AH1N1 The Swine Flu

Swine influenza, also called swine flu, pig flu, or hog flue, is actually common among pigs. Transmission from pigs to humans is rare, and humans generally develop antibodies to counter the virus. If pig-to-human transmission occurs, it is then called zoonotic swine flu. Those who are frequently in contact with pigs are the main victims. Nevertheless, one cannot get infected by merely eating the meat of an infected animal that is properly cooked.

There are three genera of influenza viruses that cause human flu, and two of them also cause swine flu. Influenza A is common, while influenza C is rare. Influenza A has subtypes, and AH1N1 is among the most common and recently the most notable subtype. The AH1N1 subtype, also called the “novel H1N1,” caused the global outbreak of a new influenza strain referred to as the 2009 flu pandemic. The pandemic was first identified in April 2009 in Mexico, which suffered an epidemic some months prior to the recognition of the outbreak. In early June 2009, the outbreak has spread to various parts of the world. Infected people were refrained from coming to office or school to avoid further spread of the virus. Airline passengers manifesting symptoms were quarantined in airports. However, most cases were of moderate severity. Symptoms of zoonotic swine flu are similar to general flu, such as chills, fever, sore throat, cough, muscle pains, and headache among other things. The virus spreads through coughing, sneezing or touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth. The World Health Organization expects to come up with a full vaccine against swine flu and seasonal flu by the end of 2009. The vaccine will be first made available to healthcare workers, pregnant women, and other higher risk groups.