General Description

Swine influenza (also swine flu) refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV).

Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have undergone such a mutation. This virus is named swine flu because one of its surface proteins is similar to viruses that usually infect pigs, but this strain is spreading in people and it is unknown if it infects pigs.

swine flu

In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person recovers fully in a few days.

Deadly Swine flu has panicked Mexico and is spreading to the USA. In Mexico with under one hundred deaths and two thousand infected reported the Mexican government has closed schools and all other public gatherings and soldiers are patrolling the streets after it was confirmed that human to human transmission is occurring and that the virus is a brand new strain which is seemingly affecting young, healthy people the worst, and that the bug is a never-before-seen intercontinental mixture of human, avian and pig viruses from America, Europe and Asia.

The influenza strain that has struck Mexico and the United States involves, in many cases, a never-before-seen strain of the H1N1 virus. The flu virus is notorious for its ability to mutate and evolve new features that allows it to escape the immune defense systems of its victims. Mexican army officer claims the Mexican government believes this virus may have been introduced deliberately by so far unknown sources.

As of April 24, 2009 these are the current statistics above:

• 149 dead in Mexico, 1,614 infected
• 40 infected in the United States
• 6 infected in Canada
• 10 infected in New Zealand
• 20 suspected infected in Spain
• 14 suspected in Britain
• 1 Infected in Israel

According to medical experts the virus is a very dangerous and deadly “never-before-seen form of the flu that combines pig, bird and human viruses” which consists of an intercontinental mix of viruses from North America, Europe and Asia and there is no known effective vaccine.

Rumsfeld played a key role in hyping an outbreak of swine flu back in the 1976 when he urged the entire country to get vaccinated. Many batches of the vaccine were contaminated, resulting in hundreds of sick people and 52 fatalities.

The fact that the properties of the strain are completely new, that the virus is spreading from people to people, and that the young and healthy are being hit worst, has disturbing parallels to the deadly 1918 pandemic that killed millions.

It is unclear as to why, if the virus is a brand new strain, that public health officials are so confident programs of mass vaccination, which are already being prepared, would necessarily be effective.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that deadly flu viruses have been concocted in labs and then dispatched with the intention of creating a pandemic.

From this fact, be sure that your pig or swine as lovely pets have great health and good conditions. So you never afraid to make direct contact with you pig. If not, pets insurance is other alternative way to prevent you and your pets.