Difference Between Swine Flu and Regular Flu

Swine Flu, the number one health concern all over the world today, was first detected in US in April 2009. The genesis of swine flu 2009 is believed to be a pig farm in Vera Cruz, Mexico. This strain of influenza A, called H1NI has crossed over from pigs to human population. Mexico and Canada were some of the worst affected swine flu hit areas, however, with a short span of four months, this disease spread across the globe. This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) has called H1NI as a 'pandemic', meaning an epidemic affecting an entire country or perhaps the entire world.

In October 2009, President Barack Obama declared swine flu as a national emergency. So what's this hype about swine flu? Why has it gained such a lot of attention in a short span of time. Isn't swine flu a type of flu, then why is it causing such a clamor. Though, swine flu and regular seasonal flu seem to bear semblance to one another, they are not the same.

Regular Flu

Seasonal flu or regular flu can be caused by myriads of different kinds of viruses. Regular flu is caused by influenza types A, B or C. Seasonal flu strains appear throughout the world, causing temporary discomfort. Development of new strains is a frequent phenomenon every year, which is why a continuous flow of regular flu vaccines are seen to be introduced into the market. This seasonal flu usually does not pose any long term threats to an average person. As the years go by, the human body builds up an immunity to fight regular flu. Most deaths caused by regular flu are attributed to people with exceptionally weak immune systems.

Swine Flu

Swine flu is actually a disease mostly observed in pigs, its transmission from pigs to humans isn't that common. However, swine flu is not a new disease. In fact, the earliest record of swine flu was in 1918. Thereafter, a pandemic again emerged in 1976, 1988, 1998 and now in 2009. The 2009 swine flu has been caused by a different strain of virus, which shares genes with the virus that causes flu in pigs. Novel H1N1 Influenza A is the official, scientific name for swine flu. The H in H1NI stands for hemagglutinin, while N stands for neuraminidase and the 1 stands for their antibody type.

Similarities Between Swine Flu and Regular Flu

Mode of Spreading
Seasonal flu spreads from one person to another through contact. If a person infected with regular flu touches something, the next person coming in contact with that object can get infected by the virus. Similarly, swine flu can also get transmitted from one person to another.

Symptoms
The most common symptoms of regular flu are cough, sore throat, headaches, weakness, chills, fever, muscle pain and general discomfort. Symptoms like vomiting and nausea are also seen in children and pneumonia is seen in severe cases of influenza attack. The symptoms of swine flu are also cough, sore throat, headaches, weakness, chills, fever, muscle pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

Swine Flu Vs Regular Flu

Vaccines
H1N1 is a new strain of virus, to which none of us have been exposed. Moreover, since it originated in pigs, humans do not have any natural immunity towards it. However, vaccines are being prepared in full swing to help us counter this virus. Regular flu, on the other hand, is something we all have grown up with. Our bodies have developed a natural immunity towards the regular flu and we also have vaccines prepared to counter the viruses causing regular flu. Vaccines are designed to build up one's immunity and the regular flu vaccine comprises a combination of 3 most common human flu viruses. This regular flu shot is not effective against swine flu and one needs to take the swine flu vaccine specifically, which is exclusively made up of the animal H1N1 virus.

Difference Between Swine Flu and Regular Flu Symptoms
Since most of the symptoms of swine flu and regular flu are the same, it's so difficult to differentiate the two. However, when it comes to swine flu vs regular flu symptoms, swine flu symptoms tend to last longer. The greatest fear is if the swine flu virus is allowed to settle in the respiratory system, it can lead to serious respiratory problems.

Ages
When a comparison is done, seasonal flu is seen to affect the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Swine flu, on the other hand poses more risk to young adults below the age of 25. Somehow, it appears that people above the age of 65 are less likely to be infected. One reason could be because these people were exposed to similar (though not same) strains of the swine flu virus in the 1900s.

Aggravation of Symptoms
In regular flu, the symptoms last for a few days, however, swine flu symptoms aggravate at the time when regular flu symptoms should go away. This means the symptoms show after 6-7 days of the infection. Swine flu can cause serious respiratory problems that can pose death threats to even healthy people. This is another major difference.

There is only a thin line of difference between swine flu and regular flu. Though the symptoms of swine flu are more or less similar, a swab test helps differentiate between the two. Your health care provider can tell you if you have swine flu or not. Work on strengthening your immune system and eat lots of fruits and vegetables!