What is Swine Flu?





How did Swine Flu sneak up on us? Where did it come from and why didn't we know about it before this?


3 SENTENCES

Can you get influenza from being close to pigs or from eating pork? These are all questions running through everyone's minds.

The H1N1 virus is a totally unique, never before seen virus with a combination of genes that are unfamiliar.

That is why none of us has immunity to this particular virus.

Photo of innocent piglet.  Pigs are swine flu victims too.

Pigs are innocent victims of swine flu, too.
Photo courtesy of be_khe


The new swine virus is spreading rapidly from person to person and is being carried quickly from country to country. That is one of its characteristics.

Why Was the Virus Named Swine Flu?

Unlike most seasonal flu viruses, H1N1 has genes from pig viruses that infect pigs in Asia, Europe and North America. In addition, it also has genetic material from human virus and avian (or bird) virus . Because of the pig viruses, the new virus was named swine.

This combination of genetic material (from different continents) is extremely odd, and it has never been seen before. Because of that, people across the world have NO natural immunity to this swine influenza virus.

Are There Vaccines to Prevent this Influenza?

Because scientists have never seen such a virus before, there are no vaccines that would prevent infection. However, scientists, upon emergence of this flu virus , quickly took samples and began a race against time to create a vaccine to prevent infection from the H1N1 virus. If all goes well, they believe that they will be able to produce a vaccine in 3-6 months.

Swine Influenza or h1n1, a totally novel flu virus, presents a unique set of problems. Totally unexpected and a complete surprise, it took the scientific community by surprise. Scientists will be working around the clock to create an effective vaccine to prevent the infection of millions around the world.


Didn't find what you were looking for? Try searching for it here:





Avian Flu or Bird Flu Virus

Stomach Flu

Seasonal Flu

Common Cold Symptoms

Pandemic Preparedness

Swine Influenza Prevention

Swine Flu to Virus Information

Swine Flu to Pandemic Flu and Survival Preparedness



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