Pandemics, panics and preparedness
Volume 1 · Issue 12
Abstract
The ‘flu season is upon us once more. This year, however, it will be further compounded by the H1N1 virus—otherwise known as ‘swine flu’. Usually only affecting those in close contact with pigs (hence the name), the swine influenza virus is an H1N1 subtype, meaning the virus is now transmitted by person-to-person contact. Classed as a pandemic, referring to a global spread, the virus has spread rapidly, and as a new virus, is infecting those with little immunological resistance.