How serious is a swine flu infection?
Just as with seasonal flu, swine flu infections in humans can cause symptoms that range from quite mild to very severe. So far, the cases that have occurred in the United States have not appeared very severe – but the majority of them have occurred in traditionally healthy populations, in individuals who were neither very young nor elderly. Historically, severe illnesses, such as pneumonia and respiratory failure, and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. As with seasonal flu, underlying chronic medical conditions may also worsen.
