How Long Before the Symptoms Appear for Swine Flu?

Many people believe that they are in no danger of spreading the swine flu until symptoms appear. In reality, the Centers for Disease Control warns that symptoms may not appear for one full day after being infected. It is important to recognize preventative measures to keep contracting or spreading the swine flu, or H1N1 flu, before symptoms emerge.

Preventing the Swine Flu Before Symptoms Appear

• Relying on recognizing symptoms of the H1N1 virus is not enough to keep the disease under control. Since symptoms of the swine flu may not appear for an entire day after contracting the virus, the first step in avoiding contacting the disease is preventing it.

  The best way to prevent contacting the swine flu is to be vaccinated against it, according to the Center for Disease Control. The swine flu vaccine is a separate vaccine from the seasonal flu shot, so both should be administered. In certain situations, being vaccinated is not an option. As of October 2009, the swine flu shot is being limited to certain groups; therefore other preventative measures can be taken independently.

  Although some steps in preventing the swine flu seem simple, most people fail to take these preventative steps until they are in contact with a person who is showing visible symptoms of the swine flu. Because the contagious period of the swine flu begins prior to the actual symptoms, precautions should be taken at all times. The CDC recommends washing hands regularly with soap and water and using alcohol-based hand gel to kill germs.

  Since a person can be contagious before the outward signs of the H1N1 virus appears, the CDC also highly recommends covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing, as this is the most common way to spread the swine flu virus. The CDC also believes that the virus can be spread by touching inanimate objects that have been previously touched by an infected person. When the object is touched, and the hand then touches the mouth or nose, the virus can spread. Therefore, keeping areas disinfected at all times is recommended by the CDC to prevent the spread of the virus, especially through those who are unaware that they carry it due to lack of symptoms.

Symptoms to Look For

• The second step to caring for oneself in case of infection is being aware of the swine flu symptoms. Although symptoms may not appear for a day after being infected, when they do appear, they can be mild to severe. In most cases, the CDC suggests that the symptoms can linger for five to six day after they appear. In more severe cases, it can be longer.

  The symptoms to look for include a fever, stuffy or runny nose, body aches, vomiting, nausea or diarrhea, sore throat, and fatigue. Only a few symptoms may appear, or many may emerge. In the case of severe symptoms, or respiratory problems that correlate with the flu-like symptoms, seek a doctor's care.