Images of people walking around Mexico City in face masks reminded many of the bird flu outbreak in Asia some time ago, but the world got a wake up call this weekend as potential and confirmed cases of
swine flu sprouted up across the globe, including 40 infections in the U.S. News of the first confirmed case of the virus in Spain has heightened fear of the first influenza pandemic in since 1968.

None of the 40 cases identified in the U.S. so far has been fatal and all but one of the victims has recovered without needing to be hospitalized. Federal health officials declared a public-health emergency and are preparing to distribute 12.5 million doses of antiviral drugs to state and local agencies. Though neighboring Mexico has been hardest hit, with 80 deaths linked to the virus and more than 1,600 possibly infected, travel to the country has not been restricted.

The following are answers to some common questions about swine flu.

So what exactly is swine flu and why is it raising concerns?

Swine flu is a form of the influenza virus that epidemiologists have feared for years – a combination of strains from various animals that is easily transmitted between humans. It is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses does not normally infect humans, but sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry).

The influenza virus is constantly mutating. As a result, there are multiple strains of the flu virus that change from year to year; this is the very reason humans can’t get full immunity to the flu.

Is swine flu a pandemic?

Cases of swine flu have been categorized as outbreaks, not pandemic or epidemic. An epidemic is an outbreak that is localized whereas an pandemic refers to an epidemic on a larger, global scale. A flu pandemic occurs with the emergence of a new virus that can spread easily among people. When a flu virus mutates in such a way that it forms a novel version, our immune systems cannot provide protection because they do not have experience fighting the virus.

The last severe pandemic of influenza was the “Spanish flu” pandemic of 1918 which killed an estimated 40 to 50 million people worldwide.

Could this flu become pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for declaring when a new flu pandemic is underway.
The WHO's director-general, Margaret Chan, said the outbreak of the never-before-seen virus is a very serious situation and has "pandemic potential." But she said it is still too early to tell if it would become a pandemic.

"The situation is evolving quickly," Chan said in a telephone news conference in Geneva. "A new disease is by definition poorly understood."

How does swine flu spread?

Although researchers are still investigating, experts think that transmission likely occurs the same way people pass on the usual flu:

• coughing or sneezing from sick people,
• shaking hands or otherwise touching people who are infected with the virus,
• touching surfaces and objects that sick people have touched.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

So far the symptoms appear to be essentially the same as those for the usual winter flu:

• A fever of 100.5 degrees or more;
• Muscle aches;
• Cough;
• Sore throat;
• Diarrhea or vomiting or both.

How do I know if I have the swine flu?

The only way to definitively diagnose swine flu is to have laboratory testing done to determine the exact subtype of the virus.

How do I protect myself from swine flu?

The CDC recommends the following steps to protect yourself from any kind of flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Avoid contact with sick people.

Want to take action around this issue?

Organize an awareness campaign to spread the news about this dangerous virus, the chance of it becoming a pandemic and what people can do to protect themselves.