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H1N1 Swine Flu 2009 - 2010 FrequentlyAsked Questions

What Is Swine Flu and How Can You Protect Yourself?

Protect yourself from swine flu.

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With so much in the news about swine flu, also called 2009 pandemic novelinfluenza A H1N1, it's wise to know what it is, what you can expect, and how to protect yourself and your loved ones. Empowered patients can use this knowledge toreduce their fear of swine flu.

What is H1N1 swine flu?

The swine flu is a strain of virus that shares genes with flu viruses that affect pigs.The swine flu of interest in 2009 is the novel H1N1 strain, which was passed from pigs to human beings. It is causing illness in humans, and as of June 2009, wasdeclared pandemic by the World Health Organization. In October 2009,President Barack Obama declared an H1N1 swine flu national emergencyin the United States.

What does H1N1 Influenza A mean?

The official,scientific name for swine flu, its serologic classification, is Novel H1N1 Influenza A. "Novel" just means that it is a new strain. The H means hemagglutininand the N means neuraminidase and the "1"s refer to their antibody type. Influenza Ais a genus of the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, and refers to the fact that thevirus is first identified in an animal, usually a pig or a bird. When put together, theydescribe the 2009-2010 swine flu virus.

Why is this flu different from other flus?

There are thousands of different kinds of viruses that can cause the flu. New strainsdevelop frequently and each one is different from the one before it. The seasonal flu isactually comprised of several different strains of flu. Swine flu is a new, differentstrain of virus.

What are the swine flu stages I keep hearing about?

The World Health Organization, WHO, developed a plan to respond to healthemergencies, like swine flu, which have the potential to become pandemic.Each stage represents a different level of response. For example, Stage 4 means that the diseasecan no longer be contained inside any specific country, therefore governments musttake steps to handle community spread of the disease. As of late spring 2009, H1N1swine flu was labeled pandemic by WHO, meaning it had reached Stage 5.(You can follow WHO swine flu stagingfor changes and updates.)

What exactly is a pandemic?

WHO defines a pandemic along those stages mentioned above. They describe the prevalence of the disease, across populations and countries. There is adifference between a pandemic and an epidemic.

Why did President Obama declare a "state of emergency" in the United States?

The state of emergency declaration in October 2009 was a reaction to the fact thatmore than 1,000 Americans (including almost 100 children) had died as a result of H1N1 swine flu.The declaration is less about the actual spread of the flu, and more about taking down barriers to quick and more effective reaction on the part of providers, including physicians, hospitals, local health departments and others. In an official state-of-emergency, these groups have more control over how they handle their reactions andless government red tape to deal with.

I keep hearing "swine flu" and "avian flu" in the same sentence.What's that all about?

Avian flu is another name for bird flu. This pairing is heard as "swine, avian, human"and refers to the fact that the H1N1 pandemic flu strain seems to be a combination of all three.

How is the swine flu transmitted?

The swine flu is transmitted just the way any viral disease is transmitted through person-to-person contact. One person touches something someone with a virus hasalready touched, or droplets in the air which came from a sneeze or a cough of a person who has the swine flu spread to another person.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

Symptoms of swine flu are the same as typical flu symptoms. Fever, cough, sorethroat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue are the most prevalent symptoms.Some patients report diarrhea and vomiting, too.

Do people die from swine flu?

People can die, but most do not.

Is there a swine flu vaccine like seasonal flu vaccine?

A vaccine was developed similarly to the way seasonal flu is developed.Specificgroups of people will be inoculated first, according to the plans suggested by theCDC.In the early stages of H1N1 swine flu innoculation, there are severe shortages of vaccine. To determine whether you are at risk, and therefore need to be vaccinated,you'll want to stay up with progress in thedevelopment and dissemination of theH1N1 swine flu vaccine.There are many spam emails circulating that claim a vaccine is available for purchaseon the Internet. Don't be fooled! The vaccine cannot be purchased by individuals, soanything you might purchase on the web would likely becounterfeit.

Is it possible to track swine flu outbreaks?

Yes. There are a number of ways totrack incidents of swine flu across the world.

You and Swine FluI never come into contact with pigs. Am I safe from swine flu?

No. This is a myth. Transmission of the virus doesn't require you to come into contact with pigs. It can pass from one human to another. According to the CDC, there issome evidence that people who do come into contact regularly with pigs may beimmune to the swine flu.

I got a flu shot. Am I protected?

Health officials say that a seasonal flu shot (which addresses different strains of flu)will not protect us from the swine flu. The seasonal flu shot was developed to combatstrains that are not related to the swine flu strain, H1N1. If you get a flu shot in 2009, be sure to ask clearly which vaccine(s) you are receiving -- swine flu or seasonal flu.Infectious diseases experts tell us we will be need both shots to benefit from the most protection.

Is there any way to prepare in case I (or my loved one) gets the H1N1 Swine Flu?

Absolutely. The World Health Organization believes no matter how much we try to prevent it, at least one-third of us will get the swine flu. It makes sense to follow thesesteps to prepare for the swine flu.