A well organised, automatically updated, and easy to read, easy to understand timeline of events, from new case confirmations, new infections, and school closings to technical details on the H1N1 Swine Influenza/Flu pandemic. This site also provides automated translations of foreign language articles for English speaking readers.
What is swine flu?
Updated 19 March 2010
Why worry, seasonal kills 36,000 people a year, swine flu is nothing compared to that?
The CDC uses indirect modelling methods to estimate the number of deaths associated with influenza. Thus the much publicised figure of 36,000 is not an estimate of yearly flu deaths, as widely reported in both the lay and scientific press, but an estimate – generated by a model – of flu-associated death, he says.[1][2]
What is swine flu?
Who’s dying?
What else?
Swine flu/H1N1 can be spread before symptoms start and several days to a week or more after symptoms end.
What is this about kids and swine flu?
There have been many reports of healthy kids with no conditions dying in one or two days from this.
Is swine flu deadlier than normal flu?
How is swine flu spread?
Should the very young and the very old be worried?
What are some possible problems in the future?
- H5N1 avian flu: Swine flu has moved into Egypt and other countries that have avian flu. Avian flu kills almost every person it infects. Scientists are worried about these two combining and hitting a middle ground in fatality ratios.
- H1N1 seasonal flu – Northern Hemisphere: Flu season has ended in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it’s starting to be active in the Northern Hemisphere. Seasonal flu worldwide is resistant to Tamiflu, whereas swine flu is susceptible to Tamiflu. Both of these viruses are H1N1, which means drug resistance could be passed along to novel H1N1 influenza.
Why is the United States no longer testing for swine flu in healthy people?
- Lack of resources: The RT-PCR specific test for swine influenza is more time consuming and takes much longer than a rapid test (which can’t tell if it’s swine flu specifically)
- No seasonal flu: There is NO seasonal flu in the United States. 99.9%+ of all cases of flu are novel H1N1. There is very little to zero seasonal influenza in the Untied States right now.
Seasonal flu in the Northern Hemisphere?
It’s 2010 and it’s gone now. Why worry?
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#1 by ckravi on August 11th, 2009
Please update as to which country has the maximum rate of spreading/contacting this H1N1 in the world esp Malaysia and India?
Thank you
#2 by Eutychus on October 21st, 2009
Nice summary. The following needs to be updated though…
“H1N1 seasonal flu – Southern Hemisphere: Flu season has ended in the Northern Hemisphere. However, it’s starting to be active in the Southern Hemisphere.”
#3 by OniNeko on December 28th, 2009
As of 20 December 2009, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 11516 deaths.
The reported number of fatal cases is an under representation of the actual numbers as many deaths are never tested or recognized as influenza related.
Region
Deaths
WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO)
109
WHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO)
At least 6670
WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)
663
WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO)
At least 2045
WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO)
990
WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO)
1039
Total*
At least 11516
#4 by Paul on March 19th, 2010
What about how strong the flu is. Why don’t you have its time it takes to kill. As something to be concerned about. I am a teacher in Australia and a student in my class told me of a good friend he knows who has gone to a funeral of a friend in the US. That person was a school girl, a normal healthy kid, who got the flu one day and was dead the next.
Isn’t that the sort of thing the authorities should also be tracking.