Swine flu, or H1N1, is a form of respiratory infection caused by a combination of human, swine and avian influenza viruses. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms resemble the seasonal flu, but this strain is easily transmitted form person to...
H1N1, the pandemic swine flu of 2009, was responsible for the deaths of over 12,470 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. H1N1 is a type A strain influenza that is highly contagious and responsible for infecting...
Bird flu describes strains of influenza that originate from those found in birds. As the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explains, many wild birds are hosts to strains of influenza (typically type A influenza viruses). These...
The H1N1 influenza virus causes swine flu. Unlike previous influenza viruses, which usually affected the elderly, H1N1 has an increased prevalence among young people and children. It is spread from person to person by contact with infected...
Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus that affects the lungs, nose, throat and bronchial tubes. Most commonly referred to as the flu, influenza typically lasts for about a week, but in some cases it can be fatal. According to the...
H1N1--otherwise known as the swine flu--is an influenza virus similar to the seasonal influenza viruses that we are used to. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes the virus is transmitted much the way other seasonal viruses...
Although new variations of influenza, or the flu, arise every year, there are only three classifications of the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: A, B or C viral infections. Avery form of the flu, including avian or...
Antiviral drugs are prescribed for their effect against the influenza viruses, including the swine flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends anti-viral medications for the prevention of influenza (chemoprophylaxis) as well as...
Eating turmeric, the distinctive yellow spice in many Indian dishes, may help fight, or even prevent, a variety of viral infections. The main component, curcumin has shown a potential to combat Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV as well as Human...
The flu virus mutates frequently, so flu shot components change seasonally. Scientists can never be certain which flu strains will affect a given geographic region. To combat this, vaccine manufacturers use several different flu strains in the...
Swine flu (H1N1 influenza) is the result of a mutated influenza virus. As Medline notes, influenza is common among animals such as swine. These viruses can mutate, which allows them to infect humans as well. When humans are infected with H1N1, the...
Swine influenza, or H1N1 influenza A, is a virus that was first detected in humans in the spring of 2009. It was referred to early on as "swine flu" because many of the genes in the virus were thought to be similar to influenza viruses that...
The H1N1 virus is often called the "swine flu" because some of the genes are similar to the strain that occurs in U.S. pigs. In truth, the H1N1 virus is very different from the virus that normally circulates in U.S. pigs because the virus also has...
Influenza outbreaks occur each winter at an annual cost of $12 billion to $71 billion in the United States alone, reports Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Raphael Dolin in “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.” An...