Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by a strain of type A influence virus known as H1N1, which left 7447 infected and caused 3 deaths in the UK in 2009. It contains genetic materials that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine. It spreads by droplets from person to person by coughing and sneezing, and has similar symptoms to those produced by standard seasonal flu:
- Fever
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Body aches
- Chills
Humans usually recover from standard flu in around a week. The H1N1 virus contain traces of the human flu, and so inherits the ability to transmit from human to human, while also contains traces from bird and swine flu and so is not recognised by our immune systems, and so antibodies cannot be produces.
Treatment
Two prescription antiviral drugs: tamiflu and relenza were proven effective in reducing the duration and severity of the infection
