As the World Health Organization announces that more than 700 people have died from the H1N1 swine flu virus, scientists are eager to see if the virus is changing.
The Southern Hemisphere is in the beginning days of its annual flu season, and the H1N1 swine flu is proving to be a formidable problem in Australia, New Zealand, and much of South America. The behaviors of the H1N1 swine flu virus throughout the Southern Hemisphere offer scientists an observation of the pandemic's impact and of the direction the virus takes in terms of lethality.
The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that the virus has claimed over 700 lives worldwide since emerging from Mexico a few months ago, and the pharmaceutical sector is racing to provide vaccines ahead of the Northern Hemisphere's fall season.
"Researchers are studying the virus, a form of influenza Type A, subtype H1N1, as it spreads in the Southern Hemisphere, which is entering its annual flu season,"
the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday. "Chile and Argentina have been hit particularly hard; Chilean media reported last week that thousands of surgeries were postponed to free beds for swine flu cases. The swine flu is the predominant virus spreading in Australia."
A study recently emerged that demonstrated the virus' strength and focus with regard to attacking the lungs and creating secondary complications from pneumonia.
"This virus (in animals) caused more pneumonia, more lung tissue injury, whereas the seasonal strain caused very little or no deep tissue damage," Dr. Charles Chiu, head of the viral diagnostics laboratory at UCSF, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Dr. Chiu is helping track shifts in the swine flu virus. "Even though the numbers really haven't borne out in humans, it does appear to be an inherently more virulent virus."
Scientists are also seeking to understand who is most at risk. Children appear to be at high risk, while the elderly may have had exposure to earlier H1N1 appearances in the 20th century.
"One troubling trend is the number of pregnant women who have become seriously ill. Obesity also seems to be related to serious infections - roughly half of those hospitalized with swine flu in California have been obese," according to the San Francisco Chronicle report.
