Antibodies are what our bodies use to block the action of viruses, however, since a virus particle is not really a living thing, it is not able to be killed. It is made inert or inactive by the antibodies our immune system produces that block the entry of the virus into our cells.

So far, swine flu hasn't been any more deadly than the regular flu. Any form of the flu can be deadly, but normally only for people who have other medical problems as well. Avoid all concerns by getting the vaccination to prevent it in the first place.

Eumaeus

H1N1 (Swine flu) was initially a disease of only swine (pigs), discovered in the 1930's. This influenza virus mutated into a new form in 2009, called A-H1N1/09, that caused a pandemic. It has been commonly called swine flu, too. The animal the H1N1 influenza virus has been named for is the hog (pig, swine). For more information see the related questions below.

A nanometer is 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) times smaller than a meter.

It is 0.000000001 meters (or 10^-9 m).

Yes, certain strains of Swine Flu can go from pig to pig, human to human, and pig to human or human to pig. If it is the right type of flu that has been mutated in the pigs, then it can be passed that way. The US CDC and World Health Organization are giving those in close proximity to pigs advice to be very careful when with the swine and to practice good hand washing techniques after touching the swine or their habitat.

Generally diseases caused by viruses like nausea, AIDS and other can not be treated by vaccination as we do not have their vaccines or if have then they are not so effective.

Yes, fever coming and going can be a common symptom in people thought to have swine flu H1N1/09. When the fever spikes and peaks and then gets better but then later comes back again, it is a sign that you should seek medical attention, some people have had more severe complications after this type of fever fluctuation.

Here is a description provided by one of the Answers.com contributors about the course of the fever with swine flu in their child:

My son has swine flu. It began with intense sore throat and congestion which went to chest in 2 days. Within the same 6 hour period congestion went to the chest, his temperature, which is usually 97.5, rose through 99 to 102. We began Tamiflu and did a very cold bath, then ice packs, Tylenol and cold showers intermittently, kept up Tylenol every 4 hours. Temp went down to 100 in 2 hours and stayed there for 12 hours, then down to 99 and stayed at 99 for 2 days(still 1.5 degrees higher than his normal temp. of 97.5). He was still on Tamiflu, Tylenol and also Augmentin for the original sore throat. Then temp. suddenly went up again to 102. Followed same course of cold shower, ice packs and continued Tylenol. Down to 101 within an hour, then to 100 at 2d hour. Pajamas were soaking wet from sweat by the next Tylenol dose. Must wake them to keep up Tylenol. Temp. back to 99. This is the 6th day.

Swine flu is a new outbreak of flu that started in pigs, then mutated and jumped over to humans. It is just like a normal flu, but some people are dying from it. In my opinion, it's not that bad. It has only killed people from Mexico and some third-world countries. Honestly, the only reason people are making a big deal is because it's new. I know the bird flu scared lots of people too, and that's a big part of this whole fuss.

There are thousands of different viruses and even the same virus will have mutated

over a year so it becomes a "cousin of a cousin's great great grandchild".

A vaccine is a small dose of the virus. Not enough to make you ill, but enough that

your body recognizes THAT PARTICULAR invader and learns to fight it.

Defiantly no. It doesn't mean that all Muslims are not allowed to eat Pig so they shouldn't get vaccinated in the Quran it doesn't say anything about not getting vaccine for the Swine flu.

Not in the US, unless you are in jail getting the shot. They will ask you questions, though.

YES. The 1918 flu pandemic killed over 20 million people worldwide.

Yes, definitely. It is recommended for pregnant women.

In the US:

The following excerpts from a September 3, 2009 guidance document from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are about 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine and Pregnant Women:
Influenza vaccines have not been shown to cause harm to a pregnant woman or her baby. The seasonal flu shot (injection) is proven as safe and already recommended for pregnant women. The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will be made using the same processes and facilities that are used to make seasonal influenza vaccines.

It is important for a pregnant woman to receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine as well as a seasonal influenza vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets any type of flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization. Pregnant women who are otherwise healthy have been severely impacted by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (formerly called "novel H1N1 flu" or "swine flu"). In comparison to the general population, a greater proportion of pregnant women infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus have been hospitalized. In addition, severe illness and death has occurred in pregnant women. Six percent of confirmed fatal 2009 H1N1 flu cases thus far have been in pregnant women while only about 1% of the general population is pregnant. While hand washing, staying away from ill people, and other steps can help to protect pregnant women from influenza, vaccination is the single best way to protect against the flu.

There are two types of flu vaccine. Pregnant women should get the "flu shot"- an inactivated vaccine (containing fragments of killed influenza virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in pregnant women. The other type of flu vaccine - nasal-spray flu vaccine (sometimes called LAIV for "live attenuated influenza vaccine)-is not currently approved for use in pregnant women. This vaccine is made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu). LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant. In addition to protecting her from infection, infants less than 6 months old will not be able to be vaccinated so it is recommended that everyone who lives with or provides care for infants less than 6 months of age receive both the seasonal influenza vaccine and 2009 H1N1 influenza monovalent vaccine to provide protection for the infant.

One recent study conducted in Bangladesh, assessed the effectiveness of influenza immunization for mothers and their young infants. Inactivated influenza vaccine reduced proven influenza illness by 63% in infants up to 6 months of age. This study confirmed that maternal influenza immunization is a strategy with substantial benefits for both mothers and infants. There is no evidence that thimerosal (used as a preservative in vaccine packaged in multi-dose vials) is harmful to a pregnant woman or a fetus. However, because some women are concerned about exposure to preservatives during pregnancy, manufacturers will produce preservative-free seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines in single dose syringes for pregnant women and small children. CDC recommends that pregnant women may receive influenza vaccine with or without thimerosal.

People for whom the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine is recommended should receive it, even if they have had an influenza-like illness previously, unless they can be certain they had 2009 H1N1 influenza based on a laboratory test that can specifically detect 2009 H1N1 viruses. CDC recommends that persons who were tested for 2009 H1N1 influenza discuss this issue with a healthcare provider to see if the test they had was either an RT-PCR or a viral culture that showed 2009 H1N1 influenza. There is no harm in being vaccinated if you had 2009 H1N1 influenza in the past. Pregnant women are encouraged to get vaccinated against the seasonal strains of influenza in addition to the A-H1N1/09 vaccine. The two kinds of vaccine (seasonal flu and "Swine Flu") must both be taken for complete protection from both kinds of flu in the 2009-2010 flu season.

Always check with your obstetrician before taking any medications in pregnancy. Your doctor may also be planning on administering the vaccines to patients.

Note about H1N1 vaccines approved for use in the UK:

These vaccines are slightly different from the vaccines approved for use in the US for A-H1N1/09, but are still recommended by the NHS for pregnant women. The difference is mostly that they contain adjuvants in the UK. See the related question below about swine flu shot ingredients.

Soak garlic cloves in twice as much cider vinegar overnight. Then have a tablespoon in warm water three times a day. Don't drink it neat. Garlic is anti-viral, cider vinegar draws out these qualities from the garlic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have predicted that 30 to 40% or more of the population could have swine flu before the pandemic is over.

Influenza generally has an incubation of 24 - 72 hours after exposure. Expect symptoms to present within that time frame.

Birds can catch H1N1/09 swine flu. However, if you mean can you get swine flu from eating chicken, then the answer is no. Normal cooking temperatures deactivate virus particles and they can not infect you after reaching those temperatures.

No, it is not good for dogs, just like it is not good for people. However, few dogs have been diagnosed with this type of flu, and those that were survived like most people who had that form of flu survived. Dogs get very similar symptoms as do humans: cough, runny nose and sneezing are usually the first signs.

Respiratory failure, which is often due to secondary pneumonia caused by either viral or bacterial pathogens. This condition usually requires invasive mechanical ventilation (a "vent") for them to continue to breathe.

It's the initials of two sugar proteins (their scientific names are hemagglutinin and neuramidinase) that sit on the surface of the virus and do its dirty work. There are 16 types of the H protein, numbered H1 through H16, and 9 types of the N protein, numbered N1 through N9. That makes 144 possible combinations of the virus, a constantly changing challenge for prevention or treatment. A new combination, H2N2, cause a brief swine flu epidemic in 1957. An H3N2 strain was the source of another epidemic in 1968. The bird flu virus that began in Southeast Asia a decade ago and has spread throughout the Old World is an H5N1 combination.

With an immune response.

When particles of a virus enter our body and are identified by the immune system as foreign "invaders", our bodies use the invaders, which are also called antigens/antibody generators, as a template to create matching antibodies. Antibodies (also called immunoglobulins) are sort of like a lock and key system that, when matched perfectly with the antigens, can "lock" or neutralize the antigens so they can no longer enter or damage our cells. To neutralize each different strain of organism, the antibodies must have the right pattern to match the characteristics of each antigen. A match will allow the antibodies and immune response to make a "lock" to fit those viruses. Our body remembers each new virus pattern that has caused an immune response in the past (either from getting an infection or from vaccinations), so that it can make those matching cells to protect us from that same specific flu strain (or strains that are very similar) in case it ever enters the body again in the future.

Our body has the ability to determine when a virus has invaded and, if it has a match to that strain of virus stored from a prior invasion, the immune response is generated and the immune system quickly makes up a lot of those attack cells (antibodies), that the body made and that worked in the past to destroy/neutralize the invading virus particles. If it is a new invading virus, usually our body can make cells that can match just right in a week to ten days. (It can sometimes do this even more quickly for bacteria and other microbes.)

It is during this time period, when our body is matching and making the attack cells to "kill" the invader, that we feel sick until our body finds the key pattern of cells that will match and lock that specific virus. Our immune system wastes no time in locking up the invading organism, because it knows already what antibodies will work. That is why, once we have had a flu virus like Swine Flu before, we won't get sick from it again. Our body will already know what cells to make and will send them out to destroy the invader even before it can make us feel sick.

The major cells affected by influenza viruses, including swine flu H1N1/09, are those in the respiratory system mucous tissues.