The Swine flu outbreak identified in April 2009 is the epidemic of a new strain of influenza virus. This virus strain is a type of influenza A (H1N1) virus, commonly called the swine flu. Swine flu outbreak was first detected in two cases in Southern California in late March. Within days, hundreds more suspected cases were discovered in Mexico, with more cases also showing up in the U.S. and several other countries.

Swine flu is caused by those strains of influenza virus that usually infect pigs and are called swine influenza virus (SIV). Swine flu is very common in pigs in the midwestern United States, Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe, Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of eastern Asia.

Swine flu virus from pigs to humans is not transmitted commonly and eating pork does not have a risk of infection. If transmitted, it does not always cause human influenza and often, the only sign of infection is the presence of antibodies which are only detectable by laboratory tests. People who work with pigs or have intense exposures to them, are at risk of catching swine flu.

Symptoms :

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in humans the symptoms of the "swine flu" virus are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general. The Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue. There are reports of other symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting as well.This time the H1N1 virus is not zoonotic swine flu, as it is not transmitted from pigs to humans, but from person to person.Since these symptoms are not sepcific to swine flu ony , a diagnosis of confirmed swine flu requires laboratory testing of a respiratory sample (a simple nose and throat swab).

Prevention :

The prevetion from the infection of swine flu requires three components, 1. prevention in swine. 2. prevention of transmission to humans, and 3. prevention of its spread among humans.

1. prevention in swine : Vaccination and facility management are the two main steps to be taken for prevention in swine. Vaccination may prevent swnine from getting ill, but may not be successful in preventing the infection virus to swines.
    It is better to use Facility management which includes using disinfectants and maintaining ambient temperature to control virus in the environment. The virus may not survive outside living cells for more than two weeks except in cold (but above freezing) conditions, and it is readily inactivated by disinfectants.
    Lastly, it is better to remove infected pigs from the healthy ones, so that it mey not infect and spread among others.Similarly, infected pigs may not be added to the herd of healthy pigs.

2. Prevention in transmission to humans : People working in the swine farms may be the first victim of swine flu, since they may come in direct contact with the infected animals.so farmers and veterinarians are encouraged to use a face mask when dealing with infected animals. The use of vaccines on swine to prevent their infection is a major method of limiting swine to human transmission. One more preventive step is to wear gloves while dealing with infected animals.


3. Prevention from human to human infection : Influenza virus spreads between people through coughing or sneezing and people touching something with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth. Remember, Swine flu cannot spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food. The swine flu in humans is most contagious during the first five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can remain contagious for up to ten days.
The prevention includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public.The influenza vaccine available at present is unlikely to provide protection against the new 2009 H1N1 virus. It is assumed that the new vaccines are being developed and could be ready by themonth of June 2009.

Anyone having flu-like symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work or public transportation and should contact a doctor to be tested.

Treatment :

If a person suffers with swine flu, use of antiviral drugs can make the illness milder and make the patient feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses, however, the majority of people infected with the virus make a full recovery without requiring medical attention or antiviral drugs. The virus isolates in the 2009 outbreak have been found resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.

_{{Information and pictures collected through various reliable sources and web sites}}