The Swine Flu has become a highly feared disease that has caused the deaths of thousands of individuals within the United States and abroad.  In many cases the Swine Flu is also called H1N1 from its medical label.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of July 31, 2009, 168 independent countries have reported at least one confirmed case of Swine Flu that has resulted in over 162,380 reported cases and 1,154 associated deaths (Petrosillo 163).  The WHO has declared H1N1 on its pandemic scale-alert, “designating the Influenza H1N1 2009 a potential threat to worldwide health and declared the outbreak as Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (Tandon 161).  Due to the extreme increase of the prevalence of the H1N1 viral strain, many researchers have worked hard to develop a history of the viral strain, a list of characteristics of the disease, and possible vaccinations or treatment methods to reduce the impact that the disease has upon the global community.

The Swine Flu has become a large pandemic that has greatly impacted populations throughout the world.  The most recent epidemic emerged in April 2009 in Latin America.  Mexico became the first country to declare an increase in patients requiring hospitalization for “pneumonia and an unusual series of deaths,” which are common side-effects of prolonged influenza (Petrosillo 163).  Many medical professionals believed that these effects were caused by a new flu virus.  Officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta uncovered two cases in younger children from neighboring California counties that were just across the border from Mexico (Petrosillo 164).  The CDC labeled the new strain the “Swine Flu” and a large epidemic began in the United States.  Cases of the Swine Flu date as far back as 1918 where a worldwide pandemic emerged from the human influenza A (H1N1) virus.  This virus was responsible for over 40 million deaths in regions throughout the world, and around 4.9 million deaths occurred in India alone (Petrosillo 165).  The pandemic subsided shortly after 1918, but sporadic cases of the H1N1 virus continued to appear.  The Swine Flu disappeared from the world in 1957, in which scientists believe was caused by people developing immunity.  The disease emerged again in a confined army base in Fort Dix, New Jersey where 230 individuals were infected including one fatality (Petrosillo 165).  In November 1977, a different H1N1 strain emerged in former Soviet Union and China; whereby, the disease infected young children.  Many professionals have difficulty explaining the cause of different strains, but modern studies found unique genetic characteristics within the H1N1 virus.

Through the RNA transcription coding, the H1N1 strains appear to have mutated into the current 2009 epidemic.  “The new H1N1 virus appears to be a mixture of avian, porcine, and human influenza RNA.  Genomic analysis indicates that it is closely related to common reassortant swine influenza A viruses that have been isolated in North America, Europe, and Asia in the last 20 years” (Petrosillo 171).  Due to the genetic mutation, the strain is much different than influenza A strains, and much more difficult to treat.  Current research shows that the RNA coding unveiled point mutations that changed the proteins in H1N1.  Particularly, “the mutations in surface proteins result in antigen drift, which helps the virus to escape the immunity of its host” (Dogra 167).  In other words, the viral strain has evolved and developed genetic immunity to the human immune system and medicinal treatments used for the common flu.