A/H1N1 Virus, AKA Swine Flu – Beware its mutant progeny… the worst is yet to come
You have four choices when it comes to self-defense.
1. Trust that virologists guess right and come up with a magic bullet flu vaccine in
2. Hope that Tamiflu and Relenza will be effective and available if you become
4. Get the NASA technology, AiroCide installed to eliminate the airborne transmission
Influenza epidemics occur yearly during autumn and winter in temperate regions.
Il nesses result in hospitalizations and deaths mainly among high-risk groups: the very
young, elderly or chronically il . Worldwide, these annual epidemics result in about three
to five mil ion cases of severe il ness, and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths.
Influenza viruses circulate in every part of the world. Among the many subtypes of
influenza A viruses, currently influenza A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 subtypes are circulating
What is A/H1N1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu)?
Swine flu is a respiratory disease found in pigs that is caused by influenza outbreaks
within the porcine population. People do not normally get s wine flu, but human infections
can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-
person. In people, symptoms of s wine flu are similar to the symptoms of regular human
flu. These include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue.
Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting; others have experienced severe
il ness (for example, pneumonia) and death.1
How does the virus spread? At present, evidence suggests that the main route of human-to-human transmission of
the new Influenza A/H1N1 virus is via respiratory droplets, which are expelled by
speaking, sneezing or coughing. Any person who is in close contact (approximately 1
meter) with someone who has influenza-like symptoms (fever, sneezing, coughing,
running nose, chills, muscle ache etc) is at risk of being exposed to these potentially
Carriers can become infectious a day before they show symptoms of flu.3 Today, young children are believed to be a potent source of spread of influenza virus.
1 N95 EUA Fact Sheet Authorized by FDA on May 1, 2009
2 World Health Organization, Advice on the use of masks in the community setting in Influenza A/H1N1 outbreaks.
3 The Times of London, Mutant fears over ‘mild flu’ May 3, 2009
What Causes a Pandemic?
Like the ordinary flu virus, virologists believe the new bug may have an incubation period
of about one to seven days. For a serious pandemic to occur, three conditions have to be
1. The virus has to cause high mortality.
2. It has to spread relatively quickly and easily among people.
3. And its incubation time in a host has to be sufficiently long.4
The fact that [this virus] has spread in a sustained way bet ween people in both Mexico
and the U.S. suggests that it transmits quite efficiently. Scientists are trying to assemble
What does the CDC say about protection?
When crowded settings or close contact with others cannot be avoided, the use of
facemasks or respirators in areas where transmission of s wine influenza A/H1N1 virus
has been confirmed should be considered as follow s:
1. Whenever possible, rather than relying on the use of facemasks or respirators, close
contact with people who might be il and being in crowded settings should be
2. Facemasks should be considered for use by individuals who enter crowded settings,
both to protect their nose and mouth from other people's coughs and to reduce the
wearers' likelihood of coughing on others; the time spent in crowded settings should
3. Respirators should be considered for use by individuals for whom close contact with
an infectious person is unavoidable. This can include selected individuals who must
care for a sick person (e.g., family member with a respiratory infection) at home.
In addition, frequent washing of hands and avoidance of contact with the eyes, nose and
What is the biggest worry?
Inside CDC the real worry now is what happens next fall/winter when the true flu
season begins. Wil this H1N1 strain come back with resistant protection and become a
real pandemic? Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, says that the end of the flu season in the
northern hemisphere means an initial outbreak could be milder but then a second wave
Albert Osterhaus, a virologist at Erasmus University in the Netherlands is currently testing
the A/H1N1 virus to determine whether it shares any pathogenic markers with older
deadly bugs. Dr. Osterhaus’s lab is comparing the markers on the current A/H1N1 bug to
other viruses that were deadly in people, such as the 1918 strain. Said Dr. Osterhaus, ”I
wouldn’t be too comfortable that this s wine-flu virus isn’t hot yet. It can adapt.”8
In 1918, after the initial outbreak of influenza [s wine flu – A/H1N1] at Fort Riley, Kansas in
April, widespread outbreaks of influenza did not occur until late summer.9 When [it]
4 The Wall Street Journal, Transmission of Virus a Puzzle for Scientists, May 4, 2009
7 Financial Times, May 3, 2009 Chan hits back at WHO critics
9 Schoenbaum SC, McNeil BJ, Kavat J. The swine-influenza decision. New England Journal of Medicine. 1976; 295:759–65.
started in 1918 it was a relatively wimpy virus. Then it heated up and kil ed some 40
Virologists say pigs’ biology makes them perfect “mixing vessels” in which new flu
strains are formed, making them important animals to study in order to monitor future
viruses with potential to infect humans.11
In the Canadian province of Alberta, officials quarantined about 220 pigs that became
infected from a worker who had recently returned from Mexico. It was the first
documented case of the H1N1 virus being passed from a human to another species.12
The cross back to pigs raises some concern because it could create a fresh opportunity
for the virus to evolve in new and potentially unpleasant ways. Crossing species again
could make it more deadly. The never-before-seen virus was created when genes from
pig, bird and human viruses mixed together inside a pig. Experts fear the virus that has
gone from humans back into pigs in at least one case could mutate further before
crossing back into humans again.13 The potential for viral mutation. The biggest worry would be if a person or a pig became infected with both s wine flu and
H5N1 avian flu at the same time. When any animal becomes infected with t wo different
influenza strains at the same time, these can s wap genes to create an entirely new virus
with unpredictable qualities. As the former is highly transmissible but does not appear to
be particularly lethal, while the latter is highly virulent but does not spread easily, a
reassortment between the two could generate a very dangerous strain.14
This process, reassortment or antigenic shift, gave rise to the new s wine flu strain, and
a sustained spread to pigs could increase the chances of another such mutation arising.
This sort of evolution, however, could also occur in a human host infected with, for
example, both s wine flu and a seasonal flu strain.
The speed and ease with which the initial A/H1N1 virus has spread both geographically
and now ping-ponging between species is cause for further concern. Mutating progeny
and their ever changing RNA structure and various strains “intermarry” has the capacity
to produce an evolved strain that is highly transmittable and resistant to intervention. There is already evidence to suggest this is already happening.
Virologists say this new virus is a bit of a "mutt," containing bits of a virus that appears to
have mixed with another hybrid virus that contained s wine, bird and human genes.
Researchers from the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at Columbia
University and elsewhere announced this week they've found that six segments of the
virus are related to s wine viruses from North America. With the virus now positioned around the world in both human and porcine populations
the opportunity for transmutation has grown exponentially. And while it is possible to
produce an anti-virus that can inoculate against the current strain, it is what it may
11 Financial Times, May 1, 2009 Experts call for broad flu watch
13 Associated Press, Swine flu goes person-to-pig; could it jump back? May 3, 2009
14 The Times of London, Alberta incident raises prospect of swine flu mutation, May 3, 2009
combine with over the intervening period that is the unknown that medicine cannot be
depended upon to protect mankind from. Virologists are hard at work but al admit they
just don’t know what will happen next.
What can you do?
The CDC and WHO advise us to stay at home if we are sick. To wash our hands
frequently and keep them away from out mouths, eyes and noses. If you are in a
crowded area, wear a mask for some level of protection and if you are acting as a
caregiver for a sick family member to wear a respirator.
The mask is as much protection for those around you as for yourself. But if not properly
fitted to the face it is ineffective. Respirators are available in the US from the CDC with an
authorization and can be sourced on their website. The other option – from NASA.
According to an article published under the category NASA Commercial Space Spin Offs,
one NASA Spinoff technology is being eyed to combat Swine Flu. The article points out
that NASA as part of its extended space flight research developed the technology.
Today, marketed under the brand name AiroCide uses a little known but highly effective
pathogen-kil ing technique, Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) to destroy harmful airborne
Studies at the University of Wisconsin as well as at Texas A&M and other internationally
recognized scientific institutions have determined that the technology eliminates
99.9997% of all organic matter that comes in contact with its Photocatalytic Chamber.
Because the primary means of viral transmission is airborne, and the highest risk occurs
in closed environments where individuals are within close proximity to each other such
as in a public place. An office setting, a hotel, public transit, a hospital, and other such
places where a single sneeze or cough will aerosolize the virus and leave it lingering in
the air even after the carrier has departed.
An AiroCide unit will help eliminate the airborne biohazard.
The best course of action is:
1. Trust that virologists guess right and come up with a magic bullet flu vaccine in
2. Hope that Tamiflu and Relenza will be effective and available if you become
Get the NASA technology AiroCide installed to eliminate the airborne bugs altogether.
15 Space Coalition Blog, NASA Commercial Space Spin Offs.
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