http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30615472/ http://www.everydayhealth.com/swine-

flu/facts-about-swine-influenza.aspx

Scientists suspect that two influenza viruses common in swine, one rooted in Eurasia and the other in North America, came together in a single cell within a pig. The two viruses exchanged their genes like a couple of kids swapping school clothes. The result was a novel strain of virus, with, according to scientists, two genes from the Eurasian virus and six genes from the North American virus.

Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

it is not a cause for alarm. First, so far this is an extremely uncommon illness affecting a very small number of people in the United States, all of whom had mild illness and recovered without incident

It’s an unpleasant upper respiratory illness with systemic symptoms of fever, weakness and body aches, that can knock you out for a week, but from which you’ll recover, without treatment and without having to go even to the doctor, let alone to the hospital.

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine probably will help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.