2009 swine flu pandemic timeline summary

Last updated March 03, 2023

This article covers the chronology of the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. Flag icons denote the first announcements of confirmed cases by the respective nation-states, their first deaths (and other major events such as their first intergenerational cases, cases of zoonosis, and the start of national vaccination campaigns), and relevant sessions and announcements of the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union (and its agency the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Summary

2009	A(H1N1) Outbreak and Pandemic Milestones
17 March	First case in the world of what was later identified as swine flu origin.
28 March	First country's case affected the disease in the US of what was later identified as swine flu origin.
12 April	First known death due to what was later identified as swine flu origin.
24 April	First Diseases Outbreak Notice mention of the Swine Flu by the World Health Organization.
25 April	The United States is the first country to have Community outbreaks confirmed.
25 April	Community outbreaks confirmed in Mexico.
27 April	First case confirmed in Canada.
	First case confirmed in Spain.
	First case confirmed in the United Kingdom.
28 April	First case confirmed in Israel.
28 April	First case confirmed in New Zealand.
29 April	First death confirmed in the United States.
	First case confirmed in Germany.
	First case confirmed in Austria.
30 April	First case confirmed in the Netherlands.
	First case confirmed in Switzerland.
	First case confirmed in Ireland.
1 May	First case confirmed in Hong Kong, China.
	First case confirmed in Denmark.
	First case confirmed in France.
2 May	First case confirmed in Italy.
	First case confirmed in South Korea.
	First case confirmed in Costa Rica.
3 May	First case confirmed in Colombia.
	First case confirmed in Portugal.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Canada
4 May	First case confirmed in El Salvador.
5 May	First case confirmed in Guatemala.
6 May	First case confirmed in Poland.
6 May	First case confirmed in Sweden.
7 May	First case confirmed in Argentina.
	First case confirmed in Brazil.
	First death confirmed in Canada.
	First case of zoonosis in Canada, where an infected pig infects a human
8 May	First case confirmed in Japan.
	First case confirmed in Panama.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Canada.
9 May	First case confirmed in Australia.
	First case confirmed in Norway.
	First death confirmed in Costa Rica.
10 May	First case confirmed in China.
12 May	First case confirmed in Thailand.
	First case confirmed in Cuba.
	First case confirmed in Finland.
13 May	First case confirmed in Belgium.
13 May	Community outbreaks confirmed in Costa Rica.
14 May	First case confirmed in Peru.
15 May	First case confirmed in Malaysia.
15 May	First case confirmed in Ecuador.
16 May	First case confirmed in India.
16 May	First case confirmed in Turkey.
17 May	First case confirmed in Chile.
17 May	Community outbreaks confirmed in Japan.
18 May	First case confirmed in Greece.
19 May	First case confirmed in Paraguay.
19 May	First case confirmed in Taiwan.
21 May	First case confirmed in the Philippines.
22 May	First case confirmed in Honduras.
22 May	First case confirmed in Russia.
23 May	First case confirmed in Iceland.
24 May	First case confirmed in Kuwait.
24 May	First case confirmed in United Arab Emirates.
25 May	First case confirmed in Bahrain.
25 May	First case confirmed in Czech Republic.
26 May	First case confirmed in Puerto Rico.
26 May	Community outbreaks confirmed in United Kingdom.
27 May	First case confirmed in Romania.
	First case confirmed in Singapore.
	First case confirmed in Dominican Republic.
	First case confirmed in Uruguay.
28 May	First case confirmed in Bolivia.
	First case confirmed in Venezuela.
	First case confirmed in Slovakia.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Argentina.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Australia.
29 May	First case confirmed in Hungary.
30 May	First case confirmed in Cyprus.
	First case confirmed in Estonia.
	First case confirmed in Lebanon.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Chile.
31 May	First case confirmed in Vietnam.
	First case confirmed in Bahamas.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Germany.
1 June	First case confirmed in Bulgaria.
2 June	First death confirmed in Chile.
	First case confirmed in Luxembourg.
	First case confirmed in Ukraine.
	First case confirmed in Nicaragua.
	First case confirmed in Egypt.
	First case confirmed in Bermuda.
3 June	First case confirmed in Saudi Arabia.
	First case confirmed in Barbados.
	First case confirmed in Jamaica.
4 June	First case confirmed in Trinidad and Tobago.
5 June	First death confirmed in Dominican Republic.
	First case confirmed in Cayman Islands.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Switzerland.
7 June	First case confirmed in Martinique.
8 June	First case confirmed in Dominica.
9 June	First death confirmed in Colombia.
10 June	First death confirmed in Guatemala.
	First case confirmed in French Polynesia.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Guatemala.
11 June	The WHO raises its Pandemic Alert Level to Phase 6.
	First case confirmed in the Palestinian Territories.
	First case confirmed in British Virgin Islands.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Hong Kong.
12 June	First case confirmed in Morocco.
	First case confirmed in Isle of Man.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Uruguay.
14 June	First death confirmed in the United Kingdom.
14 June	Community outbreaks confirmed in Philippines.
15 June	First death confirmed in Argentina.
16 June	First case confirmed in Jordan.
	First case confirmed in Qatar.
	First case confirmed in Samoa.
	First case confirmed in Sri Lanka.
	First case confirmed in Suriname.
	First case confirmed in Yemen.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Thailand.
17 June	First case confirmed in Monaco.
	First case confirmed in U.S. Virgin Islands.
	First case confirmed in Netherlands Antilles.
	First case confirmed in Oman.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Malaysia.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in France.
18 June	First case confirmed in Laos.
	First case confirmed in Macao.
	First case confirmed in South Africa. H1N1 now present in all WHO regions.
	First case confirmed in Papua New Guinea.
	First case confirmed in the island of Jersey.
19 June	First death confirmed in Australia.
	First case confirmed in Antigua and Barbuda.
	First case confirmed in Bangladesh.
	First case confirmed in Ethiopia.
	First case confirmed in Slovenia.
20 June	First case confirmed in Algeria.
20 June	Community outbreaks confirmed in Venezuela.
21 June	First case confirmed in Fiji.
21 June	First case confirmed in Brunei.
22 June	First death confirmed in the Philippines.
	First case confirmed in Iran.
	First case confirmed in Montenegro.
	First case confirmed in Tunisia.
	First death confirmed in Honduras.
23 June	First case confirmed in Latvia.
23 June	Community outbreaks confirmed in Macao.
24 June	First case confirmed in Indonesia.
	First case confirmed in Cape Verde Islands.
	First case confirmed in Côte d'Ivoire.
	First case confirmed in Cambodia.
	First case confirmed in Iraq.
	First case confirmed in Serbia.
	First case confirmed in Vanuatu.
25 June	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Argentina.
26 June	First case confirmed in Lithuania.
	First case confirmed in Guernsey.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in China.
27 June	First case confirmed in Myanmar.
	First case confirmed in New Caledonia.
	First death confirmed in Thailand.
28 June	First death confirmed in Brazil.
29 June	First death confirmed in Spain.
	First death confirmed in Uruguay.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance from Denmark found in the world.
	First case confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
	First case confirmed in Kenya.
	First case confirmed in Mauritius.
	First case confirmed in Nepal.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Italy.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Singapore.
30 June	First case confirmed in Saint Lucia.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Egypt.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Chile.
1 July	First case confirmed in Guam.
	First case confirmed in Malta.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in South Korea.
2 July	First death confirmed in Brunei.
	First death confirmed in Paraguay.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Japan.
	First case confirmed in Uganda.
	First case confirmed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
3 July	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Hong Kong, China.
	First case confirmed in Aruba.
	First death confirmed in El Salvador.
4 July	First death confirmed in New Zealand.
	First case confirmed in Croatia.
	First case confirmed in Macedonia.
	First case confirmed in Syria.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Spain.
5 July	First death confirmed in Peru.
5 July	First case confirmed in Palau
6 July	First case confirmed in Guadeloupe.
	First case confirmed in Libya.
	First case confirmed in Saint Martin.
	First death confirmed in Jamaica.
7 July	First case confirmed in Guyana.
	First case confirmed in Belize.
	First case confirmed in Cook Islands.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Portugal.
8 July	First case confirmed in Afghanistan.
	First case confirmed in Seychelles.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Malta.
9 July	First case confirmed in Tanzania.
9 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in Panama.
10 July	First case confirmed in Botswana.
	First case confirmed in Réunion.
	First case confirmed in Zimbabwe.
	First death confirmed in Bolivia.
	First death confirmed in Ecuador.
	First death confirmed in Hong Kong.
11 July	First case confirmed in Andorra.
11 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in New Zealand.
13 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in Saudi Arabia.
14 July	First case confirmed in Haiti.
	First case confirmed in Marshall Islands.
	First case confirmed in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
	First death confirmed in Puerto Rico.
15 July	First case confirmed in Tonga.
16 July	First case confirmed in Sudan.
	First death confirmed in Singapore.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Brazil.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Morocco.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Colombia.
18 July	First death confirmed in Venezuela.
19 July	First case confirmed in Georgia.
	First death confirmed in Egypt.
	First death confirmed in Panama.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Israel.
20 July	First death confirmed in Guam.
	First case confirmed in Albania.
	First case confirmed in Namibia.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Norway.
21 July	First case confirmed in Federated States of Micronesia.
	First case confirmed in Northern Mariana Islands.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Canada.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Indonesia.
22 July	First death confirmed in Hungary.
	First death confirmed in Laos.
	First death confirmed in Tonga.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in India.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Ireland.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Peru.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Vietnam.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Jamaica.
23 July	First death confirmed in Malaysia.
	First case confirmed in American Samoa.
	First case confirmed in Bhutan.
	First case confirmed in Kazakhstan.
	First case confirmed in Turks and Caicos Islands.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Bolivia.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Sweden.
24 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in Fiji.
	First case confirmed in Falklands Islands.
	First case confirmed in Gibraltar.
	First case confirmed in Grenada.
	First case confirmed in Maldives.
25 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in Brunei.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Ecuador.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in El Salvador.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Greece.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Nicaragua.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in South Africa.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Taiwan.
	First death confirmed in Indonesia.
26 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in Cuba.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Cyprus.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Honduras.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Paraguay.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Turkey.
27 July	Community outbreaks confirmed in Denmark.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in Netherlands.
	Community outbreaks confirmed in United Arab Emirates.
	First death confirmed in Israel.
	First death confirmed in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
	First death confirmed in Saudi Arabia.
	First case confirmed in Kosovo.
	First case confirmed in Zambia.
28 July	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Argentina.
29 July	First case confirmed in Swaziland.
30 July	First case confirmed in Azerbaijan.
	First case confirmed in Gabon.
	First case confirmed in Moldova.
	First death confirmed in Belgium.
	First death confirmed in France.
	First death confirmed in Lebanon.
	First death confirmed in Taiwan.
31 July	First case confirmed in French Guiana.
	First case confirmed in Nauru.
	First death confirmed in Qatar.
	First case of zoonosis in Brazil, where an infected pig infects a human.
2 August	First death confirmed in India.
3 August	First death confirmed in South Africa.
	First case confirmed in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
	First case confirmed in Pakistan.
4 August	First case confirmed in Solomon Islands.
	First death confirmed in Vietnam.
	First death confirmed in Netherlands.
5 August	First death confirmed in Iran.
5 August	First case confirmed in Anguilla.
6 August	First case confirmed in Ghana.
	First case confirmed in Kiribati.
	First case confirmed in Liechtenstein.
7 August	First death confirmed in Ireland.
	First death confirmed in Palestine.
	First death confirmed in Samoa.
8 August	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Thailand.
9 August	Community outbreaks confirmed in Algeria.
9 August	First death confirmed in Iraq.
10 August	First death confirmed in Mauritius.
12 August	First case confirmed in East Timor.
	First case confirmed in Wallis and Futuna.
	First death confirmed in Nicaragua.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Brazil.
14 August	First case confirmed in Cameroon.
	First case confirmed in Madagascar.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in China.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Singapore.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in United States.
15 August	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Peru.
	First death confirmed in Japan.
	First death confirmed in South Korea.
	First case confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
17 August	First case confirmed in Mozambique.
18 August	First death confirmed in Malta.
	First death confirmed in Cook Islands.
	First death confirmed in Yemen.
19 August	First case confirmed in Belarus.
20 August	First death confirmed in Kuwait.
20 August	First death confirmed in United Arab Emirates.
21 August	First cases in birds in the world confirmed in Chile.
21 August	First death confirmed in Oman.
22 August	First death confirmed in New Caledonia.
23 August	First death confirmed in Greece.
24 August	First death confirmed in French Polynesia.
24 August	First case confirmed in Kyrgyzstan.
26 August
	First death confirmed in Syria.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Brazil.
	First case confirmed in Angola.
28 August	First cases in birds confirmed in Brazil.
29 August	First death confirmed in Bangladesh.
30 August	First head of state to have swine flu confirmed in Colombia
31 August	First case confirmed in Djibouti.
	First death confirmed in Sweden.
	First death confirmed in Bahrain.
1 September	First case confirmed in Lesotho.
1 September	First death confirmed in Reunion.
2 September	First death confirmed in Macau.
3 September	First death confirmed in Norway.
	First death confirmed in Marshall Islands.
	First death confirmed in U.S. Virgin Islands.
4 September	First death confirmed in Italy.
7 September	First death confirmed in Namibia.
	Ecuador's Chief of Presidential Security John Merino dies.
	First case confirmed in Faroe Islands.
8 September	First death confirmed in Suriname.
9 September	First death confirmed in Madagascar.
10 September	First case confirmed in Malawi.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Israel.
	First Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance spread from person to person found in the United States in the world.
11 September	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Australia.
14 September	First death confirmed in Mozambique.
15 September	First death confirmed in Solomon Islands.
17 September	First death confirmed in Luxembourg.
18 September	First death confirmed in Martinique.
21 September	Mass vaccinations, which are the first ones in the world, begin in China.
23 September	First death confirmed in Portugal.
23 September	First death confirmed in Bahamas.
25 September	First death confirmed in Germany.
28 September	First death confirmed in Cambodia.
29 September	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Ireland.
30 September	First death confirmed in Bulgaria.
	First death confirmed in Barbados.
	First completed clinical trials by a company for 2009/H1N1 vaccine in the world.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Australia.
1 October	First case confirmed in Saint-Barthélemy.
4 October	First case confirmed in Tajikistan.
6 October	First death confirmed in China.
6 October	First death confirmed in Tanzania.
10 October	First death confirmed in Cuba.
12 October	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Vietnam.
	First death confirmed in Jordan.
	First case confirmed in Rwanda.
	First case confirmed in São Tomé and Príncipe.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Sweden.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Norway.
13 October	First case confirmed in Mongolia.
15 October	First death confirmed in Trinidad and Tobago.
18 October	First death confirmed in Sudan.
19 October	Mass vaccinations begin in Japan.
20 October	First death confirmed in Iceland.
20 October	First cases in ferrets confirmed in the United States in the world.
21 October	First cases in birds confirmed in Canada.
	First death confirmed in Serbia.
	Mass vaccinations begin in the United Kingdom.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Japan.
22 October	First death confirmed in Czech Republic.
22 October	First death confirmed in Guadeloupe.
23 October	First death confirmed in Mongolia.
24 October	First death confirmed in Finland.
25 October	First death confirmed in São Tomé and Príncipe.
25 October	First death confirmed in Turkey.
26 October	First death confirmed in Moldova.
26 October	Mass vaccinations begin in Oman.
27 October	Mass vaccinations begin in Canada.
	Mass vaccinations begin in South Korea.
	First death confirmed in Russia.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in the Iceland.
29 October	First death confirmed in Afghanistan.
	First case confirmed in the Republic of the Congo.
	First case confirmed in Nigeria.
30 October	First death confirmed in Ukraine.
31 October	First death confirmed in Croatia.
1 November	Mass vaccinations begin in Ireland.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Kuwait.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Morocco.
2 November	First death confirmed in Austria.
2 November	Mass vaccinations begin in Turkey.
3 November	First death confirmed in Belarus.
	First death confirmed in Slovenia.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Singapore.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Egypt.
	First cases in ferrets confirmed in Brazil.
4 November	First feline zoonosis confirmed in the United States in the world.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Belarus.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in the Netherlands.
5 November	First death confirmed in Saint Lucia.
5 November	First case confirmed in San Marino.
6 November	First death confirmed in Slovakia.
	First death confirmed in Pakistan.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Hong Kong.
7 November	First death confirmed in Sri Lanka.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Belgium.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Bahrain.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Saudi Arabia.
8 November	First case confirmed in Armenia.
9 November	First death confirmed in Latvia.
11 November	First case confirmed in Burundi.
11 November	First case confirmed in Greenland.
12 November	Mass vaccinations begin in France.
12 November	First feline zoonosis confirmed in Brazil.
13 November	First death confirmed in Cyprus.
13 November	First death confirmed in Poland.
14 November	First death confirmed in Kosovo.
14 November	First death confirmed in Switzerland.
16 November	First case confirmed in North Korea.
	First case confirmed in Somalia.
	First death confirmed in Tunisia.
	First death confirmed in Morocco.
	First death confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Greece.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Spain.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Cyprus.
17 November	First death confirmed in Falkland Islands.
17 November	First death confirmed in Maldives.
18 November	First death confirmed in Lithuania.
	First death confirmed in Macedonia.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Finland.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Slovenia.
19 November	First feline death confirmed in the United States in the world.
20 November	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in the United Kingdom.
	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Norway in the world.
	First death confirmed in Denmark.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Jordan.
23 November	First death confirmed in Estonia.
	First death confirmed in Romania.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Netherlands.
	Mass vaccinations begin in Czech Republic.
24 November	First double infection case confirmed in the United States in the world.
24 November	First case confirmed in Montserrat.
27 November	First death confirmed in Algeria.
	First double infection case confirmed in South Korea.
	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in France.
	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in France.
28 November	First canine zoonosis confirmed in China in the world.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Indonesia.
	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Brazil.
30 November	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Finland.
	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Italy.
	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Finland.
	First double infection case confirmed in Brazil.
	First death confirmed in Libya.
1 December	First death confirmed in Montenegro.
2 December	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in the United Kingdom.
3 December	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Netherlands.^[1]
	First death confirmed in Albania.
	First canine zoonosis confirmed in Brazil.
4 December	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Spain.
7 December	First death confirmed in North Korea.
9 December	First mutation ( D222G ) confirmed in Macao.
13 December	First death confirmed in Georgia.
13 December	Mass vaccinations begin in Qatar.
14 December	First death confirmed in Armenia.
15 December	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in France.
16 December	First case of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance found in Germany.
17 December	First human-to-animal transmission of the virus in Thailand.
20 December	First completed clinical trials by a company for 2009/H1N1 vaccine in Brazil.
21 December	First canine zoonosis confirmed in the United States.
27 December	First death confirmed in Nepal.
2010	A(H1N1) Outbreak and Pandemic Milestones
1 January	Mass vaccinations begin in Malta.
5 January	Mass vaccinations begin in Brazil.
11 January	First case confirmed in Mali.
15 January	Mass vaccinations begin in Peru.
19 January	First death confirmed in Nigeria.
20 January	First death confirmed in Bermuda.
29 January	First case confirmed in Chad.
3 February	First case confirmed in Mauritania.
9 February	First case confirmed in Senegal.
25 February	First case confirmed in Niger.
27 March	Mass vaccinations begin in Cuba.
2 April	Mass vaccinations begin in Cambodia.
12 April	First case confirmed in Guinea.
26 April	Mass vaccinations begin in the Philippines.
10 August	H1N1 Pandemic officially declared over.

Related Research Articles

A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic disease with a stable number of infected individuals is not a pandemic. Widespread endemic diseases with a stable number of infected individuals such as recurrences of seasonal influenza are generally excluded as they occur simultaneously in large regions of the globe rather than being spread worldwide.

Avian influenza, known informally as avian flu, is a bird flu caused by the influenza A virus, which can infect people. It is similar to other types of animal flu in that it is caused by a virus strain that has adapted to a specific host. The type with the greatest risk is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (A/H5N1) is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other species. A bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called HPAI A(H5N1) for highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of type A of subtype H5N1, is the highly pathogenic causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly known as avian influenza. It is enzootic in many bird populations, especially in Southeast Asia. One strain of HPAI A(H5N1) is spreading globally after first appearing in Asia. It is epizootic and panzootic, killing tens of millions of birds and spurring the culling of hundreds of millions of others to stem its spread. Many references to "bird flu" and H5N1 in the popular media refer to this strain.

Influenza vaccines, also known as flu shots, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies from year to year, most provide modest to high protection against influenza. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that vaccination against influenza reduces sickness, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Immunized workers who do catch the flu return to work half a day sooner on average. Vaccine effectiveness in those over 65 years old remains uncertain due to a lack of high-quality research. Vaccinating children may protect those around them.

Swine influenza is an infection caused by any of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) refers to any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs. As of 2009, identified SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H2N1, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.

Neisseria meningitidis, often referred to as meningococcus, is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia, a life-threatening sepsis. The bacterium is referred to as a coccus because it is round, and more specifically a diplococcus because of its tendency to form pairs.

In virology, influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) is a subtype of influenza A virus. Major outbreaks of H1N1 strains in humans include the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the 1977 Russian flu pandemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. It is an orthomyxovirus that contains the glycoproteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. For this reason, they are described as H1N1, H1N2 etc., depending on the type of H or N antigens they express with metabolic synergy. Hemagglutinin causes red blood cells to clump together and binds the virus to the infected cell. Neuraminidase is a type of glycoside hydrolase enzyme which helps to move the virus particles through the infected cell and assist in budding from the host cells.

An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the last 140 years, with the 1918 flu pandemic being the most severe; this is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of 50–100 million people. The most recent, the 2009 swine flu pandemic, resulted in under 300,000 deaths and is considered relatively mild. These pandemics occur irregularly.

The global spread of H5N1 influenza in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat. While other H5N1 influenza strains are known, they are significantly different on a genetic level from a recent, highly pathogenic, emergent strain of H5N1, which was able to achieve hitherto unprecedented global spread in 2008. The H5N1 strain is a fast-mutating, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) found in multiple bird species. It is both epizootic and panzootic. Unless otherwise indicated, "H5N1" in this timeline refers to the recent highly pathogenic strain of H5N1.

Disease surveillance is an epidemiological practice by which the spread of disease is monitored in order to establish patterns of progression. The main role of disease surveillance is to predict, observe, and minimize the harm caused by outbreak, epidemic, and pandemic situations, as well as increase knowledge about which factors contribute to such circumstances. A key part of modern disease surveillance is the practice of disease case reporting.

The global spread of H5N1 in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat.

The global spread of H5N1 in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat.

Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms begin from one to four days after exposure to the virus and last for about 2–8 days. Diarrhea and vomiting can occur, particularly in children. Influenza may progress to pneumonia, which can be caused by the virus or by a subsequent bacterial infection. Other complications of infection include acute respiratory distress syndrome, meningitis, encephalitis, and worsening of pre-existing health problems such as asthma and cardiovascular disease.

The 2009 swine flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1/swine flu/ influenza virus and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) from June 2009 to August 2010, is the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus. The first two cases were discovered independently in the United States in April 2009. The virus appeared to be a new strain of H1N1 that resulted from a previous triple reassortment of bird, swine, and human flu viruses which further combined with a Eurasian pig flu virus, leading to the term "swine flu".

The 2009 flu pandemic in the United States was caused by a novel strain of the Influenza A/H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as "swine flu", that was first detected on 15 April 2009. While the 2009 H1N1 virus strain was commonly referred to as "swine flu", there is no evidence that it is endemic to pigs or of transmission from pigs to people; instead, the virus spreads from person to person. On April 25, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency, followed concurringly by the Obama administration on April 26.

In March and April 2009, an outbreak of a new strain of influenza commonly referred to as swine flu infected many people in Mexico and parts of the United States causing severe illness in the former. The new strain was identified as a combination of several different strains of Influenzavirus A, subtype H1N1, including separate strains of this subtype circulating in humans and in pigs. Spain was the first country in continental Europe to report cases of swine flu, in late April 2009.

The pandemic H1N1/09 virus is a swine origin influenza A virus subtype H1N1 strain that was responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic. This strain is often called swine flu by the public media. For other names, see the Nomenclature section below.

The 2009 swine flu pandemic vaccines were influenza vaccines developed to protect against the pandemic H1N1/09 virus. These vaccines either contained inactivated (killed) influenza virus, or weakened live virus that could not cause influenza. The killed virus was injected, while the live virus was given as a nasal spray. Both these types of vaccine were produced by growing the virus in chicken eggs. Around three billion doses were produced, with delivery in November 2009.

Candida auris is a species of fungus that grows as yeast. It is one of the few species of the genus Candida which cause candidiasis in humans. Often, candidiasis is acquired in hospitals by patients with weakened immune systems. C. auris can cause invasive candidiasis (fungemia) in which the bloodstream, the central nervous system, and internal organs are infected. It has attracted widespread attention because of its multiple drug resistance. Treatment is also complicated because it is easily misidentified as other Candida species.

The 2017–2018 United States flu season lasted from late 2017 through early 2018. The predominant strain of influenza was H3N2. During the spring months of March–May, influenza B virus became dominant.

References

↑ (in Dutch) Eerste Nederlandse dode gemuteerd griepvirus, De Volkskrant (December 3, 2009)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] (in Dutch) Eerste Nederlandse dode gemuteerd griepvirus, De Volkskrant (December 3, 2009)

[1]

2009 swine flu pandemic timeline summary

Contents

Summary

See also

Related Research Articles

References