Why is H1N1 also called Swine Flu? Common misconceptions

November 7, 6:24 PMNatural Health ExaminerGenevieve Kiger

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2009 H1N1 is Commonly but Incorrectly Called Swine Flu

Almost everyone knows about the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus; it would be hard not to, considering it is well above epidemic levels, has been declared a national emergency, and the media pumps out new stories and reports of sickness and even death because of H1N1 symptoms daily.  Health officials have made it clear that it should be referred to as the "2009 H1N1 influenza virus" to avoid unnecessary confusion, but many people still refer to it as "Swine Flu".

Why Was H1N1 Referred to as Swine Flu to Begin With?

The initial outbreak of H1N1 symptoms originated in Mexico, and was believed to have transferred to people from pigs in a large-scale pig farm.  This led the initial reports to refer to it as the "Mexican Flu" or "Swine Flu".  Additionally, according to the CDC, "[early] laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs (swine) in North America."

So Why is Swine Flu Not an Accurate Name?

According to the same page from the CDC, "further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and bird (avian) genes and human genes. Scientists call this a "quadruple reassortant" virus."

Additionally, the name "Swine Flu" leads many people to be fearful of pigs, or even pork (meat that comes from pigs).  This is quite unnecessary and unfounded.  Although the initial infection may have come from pigs, a fact that is in no way certain, they are not playing any role in its continued transmission; it is a "human flu" now, spreading from person to person.

Pigs and Influenza

On November 5th, the CDC released a set of guidelines, intended for those who work with or around pigs.  Although largely of little interest to the general public, it did include some interesting information in the background statements.

According to this CDC page, "pigs are uniquely susceptible to infection with influenza viruses of human, swine, and avian origin. Because of this, pigs also can serve as hosts in which influenza viruses from different species can undergo reassortment if a pig is infected with two or more different strains of influenza virus at the same time. Reassortment is a process in which flu viruses exchange genes during replication. The resultant hybrid flu virus could be highly transmissible among people and/or animals and lead to widespread infections."

It goes on to say that "minimizing the transmission of flu viruses between live swine and people is in the best interest for public health and animal health."

photo by Svadilfari

Be sure to look at all of the Natural Health articles on H1N1!  Just some of the information you can find includes H1N1 symptoms, information on the swine flu vaccine, comparisons of H1N1 and the regular flu, and much, much more.

For a touch of humor, be sure to check out these great I Survived the Swine Flu Panic t-shirts and more.

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