The story of the infamous Mr. Swine.

So, who hasn't heard of this infamous virus, having claimed over 1,000 worldwide, Influenza A (H1N1)has made a huge impact to the humans. The flu first hit one of my favorite place, Mexico then to the United States spreading all over the the globe.
How did all this happen ? Where did the virus come from ?
Well, the swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human influenza, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection.
That might be the answer, and as I was looking through google I came across this wikianswers page that said :

The first Swine flu viruses were isolated in 1930 in the United States in pigs. - That's old.


One of the earliest case of swine flu in humans was in 1976 at Fort Dix, New Jersey where four soldiers who were previously healthy contracted the virus and developed pneumonia shown by a X-ray with other symptoms.Amongst them, one died and the virus was prominent in the close quarters and disappeared.
Where did cigarettes come from ? - Army.
Where did the swine come from ? - Yeah right.

Then...

In 1988 after 12 years of the first occurrence of Mr. swine, a 32 year old soon to have a baby, woman was in hospital for the signs of pneumonia. She passed 8 days later. When the doctors tried to find the reason for death, a swine H1N1 flu virus was detected.
It was later found out that four days before getting sick, she visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.


NOW 2009, late march, H1N1 was detected in Mexico. The first person to get it according to the researchers is a child.
Its strange how it started with a child, and it has claimed so many children in India.
So in a village named La Gloria, a small town in south Mexico with about 3,000 people.
The child who was first the victim is cured, Edgar Hernandez is his name.
More research on this is more of a confusion as to where exactly, which farm did the virus initiate from. We will have to wait and see.

Dr. Harvey from WHO has said "Some experts believed that flu pandemics tended to recur on an 11-year cycle and they were prepared for an outbreak in the late 1970s"
Who's steps
WHO sent a signal to governments to prepare in case of an influenza pandemic. On 25 April, a day after WHO reported that a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) was infecting people in Mexico and the United States of America (USA), WHO announced phase 3 of pandemic alert. Two days later, it increased the warning to phase 4 and then, on 29 April, to phase 5 after sustained community transmission was established in Mexico and the USA. The new virus strain spread across the world, reaching more than 40 countries in four of WHO’s six regions by mid-May.

You cannot catch swine flu from eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) kills the swine flu virus along with other bacteria and viruses.


Now you know where that comes from, let's see how humans get and spread the virus.
Ways the swine flu can get to you :

Swine flu is spread just like the regular seasonal flu spreads.

1: Other person's sneeze
2: Close contact and touch, or respiratory droplets carrying the virus from person to person.
3: Currency notes.
4: Masks, Yes improper use of anti-flu masks can cause the virus to get in.
5: Kissing
6: Smoking, it weakens the lungs and immunity.
7: Unclean hands.
8: Unwashed clothes.
9: Public computer keyboards.
10: Door knobs.

The ways it can spread are many, let's discuss the preventive measures.


1: Wearing a N95 type mask.
2: Avoiding going in crowded places.
3: Keeping the body warm, 2 glasses of wine a day might help!
4: Lots of vitamin C, water and good fresh stuff.
5: Stay home if you're not well, not to avoid it from spreading, you might not have the flu, but because you're not well and your immunity is weak, you're prone to get the virus.
6: Avoid touching eyes, nose, mouth.
7: Wash hands all the time, use hand sanitizers - alcohol based.

Be safe and take care of yourself !
~fiazio