N1H1 is hardly as catchy as "Swine Flu" but every bit as serious, and contrary to the shouts of the right wing who have tried to make this an "immigration issue", this strain probably started in the US.
The CDC is now saying it looks like the strain began back in 1998 in US hog farms. The cases found in Mexico may have actually paralleled some here, but it's too early to tell.
The CDC is taking this very seriously, and comedians ridiculing the situation aside, the folks in Virology are not amused. The virus is a hybrid of a swine/avain/human influenza and that means it can travel from human to human.
"We're in unprecedented territory really," said Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., which operates a laboratory that works with the World Health Organization. So far, the virus is treatable with antiviral medicines. It appears less deadly than first thought, as long as good medical care is within reach.
The outbreak was detected early in Mexico and that may be a saving grace. A worldwide pandemic on the scale of the Spanish Flu has been expected for a long time. Let's hope this isn't the one.
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