Strain of Swine Flu – A new swine flu variant infected three children in Iowa, spurring a search for more cases that may signal whether the virus is spreading easily among people. That virus eventually spread globally, sparking the first flu pandemic in 41 years. The S-OtrH3N2 strain contains one gene from the H1N1 pandemic virus and genes from influenza viruses circulating among North American swine, the CDC said today.
The Iowa Department of Public Health said Tuesday that the children had tested positive for the A/H3N2 strain of the influenza virus, which has cropped up in several other states this fall. Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the health department’s medical director, said the new virus is similar to “A” flu strains that circulated in the 1990s. In 2009, public health authorities declared a national emergency after the appearance of a new flu virus, H1N1. Quinlisk said H3N2 strain is causing less concern because it has more similarities to previous strains and because it appears to cause relatively mild illnesses. Viruses routinely mutate, forcing authorities to reformulate vaccines.
Notes that flu viruses mutate and swap genes all the time. Infectious disease experts may only be noticing these new viruses because of better technology, he says. The H1N1 swine flu pandemic began in 2009 after flu viruses mutated to create a new strain that humans had never encountered before, leaving everyone vulnerable to infection. Although the H1N1 pandemic proved to be relatively mild, doctors fear new flu strains because of their lethal history. All three of the Iowa children had mild illness, the CDC reports. The virus also seems treatable with standard anti-viral drugs.
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Tags: H1N1 pandemic virus, new flu strains, new swine flu, Swine Flu, swine flu cases