Swine Flu in the United States Assignment, Essay Example

The Swine Flu has become a highly feared disease that has caused the deaths of thousands of individuals within the United States and abroad.  In many cases the Swine Flu is also called H1N1 from its medical label.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of July 31, 2009, 168 independent countries have reported at least one confirmed case of Swine Flu that has resulted in over 162,380 reported cases and 1,154 associated deaths (Petrosillo 163).  The WHO has declared H1N1 on its pandemic scale-alert, “designating the Influenza H1N1 2009 a potential threat to worldwide health and declared the outbreak as Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (Tandon 161).  Due to the extreme increase of the prevalence of the H1N1 viral strain, many researchers have worked hard to develop a history of the viral strain, a list of characteristics of the disease, and possible vaccinations or treatment methods to reduce the impact that the disease has upon the global community.

The Swine Flu has become a large pandemic that has greatly impacted populations throughout the world.  The most recent epidemic emerged in April 2009 in Latin America.  Mexico became the first country to declare an increase in patients requiring hospitalization for “pneumonia and an unusual series of deaths,” which are common side-effects of prolonged influenza (Petrosillo 163).  Many medical professionals believed that these effects were caused by a new flu virus.  Officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta uncovered two cases in younger children from neighboring California counties that were just across the border from Mexico (Petrosillo 164).  The CDC labeled the new strain the “Swine Flu” and a large epidemic began in the United States.  Cases of the Swine Flu date as far back as 1918 where a worldwide pandemic emerged from the human influenza A (H1N1) virus.  This virus was responsible for over 40 million deaths in regions throughout the world, and around 4.9 million deaths occurred in India alone (Petrosillo 165).  The pandemic subsided shortly after 1918, but sporadic cases of the H1N1 virus continued to appear.  The Swine Flu disappeared from the world in 1957, in which scientists believe was caused by people developing immunity.  The disease emerged again in a confined army base in Fort Dix, New Jersey where 230 individuals were infected including one fatality (Petrosillo 165).  In November 1977, a different H1N1 strain emerged in former Soviet Union and China; whereby, the disease infected young children.  Many professionals have difficulty explaining the cause of different strains, but modern studies found unique genetic characteristics within the H1N1 virus.

Through the RNA transcription coding, the H1N1 strains appear to have mutated into the current 2009 epidemic.  “The new H1N1 virus appears to be a mixture of avian, porcine, and human influenza RNA.  Genomic analysis indicates that it is closely related to common reassortant swine influenza A viruses that have been isolated in North America, Europe, and Asia in the last 20 years” (Petrosillo 171).  Due to the genetic mutation, the strain is much different than influenza A strains, and much more difficult to treat.  Current research shows that the RNA coding unveiled point mutations that changed the proteins in H1N1.  Particularly, “the mutations in surface proteins result in antigen drift, which helps the virus to escape the immunity of its host” (Dogra 167).  In other words, the viral strain has evolved and developed genetic immunity to the human immune system and medicinal treatments used for the common flu.

The complete evolution of H1N1 stems from separate influenza strains.  Prior to the 1990s, there existed the classic swine H1N1 strain, the Human H3N2 strain, the Avian strain, and the Eurasian swine strains (Dogra 168).  The current strains have evolved to combine the avian, porcine and human strains into one H1N1 virus.  In the early 2000s, the Classic Swine strain mixed with the Avian and Human strains and then also merged with the Eurasian swine virus to create a new H1N1 virus (Dogra 168).  Despite very little research on the 2009 strain, it has been reported that H1N1 is highly infectious and effective in reproducing to impact large populations.  The strains can be spread to others within 6 feet of an infected person, and it lives longer in cold and dry weather if it is outside the body than in any other environmental conditions (Mir et al. 163).  Meanwhile, “human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur in the same way as seasonal flu through coughing or sneezing” (Tandon 162).  The symptoms of Swine Flu are similar to human influenza, which are fever, lack of energy and appetite, cough, runny nose, sore throat, nausea and vomiting.  Medical professionals have difficulty in diagnosing Swine Flu cases because of the similar symptoms unless there is a reasonable suspicion for H1N1 (Dogra 168).  Many doctors are uneasy about diagnosing Swine Flu because it often leads to increased panic in local communities, large work loads for local laboratories and hospitals, and can cause an indirect negative affect on the economy (Tandon 163).  Nevertheless, the disease can be fatal to high-risk groups such as the elderly, individuals with chronic health conditions, young children and pregnant women.

However, medical treatment and detection are difficult within the medical community.  There are few methods for early detection, and only “Real Time PCR, Viral culture, Four-fold rise in swine influenza A (H1N1) virus specific neutralizing antibodies” are able to provide detection in laboratories (Petrosillo 169).  Unfortunately, these capabilities are not accessible to all doctors, and only a handful of capable centers are available worldwide to perform such tests.  Furthermore, the costs for performing the detection test are very high.  It currently costs between $10,000 and $15,000 to perform the tests, and it causes a potential threat to the economy and poor populations that cannot afford to pay high costs (Dogra 169).  Therefore, it is clear that very few treatment options are available.  A recent national vaccination campaign has been available to limited groups throughout the United States, but the vaccine’s effectiveness is still unknown due to the recent emergence of the methods.  It is believed that Oseltamivir is the only available treatment method for the H1N1 virus, but the viral strains have begun to develop immunity to the treatment methods and appear to mutate yet again (Dogra 169).

Due to the limited knowledge and lack of resources for medical professionals, many individuals throughout the world continue to face misdiagnosis and potential fatalities from H1N1.  Much advancement is being made to develop potential treatment methods, yet the genetic mutation of the H1N1 strains make it difficult to show strong results.  Increased funding by the World Health Organization and other global economies must be utilized in order to reduce the negative effects of the Swine Flu throughout the world.  Furthermore, additional research must continue to be performed to analyze the evolutionary traits associated with the H1N1 strains to create a permanent solution.  Current results have shown that the medical community is on the right path, but the world is still far from being free of H1N1 and will continue to impact the world population for quite some time.

References

Dogra, Sandeep “Emergence of Swine Origin Influenza (H1NI Virus).” JK Science 11.4 (2009): 167-169. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.

Mir, Shakil. A., et al. “History of Swine Flu.” JK Science 11.4 (2009): 163-164.  Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.

Petrosillo, N., et al. “The novel influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic: An update. “Annals of Thoracic Medicine 4.4 (2009): 163-172. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.

Tandon, Vishal R., et al. “Swine Flu (H1N1) – Pandemic or Bioterrorism. “JK Science Oct. 2009: 161+. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.