Swine Flu Facts
The Swine Influenza Virus has a mortality rate of less then 10% among humans. The most likely to suffer death from the virus are the very young and the extremely old that lack the hearty immune systems to fight off the infection. The Swine Flue vaccine is not effective because it is a rapidly mutating wild virus and vaccines on hand are not similar enough to the circulating infection for a human body to recognize that it has encountered the virus before. It is possible that a vaccine may be created later. The virus is treatable by anti viral drugs that stop the virus from reproducing inside a human body.
Many strains are resistant to some anti viral drugs but none have surfaced yet that are immune to all. The greatest fear is that as the virus continues to travel between hosts, picking up new DNA and mutating further, that it will become resistant to all forms of medication. This fear is particularly persistent due to people who take anti viral drugs irresponsibly, not using up the entire prescribed medication because they quickly feel better, or taking the medication not as directed by their doctor.
As the epidemic continues to develop it is likely that the virus will continue to become more resistant. The most successful way for protecting yourself is to follow the precautions listed here. The Swine flu is known to worsen underlying conditions in people who become infected, so if you are struggling with a cold, whooping cough or other health problem expect it to get worse after you have been infected.