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Last updated on Thursday, 27 August 2009
The pandemic A(H1N1) influenza (flu) virus (germ) is a new member of the influenza virus family. Different influenza viruses cause the annual seasonal (winter) flu and, every few decades, a global pandemic
Influenza viruses infect birds and mammals and are usually species specific. Occasionally viruses cross over from one species to another. The pandemic A(H1N1) virus seems to have originated in pigs; however it is not spreading in pigs or from pigs to humans but only between human beings.
Seasonal human influenza results in 6000 to 10 000 deaths every winter in South Africa and between 250 000 - 500 000 deaths globally, mostly in people over 65 and those with certain chronic medical conditions. In contrast, during pandemic influenza many of the deaths occur in younger and apparently healthy individuals. The number of deaths during an influenza pandemic varies greatly, depending mostly on the virulence of the virus, but also on factors like crowding, individual health, access to health care, and preventive measures. For the 1918 flu pandemic estimates of 25 to 40 million deaths worldwide are often quoted. The estimates for excess deaths worldwide in the 1957 and 1968 pandemics are between one and two million.
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