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Swine Flu (H1N1/09)
The 2009 Pandemic Swine Flu, A-H1N1/09, the Type A influenza virus that was first identified in the early spring of 2009 in Mexico and then spread world wide to become a true Pandemic by June 2009. Different from other current seasonal strains of H1N1, and also not the same Swine Flu from prior epidemics or outbreaks (like in 1976), it is known by many different names in different places and settings, such as: H1N1, Novel H1N1, A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)v-like virus, la grippe porcine, The Mexican Flu, la epidemia, Schweinegrippe, and SOIV (Swine Origin Influenza Virus).
1,816 Questions
Did swine flu affect travel to Mexico?
Yes definately. You'd be crazy to still go there. You'd have to wear a safety mask over your face. Over 100 people have already died in less than a fortnight. Risking the chances of catching a deadly virus for a vacation? I don't think so.
Has the Swine Flu come to Ireland?
Since the ending of the pandemic phase, the counts are no longer being recorded. There may be some ongoing cases in limited locations around the world, including in Ireland. However, the specifics and counts of cases are no longer being tracked by CDC, WHO, the US states, and most other countries, now that the pandemic has been declared over. Influenza cases are monitored, but specific H1N1/09 counts (and the lab tests needed to isolate the specific virus to be able to count them correctly) aren't being done. Influenza cases in general are monitored, but statistics are not being kept for H1N1/09 cases separately from other influenza types for reporting any longer in the post pandemic phase.
How many people died from Swine Flu in Australia in 2009?
Since the daily and weekly counts of cases and deaths from the swine flu, which were initially required by the CDC, WHO, and national health departments of most nations have stopped since the pandemic was declared over, there is no way to know how many now. One reason is there are still ongoing cases scattered around the world even as of early 2012. Another reason is that it was a burden on the reporting entities to try to track and report the numbers. And a large portion of people who had swine flu had mild forms and did not go to the doctor. Their cases could not be counted. And, if no lab test were done to confirm the specific type of flu, there is no way to know for sure if each case should be included in the count or if it is another type of flu.
The treatment is the same as for other types of flu, so there is no real medical need for testing to determine what form of flu someone has in most cases. For this reason, there is no definite count possible on cases of this type of flu any more.
As of October 30, 2009
There have been a total of 12,038 confirmed cases of Novel H1N1 Influenza in Canada and 91 deaths.
See additional statistics for the World and Us at the related question listed below.
How many people in Alaska died of Swine Flu?
There have been 553 probable and confirmed cases of Novel H1N1 Flu reported as of 29 May 2009 in California and no deaths.
Has anyone died from Swine Flu in Mexico in 2009?
As of 6 July 2009 there have been 10,262confirmed cases of Novel H1N1 flu in Mexico with a total of 119 deaths confirmed to have been due to the virus.
How many cases of swine flu are there in Minnesota?
The states are no longer burdened with the individual case counts since the CDC has stopped keeping those cases counted separately from other types of flu. There may be some ongoing cases in limited locations around the world, including in Minnesota. However, the specifics and counts of cases are no longer being tracked by CDC, WHO, the US states, and most other countries, now that the pandemic has been declared over. Influenza cases are monitored, but specific H1N1/09 counts (and the lab tests needed to isolate the specific virus to be able to count them correctly) aren't being done. Influenza cases in general are monitored, but statistics are not being kept for H1N1/09 cases separately from other influenza types for reporting any longer in the post pandemic phase.
As of now are there any cases of swine flu in Cancun Mexico?
May 18, 2009 CDC Downgraded travel advice for Mexico...
"Our main advice now is for those people who are at risk of complications from influenza because of underlying illness, pregnancy, or advanced age, that they ought to check with their health care provider before embarking on a trip...We do think it's fine for most people to travel to Mexico at this point."
You can legally travel to Cancun, but please check the current situation.
In April 2009, there was an outbreak of swine flu, but as of May 3rd there had not been any reported cases in the entire state of Quintana Roo.
Quintana Roo is the home of the famous resort areas Cancun and the Riviera Maya. It was reported that 15 students in New York came down with the flu and some of them had visited Cancun during the spring break. There is no proof that there is any correlation between the two as of yet.
What is the percentage of deaths from swine flu in Michigan?
The answer is actually unknown, because there are so many cases that go unreported, untested, and undiagnosed. The official count of cases in Michigan as of 10/11/09 is 515 cases with 14 deaths which would be a mortality rate of 2.7.%. However, those are just the laboratory confirmed cases and we know many many more cases have occurred in the state.
The best unofficial count of cases from various sources is 3166 actual cases with 14 deaths which would be a mortality rate of 0.4%.
Which Alfred Hichcock movie was shot in a series of long takes?
Hitchcock was the master of long takes. One of the longest was in The Rope. This film also falls into the category of a 'rug' film, meaning that the majority of the film took place inside, there were very few exterior scenes.
Other long takes were in Vertigo, Marnie, Rear Window and The Birds, just to name a few.
What if you get the flu right after getting a tattoo?
The symptoms from getting a tattoo after a flu shot should be no different than they would have been anyway. You'll have the same risks of infection from a tattoo as you would have without having had a flu shot beforehand.
Obviously, you shouldn't put a tattoo in the area where the shot was given until all signs of a reaction to the shot and sore arm have had an opportunity to come and go. So wait at least a couple of weeks or after there is no swelling, redness, or pain/soreness (whichever is later) to get one put right there. Having it put someplace else will have no different symptoms than usual just because you have had a flu shot.
If you would get the tattoo before getting the flu shot, and if your tattoo were infected, your health care professional may suggest waiting until your body isn't fighting off something else before you use any vaccines.
In the Northern Hemisphere, it is October through March(some say through April) for the "seasonal flu".
In the Southern Hemisphere, it happens in the opposite time of year from the Northern Hemisphere. It is in the Southern Hemisphere's winter (during the US summer) from April through September.
There can be differences between climates within each of the hemispheres, too. For example, in the US in Texas, flu season is from November to to April, while in Iowa, flu season is from December to April.
Seasonal flu vaccinations should be obtained any time beginning in September through March to be effective for that season in the Northern Hemisphere.
See the related question in the related questions section about why the flu has a season. Interestingly, you will see that in some locations in the world the flu season is during the warmer times and not in fall and winter. It is more the effect of absolute humidity and not the temperature itself that makes that difference. In areas with the flu season in warmer months, the absolute humidity is lower then, making the dry conditions that influenza viruses prefer despite warm temperatures. In the US, the absolute humidity levels are lowest during the peak of the flu season in January and February, the colder season.
Slogans on health and hygiene?
Good hygiene always begins at home and with a good teacher. Depending on the circumstances proprer hygiene should begin at the earliest possible age.
When did the World Health Organization start?
The World Health Organization began in 1948. This United Nations agency traces its origins to the League of Nations and its own health organization.
How many people have died to date from influenza?
Which subtype or strain of the flu can be a factor. The exact kind of flu virus infection, such as H1N1/09, is not being tracked, nor tested and counted any longer now that the pandemic is over. Therefore, this information is no longer available.
Due to a good preventive vaccination program, many people are resistant now to H1N1/09 and the numbers would be expected to be significantly lower than the counts during the pandemic. In the US approximately 36,000 people die of one of the seasonal variants of flu viruses each year. The related question linked to this Q&A about deaths from swine flu during the pandemic may give a frame of reference.
What is the difference between H1N1 H1N2 H3N2 and H3N1 viruses?
H1N1 is the "swine flu" subtype of influenza, of which there are several different strains. This subtype is usually seen in humans and pigs. The better known reassortant H1N1 virus strain currently circulating is H1N1/09, the pandemic swine flu virus that caused the pandemic of 2009 and infected humans, pigs, birds, ferrets, dogs, and cats during the pandemic. There are several other less well known strains of the H1N1 subtype.
H1N2 is a common flu in pigs in the Upper Midwest of the US. Until 2011, only one case had been known to occur in humans and that was in 2007 in Michigan. The second ever known case was found in an infant in December 2011 in Minnesota.
H3N1 mostly only infects pigs.
H3N2 is the subtype that produced a strain of flu that caused the Hong Kong Flu and another was the cause of the Fujian Flu, etc. In birds, humans, and pigs, there have been many new strains mutated and this subtype is becoming more prevalent in seasonal influenza.
For background, the meanings of "H" and "N" in the nomenclature:
Hemagglutinin: An important surface protein on the capsid (coat) of the influenza virus that is essential for the reproduction and the spread of the virus in the body in the lytic cycle of virus replication. This protein enables the virus to attach itself to a cell in the respiratory system or other mucous tissue and penetrate it to invade and use the host cell for reproduction. Referred to as the "H" in influenza viruses.
Neuraminidase: An important surface structure protein of the influenza virus that is an essential enzyme for the spread of the virus throughout the respiratory tract. It enables the virus to escape the host cell and infect new cells. Referred to as the "N" in influenza viruses.
See more about the lytic cycle and influenza virus nomenclature in the related questions below.
Types of Influenza VirusesThere are three types of influenza viruses: Types A, B and C. Influenza A and B viruses cause seasonal outbreaks and epidemics of influenza virus infections each flu season. Type A causes all pandemics. Influenza type C infections cause a mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause epidemics.Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on the configuration of the two proteins on the surface of the viruses: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). [Not all H1N1 viruses are the same; not all H5N1 viruses are the same.....etc] There are 16 different hemagglutinin subtypes and 9 different neuraminidase subtypes. Influenza A viruses can be further broken down into different strains.
Influenza B viruses are not divided into subtypes. Influenza B viruses also can be further broken down into different strains.
Influenza A (H1N1), A (H3N2), and influenza B strains are included in each year's influenza vaccine. Getting a flu vaccination can protect against influenza A and B viruses. The flu vaccine does not protect against influenza C viruses.
More information including how influenza viruses change: Drift and ShiftInfluenza viruses are dynamic and are continuously mutating, reassorting, and evolving. Influenza viruses can change in two different ways: antigenic drift and antigenic shift. Influenza viruses are changing by antigenic drift all the time, but antigenic shift happens only occasionally. Influenza type A viruses undergo both kinds of changes; influenza type B viruses change only by the more gradual process of antigenic drift.Antigenic drift refers to small, gradual changes that occur through point mutations in the two genes that contain the genetic material to produce the main surface proteins, hemagglutinin, and neuraminidase. These point mutations occur unpredictably and result in minor changes to these surface proteins. Antigenic drift produces new virus strains that may not be recognized by antibodies produced after exposure to earlier influenza strains.
This process works as follows: a person infected with a particular influenza virus strain develops antibodies against that strain. As newer virus strains appear, the antibodies against the older strains might not recognize the "newer" virus to inactivate it, and infection with a new strain can occur. This is one of the main reasons why people can become infected with influenza viruses more than one time and why global surveillance is critical in order to monitor the evolution of human influenza virus stains for selection of which strains should be included in the annual production of influenza vaccine.
In most years, one or two of the three virus strains in the seasonal influenza vaccine are updated to keep up with the changes in the circulating influenza viruses. For this reason, people who want to be immunized against influenza need to be vaccinated every year.
Antigenic shift refers to an abrupt, major change to produce a novel influenza A virus subtype in humans that had not been currently circulating among people (see more information below under Influenza Type A and Its Subtypes).
Antigenic shift can occur either through direct animal (poultry)-to-human transmission or through mixing of human influenza A and animal influenza A virus genes to create a new human influenza A subtype virus through a process called genetic reassortment or reassortant. Antigenic shift results in a new human influenza A subtype.
A global influenza pandemic (worldwide spread) may occur if three conditions are met:
- A new subtype of influenza A virus is introduced into the human population.
- The virus causes serious illness in humans.
- The virus can spread easily from person to person in a sustained manner.
Why can you get a virus from animals but animals can not get a virus from people?
Animals can get viruses from humans, but it's not as common due to evolutionary differences between species. Some viruses may not be able to cross the species barrier easily, while others may not cause severe illness in animals. However, viruses like flu can sometimes transmit between humans and animals.
Influenza is considered which type of illness?
Influenza is an infectious disease also commonly known as Flu. It’s an acute respiratory infection caused by Influenza Virus A and Virus B. Central BioHub's is an online biospecimen marketplace. It offers high-quality, well-defined influenza disease biospecimens collected from patients suffering from influenza infections. To check more visit our website.
How long does it take for flu leav your body?
It can take up to two weeks for the flu to completely leave your body. During this time you may still experience some symptoms such as:
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Fatigue
- Body aches
It is important to rest and stay hydrated during this time and to contact your doctor if your symptoms are severe or worsening.
When you get a shot does your arm start hurting?
It might feel like a little pinch then a little throbbing, but not too much. It usually hurts only a bit more than a mosquito bite, but less than a bee sting when the needle goes in.
Since you put this question in the topic category of H1N1/09, you are possibly asking if a flu shot will make your arm hurt, and the answer is yes, it can. Most people have a slight local reaction to the vaccination, and if you get it in your arm, it can be very sore to the touch and also hurt when you use your arm.
The best thing to help it get better faster is to move your arm by using it as usual. Some people ask specifically to have the shot put in their dominate arm (right handed or left handed) to "make" themselves have to use it, even when it hurts, because they know that will make it better faster. It should be better in a matter of just a few days, unless you aren't using it much, so if it hurts longer than a week, you should check with your health care provider to be sure there is not a local infection from the needle or other unusual side effect.
Yes, water fowl (especially non-domesticated fowl in the wild) are a common source of the Avian (Bird) flu virus. Luckily, it remains contained to limited areas of the world at present.
What excessiveness occurred in the Roaring 20's?
In the 20's many new products came into the market. So many people wanted these products even though they couldn't afford them. For example, new homes, electricity, the dishwasher, vacum cleaner, and the washing machine. People bought these items on "credit", and couldn't afford to pay their debts back. This is the major cause of the great depression
How many cases of swine flu are there in Jamaica?
Countries are no longer asked to keep track since it was overwhelming many to try. There may be some ongoing cases in limited locations around the world, including in Jamaica. However, the specifics and counts of cases are no longer being tracked by CDC, WHO, the US states, and most other countries, now that the pandemic has been declared over. Influenza cases are monitored, but specific H1N1/09 counts (and the lab tests needed to isolate the specific virus to be able to count them correctly) aren't being done. Influenza cases in general are monitored, but statistics are not being kept for H1N1/09 cases separately from other influenza types for reporting any longer in the post pandemic phase.
Tea tree oil is an anti-bacterial, among many other properties. When used to clean and prevent the spread of germs it is effective in the prevention of the flu. Tea tree in combination with eucalyptus oil is used in an aromatherapy steam as well as When diluted in a carrier oil as a massage oil in the treatment of the flu.
How do you put on a surgical mask?
There is a metallic nose strip on the top of the mask, so starting with it right side up (with that strip at the top of the bridge of your nose), if the mask has elastic loops for your ears, you put the loops around your ears.
If the mask has strings to tie behind your head, tie the top two together first, and then in both types of masks, use your fingers to mold the flexible metal nose strip into the shape of your nose so it holds tightly in place without slipping down and so it doesn't interfere with your vision.
With the elastic loops around your ears, you can pull gently on the bottom of the mask to secure it under your chin while still covering your nose and mouth fully.
If you are using a mask with ties, after you have tied the top two strings, and the mask and metal strip are positioned, then also pull the mask down to unfold it to fit under your chin so that your mouth and nose are totally covered and then tie the bottom set of strings behind your head. Position it to be comfortable but to assure that the mask will catch any respiratory droplets from your mouth and nose if you cough or sneeze.
Use once and throw away. There are separate masks made for men's beards that you may need to wear at the same time, depending on what you are wearing the mask for.
Respirator masks called N95 require professional fitting to seal and test the edges to prevent air leaks. Check with your health care professional if that type of protection is needed so you can get properly fitted.
