Swine flu is the common name for a variety of influenza called H1N1. An April 2009 outbreak in Mexico caused worldwide concern and even panic, as fears mounted that swine flu may turn into a deadly pandemic. But is swine flu really that dangerous?
So-called "swine flu," the common name for 2009 A/H1N1 influenza originating from pigs, is an emerging pandemic that has spread via travelers to all corners of the globe, with cases reported in countries from Canada to Israel to New Zealand. As of June 29, 2009, 311 deaths had been confirmed worldwide, mostly in North America. How is the swine flu is transmitted?
The current outbreak of H1N1 virus can be transmitted from person to person. Unlike most flu outbreaks, it is especially dangerous for young, healthy adults. These facts have led many around the world to fear that swine flu is dangerous to them.
The rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic caused the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement its emergency response. This action does not mean that swine flu is an emergency — only that the CDC is being prudent about the possibility of the emergency. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set its pandemic alert to 6, which means that sustained person-to-person transmission has been observed in multiple WHO regions. Find out what these responses mean for you.
Swine flu has affected humans in the past. The CDC reports 12 cases in the U.S. from December 2005 to February 2009.
In 1988, a healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin caught type A H1N1 swine flu and died after visiting a county fair where many of the pigs were sick. However, this was an isolated incident, and the disease did not spread from person to person.
In 1976, an outbreak occurred among previously healthy new recruits at Fort Dix in New Jersey. 200 soldiers were sickened and one died. Though this outbreak did spread from person to person, it spontaneously stopped spreading for reasons that are still unknown. The Fort Dix strain was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).
Keep reading to learn how the 2009 strain is different...