Disease in the News: Swine Flu
Debra Wilson
HCS245
January 13, 2014
Windy Tanner

Disease in the News: Swine Flu
In November, 2013 an article appeared in PLOS Medicine, which is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal that covers the whole spectrum of medical sciences. PLOS stands for Public Library of Science. This article has to do with swine flu deaths from the 2009 global outbreak and a new study by researchers in 26 different countries that point to the fact that the number of people who died in the 2009 swine flu outbreak was much higher than original World Health Organization official figures have shown. The new study presented in PLOS Medicine gives an estimate of world-wide swine flu deaths to have been about 203,000. This figure is roughly ten times higher than that given by the World Health Organization (WHO)-which based its total only on laboratory confirmed cases and deaths. Also, this study looked into the number of deaths by causes that became exacerbated or intensified by swine flu infection. When these deaths were taken into account, the total number of deaths due to infection by swine flu nearly doubled the 203,000 total. This was approximately more than twenty times higher than the WHO total-which, just to reiterate, was solely based on lab confirmed cases, etc...
When making comments on the study (which was funded by WHO to look into the details of the outbreak and to try to come up with a more accurate death toll), one of the main researchers and author, Lone Simonsen, a researcher and professor of the Department of Global Health at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services in the United States stated: “We found that the mortality burden of this pandemic fell most heavily on younger people (in the past it was usually older persons and the elderly that were most affected by flu viruses) and those living in certain parts of the Americas.” (Paddock, C, 2013) The certain parts of the Americas that Professor Simonsen was referring to were to be found mostly in poorer countries in the Western Hemisphere. Also, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that the death count was very heavy in Africa and Southeast Asia as compared to the Americas and Europe. (Paddock, C., 2013) The researchers of this new study pointed out that while the CDC estimates regarding Africa and Southeast Asia maybe close to the truth, it is not easy to substantiate them because of insufficient data from these regions makes reliable estimates impossible according to Professor Simonsen. (Paddock, C., 2013)
The existence of the swine flu is nothing new. It is a respiratory disease that is most commonly found in or associated with pigs. It is a type of flu that is very contagious and is in fact a type or strain of influenza type A virus. Previously and generally this virus is spread by or contracted from some type of contact with one or more infected pigs. What has been found different about the swine flu outbreak of 2009 is the fact that the particular strain of swine flu involved showed itself to be particularly adept at aggressively spreading from one person to another without there being any infected pig contact at all. It seemed as though this virus strain did not need all those infected to have actually had any contact with an infected pig. A number of researchers and experts believe that this particular swine flu strain had managed to mutate in such a way as to make itself more easily spread among humans. One other thing about this particular strain of swine flu that had been discovered is that it showed itself to be quite resistant in many cases to treatment by antiviral drugs. The most seriously ill usually ended up dying from (in the United States, at least) pneumonia when treatment options failed; and the disease or virus invaded the victim’s lungs. The information presented in this paragraph was obtained by me via the CDC.gov website (I searched for additional swine flu information). The PLOS Medicine article about a new study about the swine flu outbreak of 2009 did not discuss or touch upon treatment or treatment options for those who were infected by the swine flu. The outlook or perspective of the PLOS Medicine article about the 2009 swine flu outbreak was global in nature. The study presented in the article did not focus on the outbreak in any particular country or on a particular continent, but looked at data from 21 countries and represented about 35 percent of the human global population. New and advanced statistics and methodology were utilized to come up with an approximate global figure of the number of persons infected and an approximate global figure of deaths attributable to the 2009 swine flu outbreak. So yes, I believe that it is fairly safe to say that the PLOS Medicine article that I chose for this assignment utilizes or possesses a perspective that is in fact global. The 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have infected approximately twenty percent of the world’s human population. Another notable fact is that about half of all school age children were also infected or made ill to some degree. The particular strain of swine flu that caused the outbreak originated in Mexico, most likely as a result of a viral mutation that created a type of “super virus” if you will. The rapid and aggressive global spreading of the disease caught many around the globe off guard. The decline of new cases of swine flu and deaths resulting from it was sporadic and uneven when looked at from a global perspective. Ultimately, the thankfully largely successful development and availability of a vaccine helped or aided in curtailing the spread of the disease in various areas and regions of the world, mostly in the West. Also, fast identification along with separation or quarantine of new cases of the disease helped to slow the spread of it. Eventually this great outbreak of a new type of swine flu in 2009 began to peter out or run its course, with human efforts to combat it helping to speed up the process, especially in various more advanced or richer countries. The swine flu virus that caused 2009 outbreak has largely been defeated in many areas around the world. However, the disease has not been eradicated or wiped out. The 2009 outbreak has demonstrated the need for diligence and readiness so as to be better prepared for the next new mutated dangerous flu virus that emerges. It would be foolish, given the historical track record of numerous types or kinds of flu, to ever think that the family of flu viruses would not or could not introduce (with little or no warning) a brand new member of the family to the global population.

References

Paddock, C. (2013, November 28). "Swine flu deaths in 2009 much higher than previously estimated." Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269461. Additional Reference
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu