The Science Behind Swine Flu - Should We Be Afraid?

As the death toll rises, statistics now show that 1 in 3 people of the UK population could become infected with H1N1 flu, better known as Swine Flu. The rising figures being quoted in just about every media source is enough to frighten a fair majority of the population, but how many of us actually know what it is we are afraid of?

What is it?

The WHO (World Health Organisation) has now renamed Swine flu the H1N1 flu, or Influenza A (H1N1). This is to clear confusion about the virus itself, as it clearly does not just affect pigs but has now spread to humans. The ability for it to do so lies in the mutation of the virus itself, in particular proteins on the viral cell surface. These mutated proteins are referred to in the name H1N1, as Heamoglutinin (H1) which enables the virus to bind and infect cells of the respiratory tract, and Neuraminidase (N1) which allows the release of new viruses from the infected cell.

However, the mutation of influenza particles is not really new information, as viral particles often mutate, hence the reason why the WHO update their vaccines every year.

The immune system can often detect the mutated viral proteins due to previous exposure to the original virus. But in the case of swine flu, it has been suggested that the proteins are a mix of avian, human and swine influenza, creating a completely new virus that did not originate in the human species. This means, without previous exposure the immune system is not able to recognise and respond to the virus as efficiently, thereby allowing the infection to spread.

Why should we be afraid?

It is not the transmission of swine flu from pigs to humans that is cause for concern as cases of swine flu affecting humans have been reported before. However, these only mostly affected those who came into close contact with pigs. These outbreaks were relatively isolated and could therefore die down. But this is not the case nowadays as global spread has become anything but challenging due to the ease of travelling made by modern day technology. So it is no surprise that swine flu has now been confirmed as a pandemic, the first cases being from Mexico, now spreading globally.

Not only is this a worrying thought alone, but similarities between this strain of influenza and that of the great Spanish Flu which killed millions in 1918 have been made. This was also known as H1N1 influenza however it originated from avian rather than swine influenza. It similarly infected the world on a pandemic level, leading to horror across the nations. The Spanish influenza also unusually began in the spring time as most influenza outbreaks tend to occur during the winter months.

The most recent historical outbreak of swine influenza however occurred Fort Dix, New Jersey, the United States in 1976. This influenza was feared to be the same as the 1918 type of virus, this time named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1). However, in this case there was no pandemic as it affected isolated army troops who did not travel outside the facility. This resulted in just one death although 4 others developed pneumonia.

The present day swine flu pandemic is therefore more cause for concern as it has clearly spread at a rapid rate. However, it must be taken into consideration that every historic event, no matter how horrendous, only strengthens the defence organisations as each brings us new information.

So what can we do?

Studies show that swine flu mainly affects the very young (under 5), or elderly (over 65) due to the compromised state of their immune systems. For example, young children have not been around long enough to become exposed to the various strains of influenza we see every year, and therefore have not built up adequate resistance to them. The elderly also have weakened immune systems that are not able to mount a good defence against the virus.

Others easily affected are those with underlying conditions such as pregnancy, chronic disease of major organs (kidneys, heart, liver etc), neurological disorders, and diabetics.

Symptoms of swine flu are common to any influenza virus such as fever, fatigue, lack of appetite. Vomiting, diarrhoea, and runny nose have also been reported. Most patients recover after treatment of anti-viral drugs and standard recovery procedures such as rest and plenty of fluids. Those who have died have only done so after developing serious conditions such as pneumonia which can be prevented with early treatment.

Swine flu is an air-borne disease, spread, like any influenza, through coughing or sneezing. Here infected air droplets can be passed from one person to another very easily via inhalation or contaminated surfaces.

To help prevent the spread, people are urged to undergo good sanitation such as washing hands and cleaning surfaces as the virus can live up to 24 hours on a hard surface. The “catch it, bin it, kill it” campaign urges this, and advice can be found on the NHS and WHO websites.

If you feel you may have caught the virus, there are help-lines available to prevent overcrowding the GP’s and hospitals. These include the National Pandemic Flu Service (telephone: 0800 1 513 100).

Overall, my advice would be to take precaution when in crowded areas, but not to panic at this point in time. Past pandemics have taught us not to take such viruses lightly, however it should be remembered that there are better treatments available these days that were not available back then, such as anti-virals. Those being used include Tamiflu and Relenza, where reports say there is enough for most of the population.