H1N1, the type A swine influenza that is currently causing problems around the world, starting from Mexico, is of interest to many people because it's a mixture of viral genomes. Pigs, as some of you may know, are influenza mixing bowls, because they can get both avian and human influenza infections as well as their own. This allows the viruses to have a swap party, and then leave with entirely new genes in their repertoire. This makes an old virus look brand-new, and consequently your body has little to no defense against it.
For the mapping of H1N1, see the Google Maps page.
For general prep in case of any flu (or really any pandemic situation -- and pandemic is not a synonym for "panic"), see Making Light Archives, the archived LJ of misia, or the CDC Emergency Preparedness Site. For more specific information on this outbreak, go to the Pandemic Flu site.
For anyone interested in worldwide infectious diseases, the ISID database PRO-MED covers all suspected and confirmed infectious disease outbreaks.
We now return you to your Sunday Night Movie, Outbreak.
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