Prior to 2009, it was quite rare for people to contract swine flu. In order to catch the disease, you had to have some sort of contact with pigs. However, in March of this year, all that changed. It seemed that people infected with swine flu had no contact with pigs. The disease had mutated and was being transmitted person to person.

Normally, after you have had a particular strain of influenza, your body retains the antibodies to kill it in the future. This gives you an immunity to the disease. But the current strain of swine flu virus underwent a major mutation. This mutation is a completely new strain of influenza. As a result, no one is immune to the disease. And that is why government officials are so concerned about the possibility of a worldwide pandemic.

During a normal influenza season, the human influenza virus is spread through respiratory droplets. These droplets enter the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or breathes on you. The disease also spreads when you touch eyes, nose, or mouth with contaminated hands.

In March and April 2009, hundreds of cases of respiratory illness were reported in Mexico that were suspected or confirmed to be caused by swine influenza. By April, over 100 deaths were attributed to the disease in Mexico and cases started to be reported in the United States. The first cases came from California and Texas. Since then, reports of the disease showing up in other states rapidly followed.

Reports of confirmed or suspected disease have also come from Canada, New Zealand, and Spain. Because many cases of the disease are not disclosed, there are undoubtedly more infections than have been reported. And because of the rapid spread of the disease, governments worldwide are concerned.

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