Not all flu strains are created equal.

[FedUpWithIt All]

It seems there is some confusion about the different types of flu strains and why certain strains have gotten so much attention.

There is the seasonal HUMAN flu. It rolls around once a year. While it travels through humans it collects and swaps genes with other viruses and inherits new features. When it comes around the next year it is barely recognizable as last years old flu and usually a whole new vaccine needs to be created.

The type of virus being talked about now is a SWINE flu. It is almost always caught through human contact with an infected animal. As most know by now, This PARTICULAR VIRUS also has a bit of human and avian flu ATTACHED. This is a hybrid of sorts. This flu is being called swine flu because it has a majority swine flu makeup.

This "hybrid flu" typically happens when a single animal contracts multiple flu bugs. Certain species are able to cross infect other species. For example, pigs can infect a human with their species type of flu because we are similar.

If a pig contracts multiple flu strains (in this case human and avian in addition to it's own swine flu) they swap and create a new flu which has features of all of the combined flu bugs.

The flu commonly talked about on the news is the AVIAN flu. These can be nasty viruses. The thing is that they USUALLY require contact with an infected fowl. The reason everyone has heard so much about THIS type of flu is because there is a particularly vicious version of it going around right now overseas. It IS STILL only through bird contact, though. This has limited it's exposure ability. Some worry that it can change to a human to human virus. If that happens it WOULD BE VERY BAD as it is particularly deadly.

What it would take for the avian flu N5H1 to change to a human to human version is simply for an already sick (with a human to human virus) person to have unsafe contact with an infected bird. The two viruses could then swap features (genes). This has not happened.

The swine flu, we are currently speaking of, HAS become human to human. It is moving from person to person quite fast. We are still trying to figure out how dangerous it is (two different countries are showing two different rates of mortality)

One thing that concerns TPTB is that this human to human SWINE, AVIAN, HUMAN virus will continue to collect more features as it passes through each person. Some of the features may be LESS troublesome. Some may be more.

Hopefully this will help clarify a bit. If it is helpful, please keep it kicked. Thanks.

[lamp_shade]

1. kick

[FedUpWithIt All]

3. Thanks for the kick.

:hi:

[FedUpWithIt All]

2. White House to hold Swine Flu briefing at 12:30 PM EDT

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE53P12U20090426

[Avalux]

4. Very helpful! Might I add to it? I posted this in the Science forum in 2005 (!)

Wrote it when avian flu was all the rage and doesn't go into swine influenza but might be helpful as well. There is quite a bit of confusion about all the different kinds of 'flus':

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=228&topic_id=5742#6140

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. Please...and thank you.

:hi:

[etherealtruth]

6. I've nothing to add

Simple, straightforward info ... just keepin' it kicked

[FedUpWithIt All]

8. Thanks

Appreciated.

:hi:

[Jeroen]

7. Kick

[FedUpWithIt All]

12. Thank Jeroen. Welcome to DU.

:hi:

[scarletwoman]

9. Thank you for the informative post. k&r (nt)

[KittyWampus]

10. Threads like this are the best side of DU.

[FedUpWithIt All]

14. ...

:hug:

[FedUpWithIt All]

13. Thank you.

:hi:

[SidDithers]

11. Kick for sanity...

Pigs are the perfect breeding ground for new flu strains, because they are susceptible to both human and avian flu virii, as well as their own swine virus. That a new flu strain, with aspects of human, avian and swine virii should come out of an environment where people, pigs and birds mix in close, unsanitary contact is not wholly unexpected.

Good post.

Sid

[FedUpWithIt All]

15. Thanks Sid.

Hopefully this thing is weaker than expected.

I just learned that there are now suspected cases in NZ, England, France, Spain and Israel.

So far, all of the suspected cases have been fairly mild.

[formercia]

16. The 'created' part is what worries me.

The question of 'Intelligent Design.'

The same people that tried to decapitate the Democratic leadership with an Anthrax attack would also let loose a pandemic to distract attention away from their crimes.

[FedUpWithIt All]

17. I don't see it that way. It is too chaotic. There is no way to manipulate or control

something like this. Once these things are public the potential for (out of control) natural variation is high. Too many potential variables for it to be used as an affective screen.

Sometimes, things simply are as they appear. Not everything has a motive behind it.







:hi:

[Horse with no Name]

18. I agree mostly BUT the variable that I am concerned about

flu season is almost over. I worked in an ER a week or so go and there were tons of sick people with flu-like symptoms that were just treated symptomatically, but were not tested for the flu because we had no idea this was out there.
How many other people have been in and out of ER's and not tested because flu season has about wrapped up?
I will also point out that the infectious curve in our flu season here in Texas did go on a little longer than normal and stayed higher longer than normal. This was pointed out repeatedly in our weekly meetings with infection control. Was this the beginning of this flu? Did WE import it to Mexico?
Are they looking in the wrong place for patient 0?
Anyway, just some observations on the ground. FWIW.

[FedUpWithIt All]

19. Thanks for sharing this. There is still so many unknowns. Hopefully we will have a better

understanding in the next couple of days.

It is not inconceivable to me that it might have started in America. People have contact over the border, in large number, every day.


:hi:

[jimlup]

20. Kick and Rec!

[FedUpWithIt All]

23. Thanks.

:hi:

[AllentownJake]

21. Something to add from my conversation with my friend with the PHD in bioegineering today

Animal to Human flues are particularly nasty because over time our bodies have evolved responses to the human to human flues; we have not evolved responses to the flues that primarily exist in other species.

Therefore a flu that has its origins in a pig vs. a human being is particularly scary because our bodies don't really know what they are fighting and therefore it makes the flu more deadly.

[FedUpWithIt All]

24. Thanks for sharing that.

I think knowledge is helpful.

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. That's what happened in 1918, 1957 and 1968

and it is predictable. It happens every two generations or so

Scary huh?

[Danger Mouse]

22. We're all gonna fuckin die.

Seems like it at least.

[FedUpWithIt All]

26. No. Nobody really knows what this bug will do. It could very well just fizzle out.

If it does not, we will act accordingly.

:hug:

In a few days we should know a lot more.

[Joe the Liberal]

27. Interesting. n/t

[FedUpWithIt All]

28. Thanks.

:hi:

[Odin2005]

29. Excellent post!

[FedUpWithIt All]

30. Thanks Odin2005

:hi: