History
Swine influenza was first proposed to be a disease related to human influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic, when pigs became sick at the same time as humans. The first identification of an influenza virus as a cause of disease in pigs occurred about ten years later, in 1930. For the following 60 years, swine influenza strains were almost exclusively H1N1. Then, between 1997 and 2002, new strains of three different subtypes and five different genotypes emerged as causes of influenza among pigs in North America. In 1997–1998, H3N2 strains emerged. These strains, which include genes derived by reassortment from human, swine and avian viruses, have become a major cause of swine influenza in North America. Reassortment between H1N1 and H3N2 produced H1N2. In 1999 in Canada, a strain of H4N6 crossed the species barrier from birds to pigs, but was contained on a single farm.
The H1N1 form of swine flu is one of the descendants of the strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic. As well as persisting in pigs, the descendants of the 1918 virus have also circulated in humans through the 20th century, contributing to the normal seasonal epidemics of influenza. However, direct transmission from pigs to humans is rare, with only 12 cases in the U.S. since 2005. Nevertheless, the retention of influenza strains in pigs after these strains have disappeared from the human population might make pigs a reservoir where influenza viruses could persist, later emerging to reinfect humans once human immunity to these strains has waned.
Swine flu has been reported numerous times as a zoonosis in humans, usually with limited distribution, rarely with a widespread distribution. Outbreaks in swine are common and cause significant economic losses in industry, primarily by causing stunting and extended time to market. For example, this disease costs the British meat industry about £65 million every year.
1918 pandemic in humans
The 1918 flu pandemic in humans was associated with H1N1 and influenza appearing in pigs; this may reflect a zoonosis either from swine to humans, or from humans to swine. Although it is not certain in which direction the virus was transferred, some evidence suggests that, in this case, pigs caught the disease from humans. For instance, swine influenza was only noted as a new disease of pigs in 1918, after the first large outbreaks of influenza amongst people. Although a recent phylogenetic analysis of more recent strains of influenza in humans, birds, and swine suggests that the 1918 outbreak in humans followed a reassortment event within a mammal, the exact origin of the 1918 strain remains elusive. It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 million people were killed worldwide.
Swine influenza was first proposed to be a disease related to human influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic, when pigs became sick at the same time as humans. The first identification of an influenza virus as a cause of disease in pigs occurred about ten years later, in 1930. For the following 60 years, swine influenza strains were almost exclusively H1N1. Then, between 1997 and 2002, new strains of three different subtypes and five different genotypes emerged as causes of influenza among pigs in North America. In 1997–1998, H3N2 strains emerged. These strains, which include genes derived by reassortment from human, swine and avian viruses, have become a major cause of swine influenza in North America. Reassortment between H1N1 and H3N2 produced H1N2. In 1999 in Canada, a strain of H4N6 crossed the species barrier from birds to pigs, but was contained on a single farm.
The H1N1 form of swine flu is one of the descendants of the strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic. As well as persisting in pigs, the descendants of the 1918 virus have also circulated in humans through the 20th century, contributing to the normal seasonal epidemics of influenza. However, direct transmission from pigs to humans is rare, with only 12 cases in the U.S. since 2005. Nevertheless, the retention of influenza strains in pigs after these strains have disappeared from the human population might make pigs a reservoir where influenza viruses could persist, later emerging to reinfect humans once human immunity to these strains has waned.
Swine flu has been reported numerous times as a zoonosis in humans, usually with limited distribution, rarely with a widespread distribution. Outbreaks in swine are common and cause significant economic losses in industry, primarily by causing stunting and extended time to market. For example, this disease costs the British meat industry about £65 million every year.
1918 pandemic in humans
The 1918 flu pandemic in humans was associated with H1N1 and influenza appearing in pigs; this may reflect a zoonosis either from swine to humans, or from humans to swine. Although it is not certain in which direction the virus was transferred, some evidence suggests that, in this case, pigs caught the disease from humans. For instance, swine influenza was only noted as a new disease of pigs in 1918, after the first large outbreaks of influenza amongst people. Although a recent phylogenetic analysis of more recent strains of influenza in humans, birds, and swine suggests that the 1918 outbreak in humans followed a reassortment event within a mammal, the exact origin of the 1918 strain remains elusive. It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 million people were killed worldwide.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the new swine flu vaccine Tuesday, a long-anticipated step as the government works to start mass vaccinations next month. Limited supplies should start trickling out the first week of October — about a week earlier than expected, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Congress. Then about 45 million doses should arrive around Oct. 15, followed by more shipments each week.
She said they'll be available at up to 90,000 sites, including schools and clinics, across the U.S. that state health departments have chosen as best at getting the shots out fast.
Eventually, "we will have enough vaccine available for everyone," Sebelius said. Everyone who wants it, that is.
The government has ordered 195 million doses but may order more if there's enough demand, she said. Typically fewer than 100 million Americans seek flu vaccine every year, and it's unclear whether swine flu — what scientists prefer to call the 2009 H1N1 strain — will prompt much more demand. A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found 57 percent of people said they were likely to get it.
This year is unusual: Many people will have to line up twice for flu vaccine, once to be inoculated against regular winter flu and a second time for an H1N1 vaccination.
The new swine flu seems no more deadly than regular winter flu, which every year kills 36,000 Americans and hospitalizes 200,000. But there's an important difference: This H1N1 strain sickens younger people more frequently than the people over 65 who are the main victims of seasonal flu.
So the government wants certain people in line first for the H1N1 vaccinations: Pregnant women; the young, from age 6 months up through age 24; and people younger than 65 who have flu-risky conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease; caregivers of the at-risk, including newborns; and health workers.
The vast majority of people who get swine flu "so far are not terribly ill," Sebelius noted, saying most will recover fine at home with some rest and fluids. And they shouldn't race to doctors' offices seeking tests to find out what kind of flu they have — H1N1 or the regular strains that circulate every winter — because treatment is the same.
"The flu is the flu is the flu right now," Sebelius said.
Nor should doctors hand out prescriptions for anti-flu medicines to be used to prevent flu, she added, because "it could make them sicker in the long run."
The drugs Tamiflu and Relenza should be used for treatment only, she stressed.
Sebelius announced the FDA's approval of vaccine made by four of the expected five manufacturers: CSL Ltd. of Australia, Switzerland's Novartis Vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur of France — which produces flu shots at its Swiftwater, Pa., factory — and Maryland-based MedImmune LLC, which makes the only nasal-spray flu vaccine.
London-based GlaxoSmithKline also was expected to supply vaccine. Sebelius said only that a fifth manufacturer's vaccine was expected to be approved soon, pending some final steps.
Getting licensing from the FDA means that the vaccine is made properly and meets specific manufacturing and quality standards.
What's the right dose? Figuring that out is the job of the National Institutes of Health, which last week announced studies showing that one dose appears to protect adults — and that protection kicks in just eight to 10 days after the shot, faster than scientists had predicted.
Studies in children and pregnant women are continuing to settle on the right dose for those populations.
The H1N1 vaccine seems just as safe as the long-used regular flu vaccine, the FDA said, not a surprise as it's made the same way. Side effects include soreness or redness at the injection site, and some fever.
The government will keep a sharp eye for any very rare side effects. The last mass vaccination against a different swine flu, in 1976, was marred by reports of the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome; scientists never proved whether that link was real or coincidence.
She said they'll be available at up to 90,000 sites, including schools and clinics, across the U.S. that state health departments have chosen as best at getting the shots out fast.
Eventually, "we will have enough vaccine available for everyone," Sebelius said. Everyone who wants it, that is.
The government has ordered 195 million doses but may order more if there's enough demand, she said. Typically fewer than 100 million Americans seek flu vaccine every year, and it's unclear whether swine flu — what scientists prefer to call the 2009 H1N1 strain — will prompt much more demand. A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found 57 percent of people said they were likely to get it.
This year is unusual: Many people will have to line up twice for flu vaccine, once to be inoculated against regular winter flu and a second time for an H1N1 vaccination.
The new swine flu seems no more deadly than regular winter flu, which every year kills 36,000 Americans and hospitalizes 200,000. But there's an important difference: This H1N1 strain sickens younger people more frequently than the people over 65 who are the main victims of seasonal flu.
So the government wants certain people in line first for the H1N1 vaccinations: Pregnant women; the young, from age 6 months up through age 24; and people younger than 65 who have flu-risky conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease; caregivers of the at-risk, including newborns; and health workers.
The vast majority of people who get swine flu "so far are not terribly ill," Sebelius noted, saying most will recover fine at home with some rest and fluids. And they shouldn't race to doctors' offices seeking tests to find out what kind of flu they have — H1N1 or the regular strains that circulate every winter — because treatment is the same.
"The flu is the flu is the flu right now," Sebelius said.
Nor should doctors hand out prescriptions for anti-flu medicines to be used to prevent flu, she added, because "it could make them sicker in the long run."
The drugs Tamiflu and Relenza should be used for treatment only, she stressed.
Sebelius announced the FDA's approval of vaccine made by four of the expected five manufacturers: CSL Ltd. of Australia, Switzerland's Novartis Vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur of France — which produces flu shots at its Swiftwater, Pa., factory — and Maryland-based MedImmune LLC, which makes the only nasal-spray flu vaccine.
London-based GlaxoSmithKline also was expected to supply vaccine. Sebelius said only that a fifth manufacturer's vaccine was expected to be approved soon, pending some final steps.
Getting licensing from the FDA means that the vaccine is made properly and meets specific manufacturing and quality standards.
What's the right dose? Figuring that out is the job of the National Institutes of Health, which last week announced studies showing that one dose appears to protect adults — and that protection kicks in just eight to 10 days after the shot, faster than scientists had predicted.
Studies in children and pregnant women are continuing to settle on the right dose for those populations.
The H1N1 vaccine seems just as safe as the long-used regular flu vaccine, the FDA said, not a surprise as it's made the same way. Side effects include soreness or redness at the injection site, and some fever.
The government will keep a sharp eye for any very rare side effects. The last mass vaccination against a different swine flu, in 1976, was marred by reports of the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome; scientists never proved whether that link was real or coincidence.
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Search results
CDC H1N1 Flu H1N1 Flu Vaccination Resources
2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine. Antiviral Drugs. Facemasks & Respirators. PSAs. Background on Swine Flu ... A vaccine to protect against 2009 H1N1 influenza (flu) is ...www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination -
General Questions and Answers on 2009 H1N1 Influenza A ...
We expect the 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu) vaccine to have a similar safety profile as seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record...www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_safety_qa.htm -
Swine Flu Vaccine Timeline
Will swine flu vaccine arrive in time? WebMD looks at the deadlines for making crucial decisions -- and the key ... 2009 -- Pandemic swine flu ... August.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090720/swine-flu-vaccine-when -
Swine Flu Vaccine Fast Track
Pandemic swine flu vaccine should be fast-tracked, with vaccinations starting in mid-September, according to a recommendation by the National Biodefense Safety Board.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/.../swine-flu-vaccine-fast-track -
Debate over swine flu vaccinations for kids at schools
With a swine flu vaccine expected to be ready in October, a debate has emerged about the best way to vaccinate children. Fearing the H1N1 virus will spread quickly ...newsday.com/long-island/nassau/... -
Swine influenza - Wikipedia
Covers the flu viruses common to pigs and briefly describes notable outbreaks including the 1918 swine flu epidemic, the 2007 Philippine outbreak and 2009 Mexican ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu -
The Swine Flu Vaccine
What are the real facts and risks about the swine flu vaccine? ... You are here: Newsletters > 2009 > August 12 > The Swine Flu Vaccine.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2009/.../The-Swine-Flu-Vaccine.htm -
Sinovac Jumps to Record as Approval of Swine Flu Vaccine Nears
Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Sinovac Biotech Ltd. , a Beijing- based biopharmaceutical company, rose to a record high after saying it may obtain a license that will allow ...www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601089&sid=aM4ESvkQnsNc
Swine Flu Frequently Asked Questions - Washington St Dept of ...
... (Swine Flu) Basics. How Do People Get H1N1 (Swine Flu) ... We expect delivery of the vaccine in the fall. Will H1N1 (swine flu) vaccinations be mandatory?www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu/faq.htm
Swine Flu Vaccine - H1N1 Vaccine
Learn more about plans to make a swine flu vaccine and who will get it. ... Experts are already working on a swine flu vaccine though.pediatrics.about.com/od/swineflu/a/409_vaccine.htm
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Love a great deal? Look no further than Alibaba.com today.www.Alibaba.com
US to share 10 percent swine flu vaccine globally AP via Yahoo! News -
US, Europe offer swine flu vaccine to nations in need AFP via Yahoo! News -
U.S. to share swine flu vaccine globally MSNBC -
Search results
CDC H1N1 Flu H1N1 Flu Vaccination Resources
2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine. Antiviral Drugs. Facemasks & Respirators. PSAs. Background on Swine Flu ... A vaccine to protect against 2009 H1N1 influenza (flu) is ...www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination -
General Questions and Answers on 2009 H1N1 Influenza A ...
We expect the 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu) vaccine to have a similar safety profile as seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record...www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_safety_qa.htm -
Swine Flu Vaccine Timeline
Will swine flu vaccine arrive in time? WebMD looks at the deadlines for making crucial decisions -- and the key ... 2009 -- Pandemic swine flu ... August.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090720/swine-flu-vaccine-when -
Swine Flu Vaccine Fast Track
Pandemic swine flu vaccine should be fast-tracked, with vaccinations starting in mid-September, according to a recommendation by the National Biodefense Safety Board.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/.../swine-flu-vaccine-fast-track -
Debate over swine flu vaccinations for kids at schools
With a swine flu vaccine expected to be ready in October, a debate has emerged about the best way to vaccinate children. Fearing the H1N1 virus will spread quickly ...newsday.com/long-island/nassau/... -
Swine influenza - Wikipedia
Covers the flu viruses common to pigs and briefly describes notable outbreaks including the 1918 swine flu epidemic, the 2007 Philippine outbreak and 2009 Mexican ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu -
The Swine Flu Vaccine
What are the real facts and risks about the swine flu vaccine? ... You are here: Newsletters > 2009 > August 12 > The Swine Flu Vaccine.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2009/.../The-Swine-Flu-Vaccine.htm -
Sinovac Jumps to Record as Approval of Swine Flu Vaccine Nears
Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Sinovac Biotech Ltd. , a Beijing- based biopharmaceutical company, rose to a record high after saying it may obtain a license that will allow ...www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601089&sid=aM4ESvkQnsNc
Swine Flu Frequently Asked Questions - Washington St Dept of ...
... (Swine Flu) Basics. How Do People Get H1N1 (Swine Flu) ... We expect delivery of the vaccine in the fall. Will H1N1 (swine flu) vaccinations be mandatory?www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu/faq.htm
Swine Flu Vaccine - H1N1 Vaccine
Learn more about plans to make a swine flu vaccine and who will get it. ... Experts are already working on a swine flu vaccine though.pediatrics.about.com/od/swineflu/a/409_vaccine.htm
