Reply #21: Well the media does what it does. But it's not just ordinary swine flu, it's new & different combo

[Garbo 2004]

genetically that apparently hasn't been seen been seen before in pigs or humans. And seems to be transmitted rather readily from human to human.

From CNN: "The new virus has genes from North American swine and avian influenza, human influenza, and swine influenza normally found in Asia and Europe, said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's Influenza Division." http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/24/swine.flu/index.html

Typically, regular flu hits hardest those with weak immune systems, the very young and the very old. If reports that this bug hits hardest those young adults with healthy immune systems are indeed true, this is quite different. That would suggest it's turning their strong immune systems against them which is not what the ordinary flu does. This apparently was a characteristic of the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918. So it's a concern.

From World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html