Swine flu

Swine Flu:

Swine influenza virus (referred to as SIV) refers to influenza cases that are caused by Orthomyxovirus endemic to pig populations. SIV strains isolated to date have been classified either as Influenza(virus C or one of the various subtypes of the genus Influenza virus A).  In the United States the H1N1 subtype was exclusively prevalent among swine populations before 1998; however, since late August 1998, H3N2 subtypes have been isolated from pigs. As of 2004, H3N2 virus isolates in US swine and turkey stocks were triple reassortants, containing genes from human (HA, NA, and PB1), swine (NS, NP, and M), and avian (PB2 and PA) lineages.

H1N1 VIRUS :

•       Influenza A (H1N1) virus is a subtype of influenza A virus and the most common cause of influenza (flu) in humans.

•       Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a small fraction of all seasonal influenza

•       H1N1 strains caused a few percent all human flu infections

•       Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs (swine influenza) and in birds (avian influenza).

It contains a combination of genes from swine, avian (bird), and human influenza viruses, it can be spread by eating pork products or being around pigs.