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Key Facts about Swine Influenza
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Questions & Answers
What is swine flu?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People
do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine
flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the
past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.
Are there human infections with swine flu in the
In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine
influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near
Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and
is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it is not known how
easily the virus spreads between people.
What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular
human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills
and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with
swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and
deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal
flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.
How does swine flu spread?
Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the
same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person
to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes
people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and
then touching their mouth or nose.
How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms
develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may
be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well
as while you are sick.
What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of
fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be
contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment
and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral
drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight
against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you
get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better
faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment,
antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of
symptoms).
How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially
contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days
following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might
potentially be contagious for longer periods.
What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with
germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough
or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when
a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a
desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.
How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces
like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you
reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.
What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are
everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause
respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your
health:
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Cover your nose and mouth with a
tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use
it.
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Wash your hands often with soap and
water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are
also effective.
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Avoid touching your eyes, nose or
mouth. Germs spread this way.
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Try to avoid close contact with sick
people.
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If you get sick with influenza, CDC
recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others
to keep from infecting them.
What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or
sneezing?
If you are sick, limit your contact
with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may
prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste
basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean
your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap
and water. or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. we recommend that when you wash your hands -- with soap and
warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not
available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used.
You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands
until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it
kills the germs on your hands.
What should I do if I get sick?
If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and
become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny
nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact
their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your
symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or
treatment is needed.
If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people
as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek
emergency medical care.
In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention
include:
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Fast breathing or trouble breathing
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Bluish skin color
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Not drinking enough fluids
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Not waking up or not interacting
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Being so irritable that the child does
not want to be held
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Flu-like symptoms improve but then
return with fever and worse cough
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Fever with a rash
In adults, emergency warning signs
that need urgent medical attention include:
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Difficulty breathing or shortness of
breath
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Pain or pressure in the chest or
abdomen
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Sudden dizziness
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Confusion
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Severe or persistent vomiting
How serious is swine flu infection?
Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to
severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were
detected in the
Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine
influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked
pork products is safe.
What is Swine Influenza?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of
influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death
rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the
year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar
to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1
virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.
How many swine flu viruses are there?
Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be
infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine
influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs,
the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of
swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years,
different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are
four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have
been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the
recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.
Can humans catch swine flu?
Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human
infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in
persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or
workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases
of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of
apparent swine flu infection in pigs in
How common is
swine flu infection in humans?
In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza
virus infection every one to two years in the
What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms
of regular human seasonal influenza and include
fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also
have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine
influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked
pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an
internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other
bacteria and viruses.
How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from
people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to
occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns
and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of
swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal
flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through
coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may
become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching
their mouth or nose.
What do we know about human-to-human spread
of swine flu?
In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was
hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was
detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair
swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the
swine.
In
follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of
swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group.
Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had
contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody
evidence of swine flu infection.
How can human
infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?
To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory
specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of
illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However,
some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer.
Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus
requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.
What medications are available to treat swine
flu infections in humans?
There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the
What other examples of swine flu outbreaks
are there?
Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in
Is the H1N1
swine flu virus the same as human H1N1 viruses?
No. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are antigenically very different from human H1N1
viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide
protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.
How does swine flu spread among pigs?
Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread mostly through close contact among
pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and
uninfected pigs. Herds with continuous swine flu infections and herds that are
vaccinated against swine flu may have sporadic disease, or may show only mild
or no symptoms of infection.
What are signs of swine flu in pigs?
Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression,
coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing
difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.
How common is swine flu among pigs?
H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses are endemic among pig populations in the
While
H1N1 swine viruses have been known to circulate among pig populations since at
least 1930, H3N2 influenza viruses did not begin circulating among US pigs
until 1998. The H3N2 viruses initially were introduced into the pig population
from humans. The current swine flu H3N2 viruses are closely related to human
H3N2 viruses.
Is there a vaccine for swine flu?
Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is
no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine
will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine
H1N1 viruses.
INFLUENZA: Pigs, People and Public Health
(Fact Sheet)
American Red Cross