H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) (Print Version)

MedlinePlus Health Information: A service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/h1n1fluswineflu.html

Also called: Also called: Swine flu

Swine flu is a type of virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

There are antiviral medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. You can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by

Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
Staying home from work or school if you are sick.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

CDCemergency (Twitter)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://twitter.com/CDCemergency
Influenza A(H1N1): Frequently Asked Questions(World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/frequently_asked_questions/en/index.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/faq/es/index.html

Overviews

Enviro-Health Links -- 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu(National Library of Medicine) - http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/swineflu.html
H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
Key Facts about H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/key_facts.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/espanol/datos.htm

Latest News

1976 Swine Flu Outbreak Offers Echoes, Lessons Today(05/04/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83760.html
Swine Flu Cases Still Up, but U.S. Officials Are Guardedly Optimistic(05/04/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83768.html
Swine Flu Outbreak Not a Pandemic at This Point(05/03/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83752.html
FDA, FTC Warn Public of Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products(05/01/2009, Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW02007.html
Swine Flu Update for People with Heart Disease(04/30/2009, American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=729
CDC Responds to Swine Flu Outbreak Among Humans(04/27/2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/news/2009/04/swine_flu/
More News on H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_h.html#h1n1fluswineflu

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Fact Sheet for Patients: Understanding Swine Influenza Kit Test Results(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/emergency/panel-factsheet2.html

Treatment

Antiviral Drugs and H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/antiviral.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/espanol/medicamentos-antivirales.htm

Disease Management

Influenza A(H1N1)(World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

Specific Conditions

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/swineflu_you.htm
Swine Influenza in Pigs and People(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pdf/brochure.pdf

Related Issues

Swine Flu: What Cancer Patients Need to Know(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SPC/content/SPC_1_Swine_Flu.asp?
Travel Health Precaution(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx
You May Have Been Exposed to Swine Flu During Your Travels(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/fileSwineFluPassengers.ashx

Videos

Swine Flu(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85sD83aRUIQ

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Influenza, Human(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Influenza,+Human%22

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: The mouse model for influenza. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19412911&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: The ferret model for influenza. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19412910&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Confirmation of first person to person transmission of swine flu... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19411405&tool=MedlinePlus
H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(influenza+a+virus[majr]+OR+h1n1+virus[majr])+OR+(influenza+a+virus[tiab]+OR+h1n1+virus[tiab]+OR+influenza[tiab])+AND+swine[tiab]+OR+((swine[all]+OR+pigs[all]+OR+porcine[all])+AND+influenza[all])+OR+((swine[all]+OR+pigs[all]+OR+porcine[all])+AND+flu[all])+AND+english[la]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Organizations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/en/

Children

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Information(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/may09swineflu.htm
Talking with Children about H1N1 (Swine Flu)(Children's National Medical Center) - https://www.childrensnational.org/Pressroom/cnmc04300901.aspx

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Animal Diseases and Your Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/animaldiseasesandyourhealth.html
Bird Flu - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/birdflu.html
Flu - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/flu.html
Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/h1n1fluswineflu.html

Date last updated: May 05 2009

Topic last reviewed: April 30 2009