Swine Flu (cont.)

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Swine Flu (H1N1) FAQ Slideshow Pictures

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Medical Author:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Next Steps

The results of ongoing investigations will answer several key questions. Specifically, it will be important to know what proportion of people become severely ill, what puts people at risk for severe illness, and how effective the new vaccine will be. It will also be important to monitor the virus to see if it mutates to become more (or less) dangerous. So far, the virus has not changed much since it first appeared.

Outlook

The 2009 influenza pandemic has caused significant economic, social, and health problems. Although the number of deaths is not high for an influenza virus, it is concerning that death rates in pregnant women and otherwise health young people are disproportionately high. Simple infection-control measures (covering coughs, washing hands) will help reduce the risk of infection. Vaccination is an effective method of controlling the disease and should be given whenever indicated and available.