Deleted account DD
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Sometimes I think its keeping people happy making them think they understand it
Absolutely correct a variant of swine flu is out there but...............................
What happens is the seasonal flu virus mutates. It may mutate and mix with a virus from another source such as pig or bird.
There may be some cross contamination and mutation but whilst we cannot say it is absent we cannot say we are suffering from swine flu.
Its become a similar situation to how people who have a 4x4 often say "I have a jeep"
Anyone with flu at the minute may be suffering from any variant of H1N1 virus not neccesarily, and in a lot of cases not likely, swine flu.
Unless your mates doctor has taken forensic samples he cannot definitively say which variant of flu it is. He can guess and treat the symptoms symptomatically but thats it :thumb2
One problem that hit the other year was presumption H1N1 was doing the rounds when it was subsequently discovered it was a variant of H5N1.
The different mutated virus versions are not identifiable until they strike. ie this years vaccination is based on killing off last years virus which has reacted and changed.
If you google influenza H1N1, H5N1 and influenza A B and C you'll turn up all sorts if your interested.
I am NOT a medical expert but if a pandemic hits , job wise, it lands straight on my desk so I am a bit of an anorak on this one . I was absolutely inundated during the last bird flu rising tide
