Hot topics - Swine flu UPDATED -January 2011 H1N1'Swine Flu' is
in the news again with a recent outbreak in the UK that started
in October 2010 and continues to the present, though according
to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), it is now on the decline.
The first reported case of Swine flu 'H1N1' was in Mexico, April
2009. Since then it has spread around the globe and is now
officially a pandemic (epidemic over a very large area;
affecting a large proportion of a population. Oxford English
Dictionary) In the same month, Swine flu made its first
appearance in the UK with a couple being admitted to hospital in
Scotland after returning from Mexico. What is Swine flu? Swine
flu 'H1N1' is a new strain of the same virus that causes the
common flu. It is believed to have originated in pigs but there
is no definite evidence for this. To date, most cases of Swine
flu have been mild with symptoms similar to those of seasonal
flu. A high temperature (38oC/ 100.4oF) is the main symptom as
well as any of the following: