The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify Swine Influenza (swine flu) as a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs.

The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred before the April 2009 outbreak affecting some persons in the United States, Mexico and other nations.

Most commonly, these previous cases occurred in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

 

Symptoms of this flu are basically the same as seasonal influenza symptoms and include:

Some people also experience vomiting or diarrhea as well. The flu usually runs its course within three to five days.

 

Antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza can shorten the number of days of flu symptoms by 24 to 36 hours if taken soon after symptoms appear. However, most experts do not recommend antiviral medications for otherwise healthy people who become infected with ordinary seasonal flu since most recover with little or no intervention. The CDC currently recommends treatment with antiviral medications if swine flu is likely in a person with known flu.

 

Antibiotics are for bacterial illnesses and are useless against viruses. Influenza is a virus, so antibiotics are not typically prescribed for simple flu. However, if you doctor believes you have a complication of the flu such as pneumonia caused by bacteria that are infecting on top of the flu virus, antibiotics may be necessary.