The flu is a viral infection that is caused by a specific virus type – influenza. The swine flu is a new influenza virus that is causing illness in people, first detected in April 2009. This particular virus is spreading from person-to-person throughout the world, much the same way that other influenza viruses are spread. However, unlike the seasonal variety, on June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) signaled that a pandemic of the H1N1 (swine flu) was underway. (1)
The announcement by WHO triggered a worldwide mobilization of resources within the community, the pharmaceutical industry and businesses. It also triggered increasing feelings of fear and alarm within the community. As a result, people curtailed their travel plans, vacation resorts suffered financial losses and the pharmaceutical industry was encouraged to release a vaccine that was produced using new technology to increase the amount of product available without the necessary testing to prove it’s effectiveness and safety.
As a result of the quick movement of the vaccine to the public, the pharmaceutical company was given legal coverage from any lawsuits that might result from any side effects from the vaccine. This is the first time in history that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has condoned the release of a medication for human use on such a fast track where the subjects were not terminally ill already. (2)
The virus was originally called ‘swine flu’ because the gene testing found the virus very similar to the type of flu that normally happens in pigs. But further study has shown that it is very different than the flu common in North American pigs and has two genes from viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and from bird genes and human genes.
Resources:
(1) American College Health Association: H1N1 Flu
http://www.acha.org/Topics/H1N1flu.cfm
(2) MSNBC.com: Legal Immunity Set for Swine Flu Vaccine Makers
(3) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Flu Spreads
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm
(4) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: People at High Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/highrisk.htm
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