Killer Flu?: 10 Facts You Might Not Know About H1n1

1.       Though the World Health Organization raised the swine flu alert level to pandemic status (the first global flu pandemic in 41 years), that does not mean that the virus is more deadly, only that it has spread to more countries.

2.       So far, around 150 people have died from the swine flu since April 2009. On average, 36,000 people die from complications of the regular flu each year.

3.       The swine flu virus evolved to allow transmission from pigs to humans. Some scientists worry that the flu will continue to evolve more and become deadlier.

4.       You can’t get the swine flu from eating pork.

5.       The swine flu virus can live for up to 8 hours outside a body.

6.       Most people who have become sick with swine flu have exhibited flu symptoms that are typical of regular flu and have not required medical attention.

7.       Symptoms of the swine flu include cough, sore throat, fever, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have also had diarrhea and vomiting. Only lab tests, however, can determine what strain of the flu a person is actually suffering from.

8.       Most cases of the swine flu have occurred in older children and young adults, though it is not clear why this is the case. Regular flu often afflicts mostly young children and elderly people.

9.       Though there is no vaccine to prevent swine flu yet, antiviral drugs are helpful if taken early after the onset of symptoms.

10.   Swine flu has shown some similarities to the 1918 super bug that caused the Spanish Influenza that had a mortality rate of about 2.5% (typical flu has a mortality rate of about .01%). Both the swine and Spanish flu began in the spring, affected untypical populations like young and otherwise healthy adults, and were initially mild strains. However, over 90 years have passed since the Spanish flu epidemic, and the world is much more prepared to deal with a pandemic. Countries have a better understanding of viruses, better antiviral drugs, and a much better ability to work together on a global level.

Image Source: Wikipedia from CDC