A new swine flu virus has emerged in Mexico and parts of the U.S., leading to school closures in Mexico City and widespread concern throughout North America.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, more than 854 cases of pneumonia have been reported in Mexico (with 59 deaths), of which 18 have been confirmed by laboratory diagnostic testing as the Swine Influenza A H1N1 virus. In the U.S., five cases in California and two cases in Texas have been confirmed as swine flu, and nine additional cases are suspected but not yet confirmed.
The reason why public health officials are concerned is because the majority of virus strains in Mexico and California are identical, suggesting person-to-person geographical spread that could potentially lead to a swine flu pandemic (or global disease outbreak). In addition, the virus appears to be affecting otherwise healthy young adults, an age group that is normally less susceptible to the disease.
So what exactly is swine flu, and why should you be concerned?
Swine flu is a respiratory disease that normally infects pigs. It is caused by the Influenza Type A H1N1 virus, which is the same type of virus that caused the infamous Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. The current outbreak strain is a new strain that has not previously been detected.
Swine flu is a zoonotic disease, which means it is an infectious disease of animals that can be passed sporadically to people. In other words, swine flu does not normally infect people, but transmission to humans can occur on occasion, especially in people who have direct exposure to pigs. The current outbreak strain appears to have mutated to become transmissible from person-to-person, so public health officials are keeping a close eye to ensure the containment of disease and death due to swine flu.
Symptoms in people are virtually the same as human influenza: fever, exhaustion, poor appetite, coughing, and sometimes runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Residents of California and Texas who show these symptoms are advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to contact their health care providers to determine whether testing for influenza is necessary.
Does the flu shot protect against swine flu? Unfortunately, no. The flu vaccine only protects against human influenza, so getting the flu shot will not protect you from swine flu.
Thanks, Ingrid. I always enjoy your blogs. Man, this one’s a little frightening–it’s too close to home!
I agree! WAY to close to home.
You know it is big news when
Matt Drudge headlines it
http://www.drudgereport.com/
The current year influenza vaccine does not immunize against the swine flu, but it is reformulated each year to protect against the strains that are most likely to circulate that year.
This strain can be added to the vaccine for autumn. It’s not that it won’t be possible to vaccinate for the new strain, just that the current vaccine doesn’t.
This is scary but my teacher told me to be alert but not scared a lot of teens like me are scared.
I appreciate that Ingrid points out that the US has resources in place to deal with this. I feel reassured to know it is treatable if we get to a doctor without waiting around for days.