Swine flu, which is caused by an influenza virus, was first recognized in 2009. MayoClinic.com writes that the 2009 H1N1 spreads very quickly and easily. Rates of confirmed H1N1-related illness have been seen in almost all parts of the world. In 2009 the World Health Organization declared this infection a global pandemic for more than a year. "Swine flu" technically refers to influenza in pigs. Sometimes, pigs transmit influenza viruses to people, primarily hog farm workers and veterinarians. Less often it is found someone infected occupationally passes the infection to others. Swine flu is not spread from eating pork.
Recently an atypical form of swine flu virus has been found in 5 states. Robert Lowes has reported for Medscape Today "Novel Swine Flu Virus Now Reported in 5 States, Says CDC." According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the number of reported cases of a novel swine influenza virus has risen to 12 since July, encompassing 5 states. This atypical virus includes a gene from the human pandemic strain and affects primarily children.
Public health departments, hospitals, and clinicians engaged in influenza surveillance have been urged to consider the possibility of the virus in patients presenting with influenza-like illness (ILI). This atypical virus has caused enough concern that the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the World Organisation for Animal Health have dubbed it A(H3N2)v. The "v," which stands for "variant," distinguishes this novel virus from the seasonal A(H3N2) virus.
In 3 of the 5 states where the A(H3N2)v virus has been seen, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maine, patients first became infected after direct or indirect contact with pigs. In the other two states, Iowa and West Virginia, the evidence suggests that the virus spread from human to human on a limited basis. On the bright side, so far the A(H3N2)v virus has been seen to cause illnesses that are generally no worse than those caused by the seasonal influenza virus.
Three of the 12 patients hit with this atypical flu were hospitalized, but they and all the others have recovered. The 2011-2012 seasonal influenza vaccine is not likely to protect people from the A(H3N2)v virus according to the CDC. However, it has been shown by laboratory tests that A(H1N1)v is susceptible to the antiviral medications oseltamivir (Tamiflu, Roche) and zanamivir (Relenza, GlaxoSmithKline). The CDC says those 2 medications also should prove effective against A(H3N2)v.
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