Swine Flu. Get use to those words, you will be hearing them often.
It seems to have originated in Central America.
Originally thought to have been contracted from pigs. It has been spreading from human contact. It is transmitted the same way as the normal flu. Except this flu is deadly. It has claimed the over a hundred life's and this is just the beginning.
In 1917-18 Spanish Influenza claimed more than 2 million life's. In 1957 the Asian Flu pandemic spread from China to the US affecting school children. In 1968 the Hong Kong Flu caused 34,000 deaths in the US.
This strain has shown some resistant to antibiotics. Fortunately, we are far more advanced today.The CDC is currently looking into ways to treat this situation. One biotechnology company, Novavax, is working on vaccines that are not egg-based. (where vaccines are created using chicken egg's in production) Instead they are using a cell culture system. This would speed production and allow the vaccine to be a closer match to the virus strain, making it more effective and safer.
Remember to alway's wash and sanitize your hands, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and don't go to work/school sick. As of right now there are several cases in the US. Everyone needs to be safe.
