How did this swine flu start?
How did it make the transition from animals to humans. Also any body with knowledge on this subject, is there a chance of this becoming bad. Ive only read about it in the newspaper, i dont have cable and limited internet access.
kuapp.com/
4 Responses to “How did this swine flu start?”
Comment from Damiana
Time January 16, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Humans and domesticated animals have been trading diseases since the Neolithic. What appears to have happened is some pigs were exposed to a few different types of flu, which recombined into a new form and was transferred to humans.
Here’s everything you need to know about swine flu, care of the CDC:
Comment from Tweety
Time January 19, 2009 at 12:26 am
I hear that it may have started in Mexico. That is what I have read on the news. Even the White House and CDC are involved now. There are 20 cases in America. 16 just in NYC. And Canada just reported that they may have at least 2 cases.
Comment from STDDOC
Time January 21, 2009 at 12:20 am
Influenza is an interesting virus. The flu changes itself on a yearly basis (called antigenic drift) which is the reason why we need a new flu vaccine every year. What is likely happening with the swine flu is someting more dramatic that does not happen as often called antigenic shift. What this means is that several differernt type of flu virus can rearrange themselves and become a new strain. This strain of swine flu is more difficult to deal with than the avian flu everyone has been focused on as it has human to human transmission.
All this being said, there has been MUCH preparation from the govt down to local hospitals over the past few years preparing for a so-called pandemic flu outbreak. I think we will weather this storm well. Also, there is treatment for this flu and most people who get it will recover without any type of medication.
Comment from SweetnSassy
Time January 13, 2009 at 5:34 am
Found this for you hope it helps:
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however, human infections with swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses has been documented.
From December 2005 through February 2009, a total of 12 human infections with swine influenza were reported from 10 states in the United States. Since March 2009, a number of confirmed human cases of a new strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in the U.S. and internationally have been identified. An investigation into these cases is ongoing. For more information see Human Swine Flu Investigation.