by AngelaWhite

Created on: July 25, 2010   Last Updated: July 27, 2010

What is Swine Flu A?

There are two types of Swine Flu, A and C. To understand these strains, you need the 5 basics of Swine Flu.

1.) Swine Flu emerged world wide in 1918, quickly becoming a Pandemic, and is thought to have come from human transmission to pigs, as the world was suffering an epidemic of the human flu virus at the time. It's official cause has not been determined. (See bottom of this article for details.)

2.) Pigs are one of the few animals that can host different strains of the flu virus, (meaning from more than one species) and then mix them together before sending them back out into the world more lethal than they went in. These new, mutated strains are usually also more resistant to the drugs being used to treat the flu, making scientists scramble for new vaccines.

3.) All strains of Swine Flu are related to the 1918 version, even H1N1. To understand this, imagine the crossbreeding of fish. Ten generations later, these new versions will still carry markers from the original fish. The same is true of the swine flu.

4.) The three common mixes of swine flu virus include pig flu, human flu, and avian (bird) flu. H1N1 is a mutated version of all three.

5.) Pig flu is classified in two ways. Swine Flu A and C, and the number designations, (h1n1, h1n2, h2n3, etc...) tell what mix of the three versions the strain is. H1N1 is A.

So, what is Swine Flu A?

Swine Flu A is a mix of all three flu virus's that have shifted (mixed). Bird, pig, and human flu virus mutated and produced a new version, usually one that is stronger and more lethal.

Swine Flu C is a mix of only human and pig flu that shifted and produced a new strain.

The cause of Swine Flu

The 1918 swine flu was the first time the virus had been reported in pigs. It killed 1.5 million people, 555,000 of those in North America. It spread globally in an unusually short time, only 14 months, and hit in three waves. The second wave came only months after the first and was the most lethal. Autopsies on these second wave victims has suggested the avian,(bird) might have been a contributing factor, along with a fourth, unidentified agent. To say for sure, tests need to be done on the original strain, the first wave, and no samples have been found. Meaning, the cause of the Swine Flu is yet undetermined.

Sources:

 www.colorado.edu/safety/h1n1/faq.html

 www.medicinenet.com/swine_flu/page3.htm

 www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_influenza

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