Swine Flu

Influenza Basics

Swine influenza or swine flu is a type of flu that normally only affects pigs.

That pigs can get the flu shouldn't be too surprising to people, as there have been many reports in recent years about the bird flu (Avian Influenza), another type of flu virus that affects birds.

Although both types of flu have long caused outbreaks in animals, the main problem occurs when these flu viruses infect humans. This was highlighted by a swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976, in which at least four soldiers got sick and one died, and the more devastating bird flu outbreaks that have killed hundreds of people worldwide.

Swine Flu

Swine flu is actually very common in pigs. And surprisingly, many things about swine flu are the same as the human flu, including that:

* pigs can get a swine flu vaccine
* swine flu outbreaks usually occur among pigs in the late fall and winter, just like our flu season
* swine flu symptoms in pigs can include the sudden onset of fever, coughing, running nose, sneezing, trouble breathing, and not wanting to eat

Fortunately, especially as we have enough to worry about with our own flu viruses, humans do not usually get swine flu. Occasionally they do however, especially children and adults who have close contact with pigs. In fact, the CDC usually reports one or two human cases of swine flu each year.
Swine Flu Symptoms

Swine flu symptoms in humans are the same as regular flu symptoms, and include fever, coughing, decreased appetite, and decreased energy.

2009 Swine Flu Cases

Unlike most years, in which just one or two cases of human swine flu were reported in the United States, at least 40 cases of swine flu in humans were reported as of April 27, 2009 -- the date the CDC declared the issue a public health emergency.

As new cases are being reported daily on swine flu maps.

Although this is surprising news, it does not seem to be a cause for alarm. Flu season is mostly over in the United States now, so we shouldn't see many more seasonal flu cases and hopefully won't see widespread swine flu cases.

It is also important to keep in mind that unlike the bird flu, which has an almost 60% fatality rate, there haven't been many reported deaths from human swine flu this year. Of the two cases we know the most about, the two children in San Diego County, California, it was only discovered that they had human swine flu because they went to doctors that were participating in clinical studies. Since they both 'recovered uneventfully,' it makes you wonder if anyone would have known that they had swine flu if not for the clinical study. It is not like they were so sick that the CDC was called in to investigate their illness.

One concerning thing about these cases is that it is not thought that either child had direct exposure to pigs, which raised the possibility that you could get swine flu from another human. And as swine flu cases increased in the United States, person-to-person spread was confirmed.

For now, while experts continue to investigate the current human swine flu cases, parents should simply call their doctor if their kids have flu symptoms, especially if they live in an area where swine flu cases are already being reported.

It isn't yet known if the human swine flu cases in Texas and California are linked to suspected human swine flu cases in Mexico, which may have caused 60 deaths since March.

What You Need To Know

* You can not catch swine flu by eating pork or pork products.

* Swine flu is a type A flu virus with four subtypes, including H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. In contrast, bird flu is an H5N1 influenza A virus.

* Antiviral flu drugs, like Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir), are available to treat swine flu in humans, although swine flu is usually resistant to Flumadine (rimantadine) and Symmetrel (amantadine).

* The 1918 Flu Pandemic that may have killed 30 to 50 million people was once thought to be caused by a swine flu, but recent research has found that it was really a severe strain of bird flu.