Swine Flu

Swine influeza, or swine flu, is a respiratory disease caused by influenza type A, that infects pigs. There are many types of swine flu, and the infection is constantly changing. Up until now it has not normally infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing.

It has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) that at least some of the recent human cases of swine flu are of a version of the H1N1 strain of influenza type A, which has never been seen before. H1N1 is the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis, but this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.