The two deaths recorded in the last few hours in Veneto have generated a lot of confusion, but in reality widespread flu is the most common type of seasonal flu. Swine flu viruses and human flu viruses are different pathogens
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After the two deaths in Veneto it was enough for it to be reported that those deaths were linked to the disease caused by H1N1 virus of swine flu because it caused anxiety.
But in reality, those two cases are related to infections from H1N1pdm09The strain of human influenza which has been circulating widely in all flu seasons for more than 14 years and which this year has already affected almost 7 million Italians.
Therefore, swine flu has nothing to do with it.
This season’s flu is characterized by the circulation of the H1N1 pdm09 virus (Mexico 2009 pandemic diseasecalled so based on the year and place where it was initially detected): it is the influenza virus which has been circulating widely in all flu seasons since 2009. Calling it a ‘swine flu’ virus is a media legacy that makes one think of a non-seasonal virus, they say from the Veneto Region.
For reasons of clarity, it is therefore important to make it known that, at the moment, there is no no new cases of ‘swine flu’but rather infections from the H1N1 virus, at the basis of the ‘normal’ flu wave which is involving large portions of the population.
What is the H1N1 influenza virus
Influenza is the respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses: these are RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae and are classified by type (A, B, C and D) and subtypes (H1N1, H1N2, H3N2…), based on two proteins on the surface of the viral envelope (H = haemagglutinin and N = neuraminidase). Each subtype includes a variety of strains that cause different diseases.
H1N1 refers to a subtype of influenza A virus which has a type 1 haemagglutinin (H) protein and a type 1 neuraminidase (N) protein. The H1N1 subtype, in turn, includes multiple strains, starting with pdm09, the dominant one this season.
In other cases, the naming of viral strains is based on the type of typical host (for example human flu, swine flu, avian flu, canine flu…), or even on their mortality (for example, the acronym LP indicates a low pathogenicity).
Symptoms of influenza A/(H1N1) pdm09 virus infection
Similar to those of the classic seasonal flu, the most common are:
- fever
- cough
- a runny nose
- sore throat
- muscle pain
- at the head
- chills
- fatigue
In some cases, there could be serious complications such as pneumonia. Seasonal influenza is transmitted from person to person by respiratory means, through droplets, or by droplets or other nasal or throat secretions that land on the hands or other surfaces that come into contact with the mouth or nose of other people. The incubation period is 1 to 7 days and the virus can be transmitted between 5 and 7 days after the onset of symptoms.
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