What is Swine Flu Pandemic

 What is pandemic?

Pandemic means the outbreak of a disease or condition that affects thousands of people across different regions at the same period of time.  Till date since the evolution the world has witnessed different pandemics like the cholera, plague and influenza being on the top place among all.

 History of the influenza Pandemic

In the year 1918 the worst pandemic of influenza was noticed.  Reports from the record obtained have shown that the influenza pandemic of 1918 resulted in about 700,000 deaths in the US alone with the total number of deaths around the world was 40 million. Those in the age group of 20 and 40 years were the worst hit with the highest number of deaths reported in this group. Children below the age of 15 and the older people above 65 years were the most commonly infected individuals.

 How does influenza multiply and get altered?

After the first attack, the influenza pandemic reappeared in the years 1957 and 1968. But the number of people affected and the number of deaths were much less compared to the previous pandemics. The variation in the structure of the influenza virus was the most astonishing and concerned thing noticed in these pandemics. Modification of the protein structure of the influenza virus had undergone modifications in the last two pandemics and the same changes in the structure have been noticed in the recent pandemic.

 Swine Flu - Pandemic year 2009

The increase in the number of cases of swine flu around the world has prompted the World Health Organization to declare 2009 as the pandemic year for swine influenza. According to the reports received by the WHO, the virus causing the swine flu has spread all over the US widely since its first confirmation report in the month of April this year. Reports are yet to be established about the nature of spread in other parts of the world. Swine flu is fast spreading affecting a large number of people and creating havoc among the people. It has become a dreadful infection due to the risk of death associated with it.

As per the recent update on 31st July 2009 published by the World Health Organization, the pandemic is said to be spread across 168 countries with addition of 9 more countries newly added to the list.  People being infected are about 162,380 and 1,154 deaths according to the official records. Nevertheless, The WHO itself believes that the number on rise and death could be much more and may not have been reported because of varied reasons. Even so the number of people getting infected with swine flu is increasing at a very fast rate which emphasizes the need for prevention.