Outbreak

Swine flu Q&A

Some basics facts that you should know about the swine flu disease that is affecting thousands of lives around the world.

What is swine flu?

Caused by influenza type A, swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects pigs.

There are regular outbreaks among herds of pigs, and although the virus causes high levels of illness, it is rarely fatal.

Can humans catch swine flu?

Like human flu, there are many different types of swine flu, and the infection is constantly changing. It does not usually infect humans, although sporadic cases have occured, often through people who have had close contact with pigs.

Contrary to rumour, swine flu cannot be passed from pigs to humans through eating pork or pork products, so long as they are properly cooked.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends cooking pork products at 160˚C (320F).

Prior to the latest outbreak, there had been rare documented cases of the virus being passed from person to person.

Now it is apparent that the disease is being passed from human to human, in the same way as seasonal flu, through coughing and sneezing.

Is this a new virus?

When any new strain of flu emerges that has the ability to pass from person to person, it is monitored very closely in case it has the potential to spark a global pandemic.

In this case, the WHO has confirmed that at least some of the cases are a never-before-seen version of the H1N1 strain of influenza type A.

H1N1 is the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans, but this latest version is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affects humans, birds and swine.

It seems likely that this new version resulted from a mixing of different versions of the virus, in the same animal host.

So is this a pandemic?

The WHO has warned that taken together, the Mexican and US cases could potentially trigger a global pandemic.

We are currently closer to a pandemic than at any point since 1968; the threat is rated at five on a six-point scale.

The Spanish flu pandemic, which began in 1918 and was also caused by an H1N1 strain, killed more than 50 million people around the world.

How can it be avoided?

Anyone in an infected area is advised to avoid close contact, including shaking hands.

If possible you should stay at least six feet from other people, cover your mouth and nose, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose, and avoid hospitals and clinics except in an emergency.

How can it be treated?

The US authorities have said that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far.

The fact that all the cases in the US have so far produced mild symptoms is encouraging, according to doctors.

However, the fact that many of the victims are young does point to something unusual, as seasonal flu tends to affect the elderly disproportionally.