by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: May 06, 2009

Listing the differences between swine flu and avian flu would be incomplete without adding the common variety of flu viruses affecting humans. All are similar in that sub-strains of all three sometimes intermingle and newer viruses develop. This recently happened and we are now concerned with the swine flu virus strain labeled H1N1. World health organizations cannot deal adequately with one without assessing all three flu vaccine hosts. There are other animals that are likewise infected with flu viruses but none so far have left their footprints on the three mentioned above. At least to my knowledge, but common sense say this is a probability.

Even though we talk of newer virus strains, they may not be that at all but old strains unknown to medical science that are resurfacing. Take the pandemic of 1918 and the first H1N1 flu. That brings up the question how do we know it was the same sub-strain of the pig virus presently infecting humans now? A recent reconstruction of DNA from some leftover source back then brings that pandemic into focus. Not much from the past can hide from the prying eyes of microbiologist who want to make sense out of what happened then in order to better understand why something is happening today.

Therefore, the main difference between the swine flu virus HIN1 and the avian flu virus H5N1 can be summed up with one - up to now - distinguishable difference. It is deadlier. Up until three years ago, avian flu was exclusively a bird disease and humans and pigs were not involved. Then the improbable happened. A small amount of people who had contact with dead or sick birds were coming down with a new type A influenza virus. To learn more of Avian flu Who (World Health Organization) started a tracking system in 2003.

In 2009 China had seven cases of avian flu with four deaths; Egypt had sixteen cases with no deaths; Vietnam had three cases of avian flu with three deaths. In all the deaths from avian flu in 2009 were twenty-six cases with seven deaths.

Swine are somewhat a live medium for both human flu strains and avian flu strains. Possibly something in their makeup make them readily available as a living pewter dish. They can, as can birds and humans, harbor the virus without becoming ill. They have built up antibodies against the illness naturally. Yet, to get at the differences between bird and pig flu you must understand a little of how flu viruses work. They live little bits of genetic material that are not unlike all human living

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