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The world has been subjected to different epidemics and pandemics through the ages. Different diseases have come and gone, and science, medicine and vaccination have played their miraculous roles. So nearly, every form of illness has had its own centre stage and limelight. However the one that has been getting most of our time and attention lately has undoubtedly been the swine flu. So, what is this swine flu?
Like people, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren't the same as human flu viruses. Only about 1% to 4% of pigs that get swine flu die from it. It is spread among pigs by direct and indirect contact, aerosols, and from pigs that are infected but do not have symptoms. In many parts of the world pigs are vaccinated against swine flu. Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly been from those who are in direct contact of pigs.affected. But the current "swine flu" outbreak is different. It's caused by a new virus that has changed and adapted and it spreads from person to person and it's happening among people who haven't had any contact with pigs. Most commonly, swine flu is of the H1N1 influenza subtype. However, they can sometimes come from the other types, such as H1N2, H3N1, and H3N2. The current outbreak of swine flu that has infected humans is of the H1N1 type. Luckily, this type is not as dangerous as some others.
The outbreak was first identified in Mexico in April 2009. It has since become a pandemic, which means it has spread around the globe. It has spread quickly because it is a new type of flu virus that few people have full resistance to and are hence unable to fight it off.
Flu pandemics are natural events that occurs from time to time. Last century, there were flu pandemics in 1918, 1957 and 1968, when millions of people died across the world.
In most cases the virus has proved to be relatively mild. However, around the world hundreds of people have died and it is not yet clear how big a risk the virus is. Looking at all that has happened in the past, and because we don't really have the resistance against this new type of virus, scientists say we need to be careful. Also, al viruses can mutate to become more potent. Outbreaks of human infection from a virus which came from pigs (swine influenza) do not happen often and are sometimes reported. Symptoms will generally be similar to seasonal human influenzas - this can range from mild or no symptoms at all, to severe and possibly fatal pneumonia. However, those with a weaker immune system are more prone to swine flu.
How does a human catch swine influenza?
* From contact with infected pigs
* From contact with infected humans
If pork meat and pork food products have been handled properly transmission of swine influenza to humans is not possible. Cooking pork meats to a temperature of 70C (160F) kills the virus. So they are safe to eat. Meat that is infected with the virus and has not been cooked to the required extent proves to be quite harmful for humans.
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