What is Swine flu – influenza A(H1N1)?

Swine flu is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a type A influenza virus. Usually, swine flu occurs in pigs year round, with a peak in autumn and winter. Although pigs can pass the virus to humans, human-to-human transmission has never been reported. Yet, the current outbreak, which has already caused several deaths in Mexico and affected more than ten countries worldwide. This clearly shows that the swine flu virus can spread among people.

Why People?

So, what happened? The virus causing the current global outbreak is a brand new version of H1N1, one of the viruses that regularly cause seasonal flu and, most worryingly, also the one responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

The new virus is called influenza A(H1N1). It is thought to have originated in pigs infected with different types of influenza viruses–human, avian and swine–at the same time. This has made it possible for the viruses to swap their genes and create a new H1N1 virus capable of spreading among people.

According to the latest information, the influenza A(H1N1) virus contains:

• Two genes from two pig flu viruses that are common in Europe and Asia;
• Human genes; and
• Avian genes.

Swine Flu: is it a Pandemic or not?

Influenza A(H1N1) has one crucial characteristic: it can be transmitted from person to person in a sustainable manner. This means that it can involve at least three individuals. In other words, the virus can spread from person A to person B and then person C.

Swine Flu pandemic preparedness - The Key To Being Safe is Being Ready, So What Are The Facts & What Can You Do?

Why is this important? Because sustained transmission is a prerequisite for a pandemic to occur. It means that the virus has a great potential to affect millions of people worldwide almost simultaneously, which is why the WHO has recently raised the pandemic alert to level six - the maximum possibly, meaning we are now in the midst of a full pandemic. Now is the time for people to become familiar with swine flu pandemic preparedness.

Pandemic planning is very important as no-one truly knows how big this current outbreak will become. At the current rate of infection however, this is very serious indeed, and the predictions made by actual governments on the advise of the WHO make scary reading.

So What’s Next?

This may occur within the next few days, weeks, or may take several months. One possibility is that the virus attenuates over the summer only to come back later, more aggressive than ever. This is highly likely, according to scientists and other experts. The reason? Because it has already happened before. History shows that pandemics tend to occur in waves. They usually have a mild start, followed by a period of silence, and then come back more severe in the winter months.

 

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