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Swine flu is basically a type of influenza that is caused by the swine flu influenza virus. The correct name of the strain of virus that is responsible for the outbreak that has caused headlines world over is H1N1. This is a strain of virus that has been seen before and it is suspected that the attack of Spanish flu is the very same strain of virus.
The virus actually originates in pigs. Note that influenza is a disease that can cross species from pigs and birds and find a foothold in humans as well. This is actually one of the major problems with influenza because not only do epidemiologists have to contend with humans spreading it to each other but species spreading over geographies. An understanding of viruses will also make clear the understanding of their virulence. . Viruses are a class of organisms that are many times smaller than bacteria. In fact, many viruses will infect bacteria also. Viruses, though live organisms are really just the most basic building blocks of life consisting of RNA and DNA, sometimes enclosed in a protein capsule or a lipid capsule. Because of their size and almost chemical nature they are usually all pervasive. Like all organisms, their objective is to simply thrive and reproduce. Viruses cannot do this by themselves and need the help of the nucleus of another cell. Therefore, a virus will latch on to cell walls of a cell, infuse its DNA and RNA into the cell, the invaded cells will then start creating virus copies, and the virus will then cause the cell to rupture or lyse and release the new generation. In the process of replication, the DNA and RNA can change in structure – mutation. The problem with this and other viruses, from the perspective of treatment, is that viruses mutate so fast that there is no drug that can be made to keep up with the changing chemical constitution of a virus. These medical arguments aside, the power of the human body and its antigen recognition system cannot be underestimated. This is the reason why over the course of time, the amount of viral infections in an individual start to reduce because the body recognizes the same virus and possible copies of it as well, accommodating for mutations as well. The only medication that is effective in limiting the effects of swine flu is zanamvir or oseltamvir. These do not cure the problem but limit the spread of it.
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