The Swine Flu (swine influenza, SIV, or Mexican flu) is a H1N1 virus that has infected people in both the United States and Mexico. It is referred to as Swine flu, rather than the general flu because it is caused by a flu strain that originated in pigs (some reports have also linked it to a combination of human, pig, and bird strands). Swine flu has long been a common sickness among pigs but it is quite rare to find a human that is infected with the swine flu. Generally the only people at risk are those that have frequent contact with pigs. Usually even those that have frequent contact with pigs are only susceptible to getting the swine flu if one of the pigs they are in contact with happens to have the a rare form that can be passed on to humans.
The current strain of the swine flu that is causing human to human spreading of the swine flu is believed to be a rare mutated virus and it seems to be resistant to antiviral medications such as amantadine and rimantadine. It however has been show that using oseltamivir (tamiflu) and zanamivir (relenza) can be effective in treating it. The CDC has noted that for most cases of the swine flu in the U.S. recovery happened the help of any medication or medical attention.
The human to human outbreak of the swine flu is believed to have started in March of 2009 in Mexico and has since be confirmed to have spread to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Israel, and New Zealand. Besides theses countries there have been cases in numerous other countries such as South Korea, China, and India that have yet to be confirmed by laboratory test.
Currently all but 1 case of the swine flu has been confirmed to have been contracted by someone who either lived in or visited Mexico. The only case that remains a mystery is one in Kansas were the person who is infected did not travel to or live in Mexico.
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