What is known about the 2009 H1N1 virus?
This new virus was first reported in late March/early April 2009 in central Mexico and the border states of California and Texas. Since that time, the virus has been reported worldwide. Genetic testing suggests the virus originated in pigs, but we don’t know exactly when or where it “leaped” to humans. The symptoms are very similar to human respiratory flu, with possible additional gastrointestinal side effects such as vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhea. In the United States, the majority of cases so far have had self-limiting flu-like symptoms—just as with the “normal” seasonal flu, they are ill for a few days and then recover. In severe cases, pneumonia can develop. Deaths have been reported, but most people recover from this flu in the same way they recover from the usual human flu. People at higher risk of disease, or more severe disease, include pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. The information is rapidly changing because this is an emerging situation. For u
