Swine influenza refers to influenza cases that are caused by Orthomyxoviruses endemic to pig populations. Swine flu infects people every year and is found typically in people who have been in contact with pigs, although there have been cases of person-to-person transmission.
2009 Swine Flu Outbreak
The 2009 Swine Flu outbreak is a new strain of influenza, which appears to be human flu (subtype H1N1) combined with two strains of swine flu and a strain of avian flu. In April both the WHO and CDC expressed serious concerns about this new strain, because it seems to transmit from human to human, has had a relatively high mortality rate in Mexico, and because it has the potential to become a flu pandemic.
Several people in Mexico and the United States have become infected with this new strain, with unconfirmed cases in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, France, and Colombia. It has caused at least 20 confirmed deaths in Mexico.
