The flu pandemic sweeping the globe has triggered a heated semantic debate, with different names favoured in different countries and even top health officials baffled over what to call the virus.
The flu pandemic sweeping the globe has triggered a heated semantic debate, with different names favoured in different countries and even top health officials baffled over what to call the virus.
The World Health Organisation, the UN body leading efforts to fight the virus, originally went with the term "swine flu" but then junked the evocative name in favour of the more prosaic A(H1N1).
Swine Flu - Mode of Transmission
Human to human transmission of swine flu is likely to occur when an infected person coughs or sneezes in the presence of uninfected people.
Human to human transmission of swine flu is likely to occur when an infected person coughs or sneezes in the presence of uninfected people.
But the WHO now plays down this link, saying the virus is spread person-to-person and there are no known cases of people being infected by exposure to pigs or other animals.
Pork is also still perfectly safe to eat, the UN's health body insists, and classes the virus's place of origin as "unknown".
Factfile: What is Swine Flu?
WHAT IS IT? Swine flu is the name commonly given to a new form of flu. From a first known case in Mexico, the outbreak has spread at exceptional speed, prompting the UN's World
WHAT IS IT? Swine flu is the name commonly given to a new form of flu. From a first known case in Mexico, the outbreak has spread at exceptional speed, prompting the UN's World
In France, "flu A (H1N1)" leads the pack and is sometimes condensed down to the "flu A", which is also the preferred term in Switzerland.
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Swine Flu Has Spread To Almost Every Country: WHO
The swine flu virus has spread to almost every country in the world since it was discovered at the end of March, the World Health Organisation said Friday.
The swine flu virus has spread to almost every country in the world since it was discovered at the end of March, the World Health Organisation said Friday.
The country's Flemish press such as De Standaard or Het Laatste Nieuws, meanwhile, refers to "Mexican flu", also the term favoured in the Netherlands.
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Swine Flu Becomes A "Spicy" Internet Search Topic
Swine flu chatter has been criss-crossing the Internet as the global spread of the virus became the hottest subject at micro-blogging service Twitter.
Swine flu chatter has been criss-crossing the Internet as the global spread of the virus became the hottest subject at micro-blogging service Twitter.
In Italy, Portugal and Spain, "flu A" appears most often in the media, or simply "the new flu", which is also used in Greece.
Croatia and Bosnia refer to "swine flu" but Serbia prefers "Mexican flu".
The official system to designate flu viruses refers first to the type (A,B,C, with A the only one responsible for pandemics), the place of origin, a local code for the virus, the year the virus was isolated, and finally the antigen formula (H and N refer to the two proteins - antigens - which form the casing of the virus).
For example, the vaccine against seasonal flu last year had three strains: A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1); A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2); B/Florida/4/2006.
Source-AFP
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