Thinking about Swine Flu in the Peanut Gallery

A few thoughts about our most recent emerging infection with apologies for anthropomorphism and speculation to follow... Influenza viruses evolve/mutate pretty quickly and practice a type of "free love" exchanging genetic material (RNA in this case) usually when 2 strains are in an (usually non-human) individual at the same time. These may have been part of the back-story of the strain (or strains) of influenza currently dominating the news cycle. At least some of the recent ancestral strains seem to have come from pigs, hence the Swine Flu moniker. As with any emerging infection, there are many unknowns. It seems to me that 2 particularly relevant matters are immunity (or lack thereof) and virulence. It may be that this virus's genes and the resulting proteins are sufficiently different from previous strains as to render them unrecognizable to out immune systems. Then there is "original antigenic sin"; I don't know if this is a factor in this case, but I couldn't resist mentioning it. Virulence--how likely this flu is to cause serious illness or death--is still an open question although the preliminary reports from outside of Mexico are not alarming. (Even in Mexico, since we don't actually know the denominator...) Which Influenza A are you anyway? The current swine flu is an Influenza A H1N1, a quite different virus (immunologically speaking) from the seasonal human Influenza A which is still around as well. The classification and naming of influenza viruses can be confusing. I found a really nice easy-to-read article at arstechnica.com. Is it time to panic yet? In a word, no. (Although all those exhortations to remain calm may not be helping...) The new swine flu is sensitive to several anti-viral medications. Hand-washing, respiratory hygiene and other avoidance measures have significant roles to play in preventing the spread of infection. Interim guidelines have been posted by the CDC (cdc.gov--the link is on the home page) and are updated regularly. This is my preferred source of information and I highly recommend it.