Swine flu spread matches previous flu pandemics
An early analysis of the H1N1 swine-associated flu virus outbreak suggests that the virus spreads at a rate comparable to that of previous influenza pandemics.
The results, published online today by Science and compiled by the World Health Organization Rapid Pandemic Assessment Collaboration, support the designation of swine flu as a pandemic but also indicate that the fatality rates thus far are lower than those seen during the 1918 flu outbreak or those anticipated from an avian influenza pandemic. “It’s a virus that almost certainly will cause a global epidemic,” says study author Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London. “But it’s not the catastrophic scenario people were fearing for bird flu.”
Swine Flu – Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
Background and Current Information
Out of the blue, a novel influenza virus has emerged in Mexico. The virus seems to have been born from the combination of at least two pig viruses, that themselves carried gene segments that originated in viruses of other species such as birds or humans.
This new virus, although dubbed “swine flu”, has not been identified from pigs in Mexico, nor is it caught directly from pigs, but has the ability to infect and transmit efficiently between humans. Read more…
The strain in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medications.
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