This post is meant to answer some frequent questions that I've been hearing. I am not here to present all of the evidence, theories, and interpretations of the CDC. This is just a primer on what we know now as of April 29, 2009.
I would like to preface this little FAQ with a disclaimer - I am not an expert on infectious diseases. I am a doctoral student working on her Epidemiology degree. I take my qualifying exams at the end of next month and then I begin my thesis. I've taken all of my classes to earn my degree.
If you find this helpful, I've made this post public. Feel free to share with others.
What is "swine flu"?Generally swine flu is a virus seen in pigs. Usually, only humans who had contact with pigs (like on farms) were at risk for swine flu.
In terms of its biology, swine flu is a type A influenza virus (there are three types in humans: A, B, and C). Additionally, a virus is defined by two proteins H (hemagglutinin) and N (neuraminidase). This definition is a subtype. Swine flu comes in five subtypes: H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.
The current epidemic is of the H1N1 subtype.
How did it all start?"Patient Zero" has been identified as a child living in Mexico. What is interesting is that the pig farm nearby has been tested for swine flu and all results thus far have been negative.
The first acknowledgement of the swine flu in the United States was made in the CDC's
Mortality and Morbidity Weekly April 21, 2009 issue. They presented a case series of two affected children in Southern California. The first child presented with flu-like symptoms on April 13, 2009.
Why is it such a big deal right now?First of all, the CDC only sees about one case of swine flu in the United States every one to two years. Since two infections of swine flu in unrelated children is above the expected number, it officially became an epidemic.
Additionally, the genetic components of the virus seem to be a
new mixture of human, swine, and bird strains of H1N1. This H1N1 is novel, which can be scary because we are not sure how it will behave. Also, since the swine H1N1 is significantly different from human H1N1, the population may be susceptible to infection and the flu vaccine may not protect humans from infection.
Pig-to-human transmission was the only kind seen in previous swine flu cases, but now human-to-human transmission is possible. In Mexico, the deaths that have occurred from this virus have been in younger adults and not in the typically at-risk populations of elderly and children. This mirrors the 1918 pandemic where it affected 20-40 year olds who normally have robust immune systems. Note that the swine flu in the U.S. has not shown this.
Am I going to get swine flu?At this point, I can't say whether or not infection is going to be widespread. If you recently traveled to Mexico or New York City or another location where swine flu has been confirmed, your chances of contracting swine flu have increased.
The time between exposure to the virus and onset of symptoms ranges between one to seven days. The infectious period is assumed to be similar to usual human flus where humans can transmit the virus between one day prior to symptoms until resolution of symptoms.
Am I going to die?If you contracted the virus in the United States, the course of the disease has been relatively mild and on par with the regular flu. The one death that has occurred in the U.S. was contracted in Mexico. Unfortunately epidemiologists are still stumped as to why Mexico is seeing a higher case fatality rate than the U.S. (the number of those who die of the disease out of everyone who has the disease). At this point there is no evidence to support the idea that the swine flu (as seen in the U.S. thus far) carries a higher risk of death compared to regular flu (which kills about 36,000 people a year in the United States).
Can you get swine flu from eating pork products?No.
How do I reduce my chances of getting swine flu?
- Restrict unnecessary travel to Mexico where the prognosis of the disease is much worse.
- Engage in proper hygiene practices such as washing your hands and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Avoid contact with sick people
- Facemasks have limited evidence for their effectiveness at preventing influenza
I've got flu-like symptoms, what do I do?First of all, don't go to school or work! I am sure that your workplace can survive several days without your sunny countenance. This will limit the spread of the disease.
Only go to the emergency room if you would have gone regardless of the possibility of swine flu.
Contact your primary care doctor and set up an appointment. If he or she suspects your might be infected, he or she should take a specimen and get it tested by the state public health lab.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_influenza
Feel free to ask any questions and I'll attempt to answer them to the best of my ability. 
pleased
thoughtful
hungry
bouncy