Tabassum Yusuf

Swine flu, also known as Hog or Pig flu, or H1N1 is a highly contagious viral infection caused by influenza A viruses of the family orthomyxoviridae. The term “influenza” derived from Italian word “influence” was coined in 1357 AD as the disease was thought to be caused by influence of stars, It was first isolated from Pigs in 1930 in USA. It is a viral respiratory disease caused by viruses that infects pigs, resulting in nasal secretions, barking cough, decreased appetite, & listless behavior. Swine virus consist of eight RNA strands, one strand derived from human flu strains, two from avian (bird) strains, and five from swine strains. Swine flu spreads from an infected person to a healthy person by inhalation or ingestions of droplets contaminated with virus while sneezing or coughing. Antiviral drugs effective against this virus are Tamiflu and Relenza, while rapid antigen testing (RITD), DFA testing, viral culture, and molecular testing (RT-PCR) are used for its diagnosis in laboratory.