Science: Swine Flu 2009

The "swine flu" started hitting the news about a week ago.

As someone working in medical research, I have followed the story with some interest reading what what I find and talking with clinical people.

Key ideas to keep in mind:

How transmissible is this variant?

Generally, flu moving directly from an animal to a human is usually pretty difficult but it does happen. That was a big fear a few years back with the Avian Flu and thus the mass culling of chickens in various countries. Flu viruses are sometimes a mix and matches of flu viruses found in pigs, birds and humans. Some strains are more readily transmitted from person-to-person but usually lose some of their severity with increases in transmissibility. It appears that this strain can spread from person-to-person fairly well.

How severe is this strain?

The Spanish Flu from World War I killed more people than the war! People were literally dropping dead in the streets. So far, there is no indication that this strain is as potent.

UPDATE: I have read that the initial wave of Spanish Flu was not too serious but it mutated and in the second wave it was very serious. There is no way to know how this current flu will mutate. It would appear that careful monitoring will be essential should a mutation arise and swift action to contain it be taken if it is a mutation that makes it worse.

Can this strain be treated with drugs?

Apparently, so far, the US individuals documented with this strain have responded well to anti-flu drugs.

The WHO has gone to a phase 5 alert.

Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Informative FAQ I saw on Yahoo! News.