H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Resources |
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 On July 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified H1N1 influenza as a pandemic phase 6, meaning that it is a new influenza virus to humans and it is being spread and causing illness in many parts of the world.
Although the H1N1 virus remains the dominant flu in circulation around the world, the number of cases has been on the decline in 2010 and most cases are prevalent in the northern hemisphere.1 Sporadic cases have occurred throughout the southern hemisphere; however they have remained relatively contained.
The first cases of H1N1 occurred in the spring of 2009, and the United States Center for Disease Control believes it developed via reassortment: “a process through which two or more influenza viruses can swap genetic information by infecting a single human or animal host.”2 In the case of H1N1, it is possible that strains of influenza from American pigs may have crossed a strain from European pigs, although data are inconclusive. In humans, symptoms vary from mild to severe in cases of H1N1. However, 70 percent of individuals who were hospitalized for the condition had one or more medical conditions that placed them in a high risk group.3 Symptoms of H1N1 are similar to seasonal flu (fever, coughing, running nose, etc.) but can be more severe, and a number of cases have also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
More Information on H1N1:
For more information on influenza and related diseases, please visit our Infectious Diseases section: emerging diseases | lower respiratory infections
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International Swine Flu Conference
Medical experts have confirmed their participation at the International Swine Flu Conference (ISFC) in London, United Kingdom on March 10-12, 2010 amidst recent World Health Organization (WHO) reports of increasing number of laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 | more info
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| 1 |
US CDC. 2010. H1N1 Flu: International Situation Update |
| 2 |
US State Department. 2010. Origin of 2009 H1N1 Flu. Available at: www.flu.gov |
| 3 |
Ibid. |
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