The swine flu illness, or A (H1N1) was given pandemic status by the World Health Organization (a mark of its ability to spread, rather than the severity of the illness) on June 11, 2009.
So far the sickness has struck more than 1,000,000 in the USA alone, yet scientists are still learning some really fundamental things about this organism, unknown in humans till Apr 2009 in Mexico. It appears this latest influenza pathogen has effects on the lungs and stomach, while seasonal influenza viruses have a tendency to leave these organs untouched. The interesting research reports appear in the July two, 2009 online version of Science.
The seasonal influenza pathogen stayed often in the animals’ nasal cavities. The A ( H1N1 ) pathogen also found its way into the ferret’s abdominal tract, again unlike its seasonal opposite number. When it comes to the new virus’ capability to spread, the study groups differ.
The Dutch scientists revealed that swine flu is just as straightforward to broadcast as the regular influenza, while the US team found A ( H1N1 ) less sure to be spread when put next to seasonal influenza.
