Swine Flu
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This article is part of the Pharma_Portal project of Spinwatch. |
Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1 - the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu. A version of the strain emerged in Mexico in 2009, which became the first flu pandemic for forty years. Tamiflu and Relenza are used to treat swine flu. [1]
Vaccination
As the outbreak reached pandemic proportions, drug companies began developing a vaccine for swine flu. Baxter International Inc. announced its vaccine would be available by July 2009 - just three months after the outbreak. [2] GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Sanofi-Aventis and Solvay SA (SOLB.BT) also started producing vaccines.[3]
Note that "pandemic" is a word that refers to the wide spread of the virus. It does not say anything about the severity of the infection. In July 2009, even as vaccines were being rolled out for the entire population of the UK, the World Health Organization stated:
- We are still seeing a largely reassuring clinical picture. The overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a full recovery within a week, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment... Most cases of severe and fatal infection continue to occur in people with underlying medical conditions.[4]
Notes
- ↑ BBC News. Advice about swine flu Accessed on 10 July 2009.
- ↑ Kamp, J. UPDATE: Baxter Starts Making Swine Flu Vaccine Accessed on 10 July 2009.
- ↑ Kamp, J. UPDATE: Baxter Starts Making Swine Flu Vaccine Accessed on 10 July 2009.
- ↑ Dr Margaret Chan, Influenza A(H1N1): lessons learned and preparedness, WHO website, accessed 16 July 2009
