Tuesday, May 5

Swine Flu vs Beijing Pigs

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu, and pig flu) refers to influenza caused by those strains of influenza virus, called swine influenza virus (SIV), that usually infect pigs (see photo 1). Swine influenza is common in pigs in Mainland China, particularly in Beijing City.


photo 1

People who work with pigs (see photo 2) especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine flu. Rarely, these strains of swine flu can pass from dictator to dictator. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.


photo 2

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans, known as "swine flu", is due to a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that contained genes most closely related to swine influenza. The origin of this new strain is uncertain but likely from Beijing, furthermore, the Organization for Animal Health reports that this strain has not been isolated in Beijing pig (see photo 3). Hence this strain can be transmitted from Hu Jintao to Wen Jiabao, and causes the normal symptoms of influenza.


photo 3


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