What are some facts about H1N1?

10 Facts About H1N1

• H1N1 is commonly referred to as the “swine flu” due to its similarities with the flu virus that affects pigs in North America.
• The virus spreads the same way as the regular seasonal flu virus.
• The H1N1 influenza virus causes moderate to severe respiratory infections.

How did H1N1 spread from person to person?

Swine flu (H1N1) spreads by person-to-person contact by either touching surfaces contaminated by an infected person or by encountering expelled droplets produced when a person is coughing or sneezing. Consequently, swine flu is spread both directly and indirectly by infected individuals to others.

Does H1N1 cause death?

Swine flu is very contagious and is easily spread from humans after contact with pigs. The infection rapidly leads to moderate to severe symptoms and deaths are not rare. The key is to prevent the infection in the first place.

How did the swine flu start?

In 1998, swine flu was found in pigs in four U.S. states. Within a year, it had spread through pig populations across the United States. Scientists found this virus had originated in pigs as a recombinant form of flu strains from birds and humans.

Where did the H1N1 virus originate in 2009?

This is very unlikely. Each of the gene segments within the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus have been found in pigs for more than 10 years prior to the beginning of the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. 2 Pigs have long been considered a possible mixing vessel for influenza viruses that originate within pigs, birds and humans.

How is the H1N1 virus similar to covid-19?

When this happens, the RNA strands from the different viruses can mix together through a process called reassortment. This can create a unique influenza virus, such as the 2009 H1N1 virus. COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus from the viral family Coronaviridae. Its genetic material consists of a single strand of RNA.

How many people were killed by the H1N1 virus?

The CDC estimates that 151,700 to 575,900 people were killed by H1N1 during the pandemic in 2009. More than half of H1N1 related deaths in 2009 occurred in Africa and Southeastern Asia. The CDC also says that people under the age of 65 were more greatly affected by H1N1 than they had been by other strains of the flu virus.

Can a person get H1N1 from a pig?

For example, in a setting where people and animals are in close contact, pigs can be infected by influenza viruses found in pigs, poultry or humans – sometimes at the same time. For at least 80 years, influenza viruses known as “classical swine H1N1” viruses have circulated in North American pigs.