Swine flu questions and answers: From the obvious symptoms to how fast the flu spreads: everything you need to know

Britain was rocked today by fears of a new swine flu after someone fell ill with a disease never before seen here.

Officials do not know how the unidentified Briton became infected with H1N2, leading some experts to fear the disease could be spreading under the radar.

Bosses from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are doing their best to contain the virus.

All contacts of the person who has fully recovered from a “mild” illness are traced.

How deadly is swine flu? Are the symptoms different from the common flu? And isn’t the disease already circulating in the UK? Here, MailOnline explains everything you need to know about the species.

The pathogen can be transmitted from sick pigs to humans, but rarely spreads from person to person. The infected Briton is not known to have worked with pigs, but he has now fully recovered

What is H1N2?

H1N2 is a special variant of the Mexican flu. As with human flu viruses, there are different types.

Swine flu is usually caused by three main subtypes: H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2.

A variant of H1N1 caused the 2009 swine flu pandemic, which killed thousands of people worldwide.

However, this particular subtype is still common among humans and is no longer referred to as “swine flu” due to its specific genetic makeup.

How deadly is it?

Since 2005, only 50 human cases of H1N2 have been reported worldwide.

But none of them were in Britain. Furthermore, none are genetically related to this particular species.

Since the swine flu crisis of 2009, there have been sporadic deaths worldwide due to the transmission of viruses from pigs to humans.

READ MORE: Britain records unprecedented case of swine flu as health authorities rush to trace contacts of British leftists struggling with ‘mild’ illnesses

An independent review of the UK’s response to the pandemic confirmed that 457 deaths were caused by swine flu in the country.

But the fatality rate — the percentage of patients who died from the disease — was estimated at about 0.02 percent. In comparison, the Covid death rate was up to three percent for the first time.

How fast does it spread?

It is currently unknown how transmissible the strain is and whether there may be further cases in the UK.

However, the virus rarely spreads between people.

Instead, most cases occur in people exposed to infected pigs, such as visitors to country fairs and farmers.

Bosses at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said they were “working swiftly to trace close contacts and contain any potential spread”.

Where does it spread?

The case was discovered after the Briton, who is believed to live in North Yorkshire, tested positive after visiting his GP with “respiratory symptoms”.

However, health authorities have not yet identified the source of the infection and have launched an investigation, the UKHSA said.

The UKHSA said it was now monitoring the situation closely and had expanded its swine flu surveillance program to include GPs and hospitals in North Yorkshire.

They also asked anyone with “respiratory symptoms” to stay home and avoid all contact with others until the illness subsides.

What are the symptoms of H1N2?

For most people, swine flu is mild. It arrives quickly and usually lasts about a week.

The virus often causes fever, fatigue, cough and sore throat.

Other symptoms may include headache, muscle aches, chills, sneezing, runny nose, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea.

But cases are usually mild and resolve on their own. Mortality rates are generally low.

However, scientists say children under five, people over 65, pregnant women and people with underlying medical conditions are at greater risk of complications if they become infected.

How is this different from the 2009 swine flu outbreak?

This variant, known scientifically as H1N1(pdm09), contains genetic material from viruses circulating in pigs, birds and humans.

Swine flu is of concern because pigs can act as “mixing vessels” and carry viruses of different types at the same time. Therefore, genetic material can mix to create a hybrid virus in a process called “sorting.”

This was the trigger for the 2009 pandemic.

It is not yet known which genes the H1N2 strain circulating in the UK carries.

How does swine flu spread?

As with any flu, when infected pigs cough, sneeze or even breathe, droplets containing flu particles can spread into the air.

If it gets into a person’s nose and mouth or is inhaled, an infection can occur.

Swine flu in pigs increases in autumn, increasing the risk of the disease spreading to humans.

The virus can survive in carrier pigs for several weeks without showing clinical symptoms. These carrier pigs can then be a source of infection for other pigs.

It can also be spread by wildlife and birds, or indirectly through contaminated equipment, clothing, food or water.

It has not been proven that it can be transmitted through consumption of pork and other pork products. However, pigs have been killed due to similar viruses.

Health officials say the most effective way to reduce transmission is to follow simple respiratory and hand hygiene.

How can swine flu be treated?

Most people cannot be sure they have swine flu without confirmation from laboratory tests.

This requires PCR tests, like those used to detect Covid.

During the 2009 crisis, people with swine flu were often treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu. However, a follow-up analysis found that the drug did not work better than drugs such as paracetamol.

The NHS still says Britons can be given Tamiflu (known as oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir) if they fall ill with bird flu, which is seen as another variant of the flu threat.

It says: “Antiviral drugs help reduce the severity of the disease, prevent complications and increase the chances of survival.”

“It is sometimes also given to people who have been in close contact with infected birds, or to people who have had contact with infected people, for example family members or medical staff.”