The swine flu is a viral, respiratory infection that commonly affects pigs in much the same way as the human influenza virus affects people. It was first isolated in pigs in the 1930s and generally, one or two human cases were reported each year in this country.

Originally, only people who were in close contact with pigs were susceptible to getting the swine virus. These people tended to be pig farmers, slaughterhouse workers or anyone who worked in the swine industry.

Inter-species Infections

Interspecies infections do not occur that frequently, but the pig serves as a unique transmitter and receiver of influenza viruses that it catches from birds, other pigs and people.

When a pig becomes infected from a human, another pig, or a bird (avian flu), the virus swaps genes with the host, and thus new strains of the virus are developed from the mix.

Medical researchers know that this current swine flu virus has a mixture of bird, human and swine genes. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), this virus is an influenza A, H1N1 virus and is not the same and is genetically different from the human influenza A, H1N1 virus.