H1N1 is a sub-type, of the influenza A virus and is the most common form that infects people. Certain strains of H1N1 are endemic in the human population and cause periodic flu outbreaks. It was an H1N1 flu virus that was responsible for the 1918 flu pandemic that killed 50-100 million people at the end [...]

Avian influenza or “bird flu” has now caused more than 60 deaths worldwide, with the most recent epidemic in Indonesia, where four people have died. On a global basis, 60 deaths are not very many. So why are health experts becoming alarmed about the H5N1 (“bird flu”) virus? People are concerned because the virus has [...]