Q: From a pregnant mother: “The swine flu is all over the news. What is it, and what can I do to keep my family healthy?”
A: The swine flu is a new influenza A, H1N1 virus strain never before known to exist. It combines elements of previously seen swine influenza, avian influenza and human influenza and appears to be unusual because it can pass directly from person to person like the human flu we are more used to.
People are worried because cases of this flu virus have been have been documented in 10 states and Mexico during the past week. In addition, swine influenza cases also have been reported in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, France and Israel. There is concern that it could spread rapidly throughout the world. This would be a “pandemic”.