laboratory testing of suspected victims. The National Pandemic Influenza Framework suggests that antiviral treatment should be initially available to patients within 12-24 hours of reporting who have presented symptoms for less than 48 hours.

Prescription Charge Dropped for Swine Flu Medicines

If the GP decides the patient does require antiviral drugs then a voucher will be issued. A patient’s Flu Friend will then collect the voucher and take it to a local pharmacist or collection center where he will be given the necessary drugs. There will be no prescription charge in these cases.

Fortunately, most of the cases of this particular strain of influenza in the UK have been mild. Those who have died from it have had pre-existing medical health problems. Common symptoms to watch out for are similar to those suffered during seasonal winter flu outbreaks and include high fever with or without associated shivering, diarrhea, headaches and a sore throat.

Jehovah Witness Facts – What you need to know about the religion

Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious group. A business man named Charles Tazel Russell discovered it. This occurred in Pennsylvania. Russell came with a background in Adventist. He was also well-verse with the Bible. These are enough for him to conclude that the Christ performed its second coming in the year 1914. This was about the claim that hellfire was non-existent at all. He also added that God was not in any way, a trinity. These are some of the known Jehovah Witness facts. To date, there are like 6 million population for Jehovah’s Witness. This is true worldwide. This group is very much active when it comes to missions and evangelism. The original home of the religion is the United States.

The Belief of Jehovah’s Witness

There are many who are curious about the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witness. They would surely want to know about this. There are those who are asking –true that these Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays and holidays?  Are they a cult?  There are even those who want to know, why are they distributing publications? How can they circulate the mentioned? What makes their Bible one of a kind?  What is with their history anyway? It has been noticed that in the internet alone, there is a really strong presence of these Jehovah’s Witnesses. These are also in literature.

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The Jehovah’s Witness is unlikely to participate in a war whenever there is a conflict. They do not participate in whatever form or kind of it. They are also not for execution and as well as imprisonment. They claim to be the embodiment of first-century Christian congregation’s continuation. They believe that war is not compatible with the ethics of Jesus. This is how they practice loving enemies.

Aside from the mentioned, Jehovah’s Witness does not believe in the cross as well. They do not look at this as any sort of symbol. They are unlikely to be seen wearing a cross, or using such. This is not their form of worship. As a matter of fact, they say that this is against what they believe.

The religious group is also active. As a matter of fact, it is member of various lands. This is so far from people’s notion that they are only seen walking around in pairs all the time. This might have been the international image of Jehovah’s Witness but it is really more than that. These active Jehovah’s Witnesses are seen in almost 129 lands. This is the status of it all over the world. They keep track of this through their official website. This is a way for them to keep their statistics.

The clergy does not receive any compensation from the service they provide for Jehovah. There is no collection of tithing too. With this, it may be concerning – where do they get the fund for their literature? How can they organize their work? Everything is possible because of the so called voluntary contributions.

Facts about Poseidon – Knowing the Greek God of the Sea

The reputation of being a greedy, bad-tempered and moody Olympian god is always linked to the Greek God of the Sea, Poseidon. His attitude usually manifest whenever he is insulted.  For instance, this transpired when Cyclops Polyphemus made him mad. This was the time when he blinded the creature. He was triggered to do such because of how Odysseus insulted him. These are some of the facts about Poseidon.

The father of Poseidon is Cronus, while his mother is Rhea. There are stories saying that Cronus swallowed him. This also happened to Hera, Hades, Hestia and even Demeter. However, there are other folklore stories that want to prove this otherwise. It was said that Zeus did not go through such, like Poseidon. This only happened because Rhea wanted to conceal the god. This was done against a heavy flock of lambs. This was the time when he pretended as if he had given birth to colt. It was said that Cronus devoured them instead.

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There came a time when the gods were able to defeat the Titans. When this occurred, the world was then separated into three. These were categorized according to Poseidon, Hades and Zeus. In deciding what they would rule, they drew straws. Zeus was able to get the skies, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld. This divide was only given a reference once. This is seen in Iliad by Home.

Other information about Poseidon

Poseidon will always be popular for being the God of the sea.  This is his territory. He will always protect the waters so that safe passage can be assured. This dominion was allotted by Poseidon right after the Titans fall. As mentioned, Hades and Zeus were the siblings of Poseidon.

Since he is powerful in the sea, many would worships him. This is a way for a smooth navigation to be enjoyed and realized in the journey. Aside from help people on the sea seek, Poseidon also has a reputation for being the fertility god. This is why his named is called by couples who want to have a child.

In Greek, the meaning of Poseidon is husband. His image is always linked to a three-pronged spear, or trident. This is associated with art all the time. Poseidon has the ability to strike off the ground. He can do this with the presence of his trident alone. Earthquake may also occur this way. This is one of the reasons why he is given the nickname, Earth-shaker.

A palace is also owned by Poseidon. This is built with coral and gems. These are seen on the floor of the ocean all the time. As a matter of fact, he spends most of his time in Mount Olympus than his very own palace.

By nature, Poseidon has always been so moody. His temperament is not that consistent. There are also fluctuations when it comes to his emotions. This is why there is always violence related to his name. This somehow resembles Zeus.

Autism Symptoms, Education and Support Resources

Children disabilities often include autism. Autism is becoming a more common disability among children; however, more interventions and research are being offered to aid in the understanding and acceptance of children with all forms of disabilities. In small communities, finding and accessing services to autism children are often difficult.

When one is able to locate a service, support group, or event, usually the family has to travel to more populated areas to participate. Without a doubt, raising a child with a disability can be difficult, but with the mindset and drive every parent is instilled with, the task becomes a feat of love and glory.

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What are the Signs and Symptoms of Autism ?

Among the literature are exceedingly vast collections of information relating to autism and the signs associated with the disability. Furthermore, doctors, teachers, and specialists are available in most communities or regions and learning the signs and symptoms has become a common habit for parents with newborn children. For simple clarification, the following offers a basic list of the most common signs and symptoms for children with autism.

  • Children with autism will oftentimes avoid looking at another person directly in the eyes for more than a few short seconds, if they make any eye contact at all.
  • Children with autism will oftentimes behave in a manner where certain objects or items are very irritating, frustrating, and aggravating to touch, smell, hold, or acknowledge. For example, a small child with autism may have a difficult time brushing their teeth because of the sensation the toothbrush gives them on their gums and teeth.
  • Too often, children with autism may exhibit gastrointestinal irritabilities and may not be able to tolerate certain food products.
  • A child with autism may engage in many self-stimulating behaviors including swaying back and forth, flicking their fingers in the air repeatedly, or using an object in a certain way for hours at a tim (for example, hitting a spoon on a pan or rolling a ball for long periods of time).
  • Most children with severe autistic traits will not be able to use verbal skills. Quite often, this includes being able to talk and communicate with phrases and conversations.

Parents can Learn More about Autism

When a family is aware that their child has autism, oftentimes the first question they ask is how they can help their child overcome or function more healthily. Again, the research and literature in the field of autism is vast; however, there are some common educational interventions that have become popular among the medical, psychological, and helping professions to assist children with autism.

The most common use of intervention for children with autism includes the application of Applied Behavior Modification (ABA). The Association for Applied Behavior Modification is one of the international sources for learning about ABA. Also, the Autism Society of America also offers information relating to common interventions for children with autism and sources of information to autism topic.

Raising a child with autism can be challenging but at the same time rewarding. Children disabilities, including autism, come in different forms (spectrums) of intensity of behaviors. The most rewarding task any parent can undergo is the concept of educating themselves about the characteristics and techniques for working with their child with autism.

 

Things you do not know about snowy owl facts

Snowy owls are one of the kinds of the bird in the owl family and they have the native place in the Arctic region like Eurasia and North America. These snowy owls have the appearance like having the yellow eye with black beak and so it is easily identifiable. As well as, this snowy owl can grow up to 52 to 71 cms long with 125 to 150 cm wingspan. Furthermore, it can also weigh from 1.6 kg to 3kg.  However, this snowy owl is one of the largest species in the owl family, which is mostly residing in the North America. Averagely, the snowy owl has the lifespan of 9.5 years and it looks so attractive. In addition to that, the adult male of the snowy owl is appeared as pure while in colour, but the female snowy owl and the young birds may have some dark spots. In this article you can see the snowy owl facts in the most effective manner.

Diet and sounds of snowy owl

The snowy owl calls are different for each of them, but the most of the common alarm call is the barking like krek- krek. As well as, the female owl has a softer sound like prek- prek or pyee- pyee. They can also indicate and responses to the threats by clapping their beak. Actually, the sound is not coming from the beak and it is clicking of the tongue.

When it comes to the diet, the snowy owls mainly like to eat mammals which are ranging from small rodents to larger hares. Furthermore, they can also eat some small sized birds also like small song birds and medium sized birds like lemmings and the geese.  As this way, the adult snowy owl can eat nearly five lemming birds in a day and averagely, it can eat 1660 per year.

In this manner, the snowy owls are highly available on the place where the lemmingbird’s population is high. Moreover, they can also seem higher in the North America during its breeding season. Then, they can migrate from the Alaska to some other countries for the season. In that way, they are highly found in the northern United States in the winter season.

Reproduction of snowy owl

Even though, the owl species hunt in the night time, the snowy owls are quite different from this. In this way, the snowy owls hunt in the daytime. Furthermore, they are known to violently attack the other things that disturb their nests.

Mostly, the snowy owl’s mating season is mostly in the month of May and the female owls can lay nearly 3 to 11 eggs at a time. Actually, laying eggs depend upon the food availability. In that manner, if the food is available in the limited amount, then it may lay 3 to 5 eggs and it can lay 7 to 11 eggs when the food is copious. Their average incubation time is about of 32 days. So, these are the snowy owl facts and you can search on the internet.