What is swine flu?
The H1N1 virus’s symptoms are often similar to that of a usual flu, which can make it difficult to distinguish between the two.
The H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, is a respiratory disease that is caused by a particular influenza virus strain. The disease adopted the name “swine flu” because of its similarities to a flu strain found among pigs.
According to a BBC report, it was only in April 2009 in Mexico that a new strain that affected humans was recognised. This prompted the World Health Organisation to declare it a global pandemic because of its contagious nature.
A pandemic is a disease that can spread to millions across the globe, whereas an epidemic tends to spread within a particular geographical region. By May, over 4,000 people around the globe had died from the disease.
By July in the same year, over 180,000 worldwide cases had been confirmed. A vaccine was finally found and distributed globally to fight the virus, and by 2010 only a handful of cases had been reported.
New cases reported in KwaZulu-Natal
Recently, KwaZulu-Natal confirmed two reports of swine flu in Amanzimtoti, after a pupil and teacher were diagnosed with the virus. Another case in the province was also confirmed in Phoenix this month.
Symptoms of the disease include:
Because they are similar to the usual seasonal flu, it can take some time before realising that someone has swine flu.
Watch: Protect yourself from swine flu in these easy steps
In some cases, nausea or vomiting has been used as a distinguishing factor between the two flu strains.
Despite the name, you can’t catch swine flu from eating bacon or pork. Infected fluids that spread from coughing, sneezing or touching tend to be the culprit that spread the virus even faster from one sick person to another.
A flu vaccine is the best protection against the virus.
Sources: BBC, Mayo Clinic, www.flu.gov, The Citizen
