The 2009 outbreak of swine flu began in Mexico, with the first cases appearing in March 2009. This particular influenza strain has captured attention because it spreads easily from person to person and because it is killing about 10% of the people who catch it.

What makes this this influenza strain so deadly? Let’s start at the beginning. The swine flu, like any strain of influenza, comes from a virus. A virus is not a living thing like a bacteria. A virus is a little package of inert genetic material. The virus particle attaches to a living cell and injects the genetic material into it. The virus’s genetic material hijacks the cell’s normal RNA/DNA machinery and tells the cell to create copies of the virus. Then the cell bursts, and hundreds of virus particles are released to repeat the cycle.

Obviously this would be a fatal problem if left unchecked. All of the target cells in your body would get infected and burst. Fortunately you have an immune system that detects the viral invasion and starts destroying the virus particles.

Vaccines can help prevent virus infections, but only if you receive the vaccine ahead of time. The idea behind a vaccine is to teach your immune system about a certain strain of virus, so that the virus is destroyed immediately if it ever shows up in your body.

Right now there is no vaccine for this strain of swine flu. The problem with the flu virus is, first, there are many different strains of influenza. Second, all of these strains are constantly mutating. There are also strains of influenza that infect animals like pigs or birds, and these strains occasionally mutate enough that they start infecting humans. This is what has happened with this particular strain of influenza. It normally infects pigs (hence the name “swine flu”), but it has mutated in a way that allowed it to jump to humans and to then be infectious by person to person contact.

The progression of the disease normally looks something like this. You breathe in or swallow a virus particle. It takes over a cell in your respiratory system. That cell dies and releases new particles to infect new cells. It takes from one to several days for enough virus particles to kill enough cells that you start seeing symptoms.

The onset of symptoms can happen fast. At breakfast you feel fine. By lunch you are coughing, you have a fever and your body aches all over. These symptoms last two or three days while your immune system sorts out the problem and destroys the virus. Then it takes some time for your body to replace all the damaged cells and you are well again.

The flu virus can kill so many cells so quickly that the infected person can die. Hundreds of thousands of people die worldwide from the flu every year. The damage that the flu virus causes can also encourage secondary bacterial infections in the damaged tissue, and these infections can get severe as well.

If you would like to avoid the swine flu, what can you do? The most extreme measure, and the most effective, would be to stay alone in a freestanding house until this outbreak is contained. Chances are very good that the viral particles will not enter your home, so you cannot catch the disease. You need to have a good supply of food and water for this to work. You also need to stop your mail and all other deliveries.

Assuming that you need to continue living your life, then the next best thing to do would be to wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your face. You may also want to wear a rated mask that can trap virus particles floating in the air. Also consider glasses, since virus particles can enter through your eyes.

It is likely that a vaccine for swine flu can be developed, but it traditionally takes six months. New techniques might lower the time to three months. If the CDC can contain the disease until a vaccine is available, then a potential epidemic could be averted.

See also this description from the CDC:

See also: Has the swine flu gotten near you yet?