What Will The H1N1 Virus Do Next?

CBS Evening News: Scientists Are Racing To Understand The Virus' Inner Workings Before It Evolves Into A Deadlier Strain

(CBS)  While officials offer reassurance about the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, scientists around the world are racing to understand its inner workings, because it could evolve into a deadlier strain.

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology are comparing hundreds of different flu strains, dating back to 1918, to the current one, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.

"Our specific interest is to understand whether there's already a pre-existing immune memory, an immune response against this particular virus," said Alessandro Sette, with the La Jolla institute.

The research could offer clues as to who might have some immunity during a pandemic.

"If you got infected with one type of virus would you be protected against another type of virus, and how closely related would they have to be?" asked William Schaffner, the chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine Vanderbilt University.

H1 and N1 are two proteins that sit on the surface off this new flu virus and help it infect cells. The body fights the flu by blocking those proteins. But a virus can change in a matter of hours, often by reshuffling its genetic material with another flu virus, after they've infected the same cell. If that happens, the virus can develop a new coat containing new proteins, disguising it from the immune system. The body can't fight what it can't see.

Flu viruses thrive in cold, dry air. So while this current H1N1 may die out here during the summer, it could thrive in the southern hemisphere, where it's winter.

"If you have the H1N1 virus circulating throughout their winter, and it combines with the regular influenza virus, they can share genes," Schaffner said."And it conceivably could pick up a gene that makes it resistant to Tamiflu as well."

Researchers are going full speed ahead to decode this virus before the fall.

[SeattleCzar]

I am glad that CBS News (at least here) has decreased usage of the misnomer "swine flu." With the already poor economy, pork producers have been suffering. This misiniformation added to the problem, is totally unacceptable. Please contact the media when you see them inappropriately refer to H1N1 as the "swine" flu. Thank you.

[janieanddeb]

What people dont get here is we have never found the cure for virus , Rmemebr AIDS and /TB we have only some drugs that work on some virus sometimes and with side effects.

It a very good point that the regular flu kill thousands every year and the media alert is not out on that.
I would like a scientist to explain the difference. I assume its because there is some type of resistance and immunity we all have to the standard flu . But this is a new vi\rus with no one ammunity and no drugs that would be guaranteed to work on it and even then we would have only enough of any tamiflu to protect a small part of the population.

My opinion is worthless it should be the scientist giving us relaible imformation that isnt based on them requiring funding and scaring us needlessly.
Still I wonder what would happen today if suddenly everyone really beleived we were in danger .right now and as some would say by the fall.
I would hate the panic. .

[janieanddeb]

Who do you trust .
We compalin the media is using the scare to sell papers
Could be true
We complaion the The WHO is using scare tactics it to increase funding
Could be true
We complain the goverment is doing it to curtail tourism money going out of the country
Could be true
We compalin that large scale farming is putting us at risk
Could be true
We are a nation of critical thinkers. Its a good thing I quess

Personally I beleive that the scientists are right . still time will tell , It could be this year of next. With migration of the birds in the fall and the mix of the virus then and only then we will know . .

I think the scientist have called wolf one too many times .

.
Today I went to a food store and the cashier was sick with a flu , A One person operation . She admitted she couldnt take the day off . Mortage obligation . . . She was barely holding it together. no gloves handling food .
Counting on people to take the days off unlikely . Most will mask the early onset of the flu with tylenol and not much we can do.about it. .

[logicolin]

To EDBLVGTBI1Z.
Your ramblings are completely off topic.
YOU ARE ONE SICK MOTHER......
Get back on your medication immediatley,or better still,take it all at once.

[Teacher1961]

this is to barbaram99
please use spell check before you send a message. i couldn't understand a word you were saying.

[iDragon13]

If it would target only registered Republicans we would really be making progress.

[jbright9]

Those of you that are so critical of the response are just dead wrong. I think the CDC, local health departments and the media responded correctly. Better safe than sorry. If this had turned out to be as deadly as first feared, you would all be crying because you hadn't been protected. I hope it doesn't evolve into something much more serious. Of course alot of you don't believe life forms can evolve because that is evolution. How ignorant.

[erasmus111]

They always say flu shots are dead viruses they made in labs. I always wondered why you immediately got the flu afterwards.

Posted by beach671 at 3:19 AM : May 8, 2009

If they are using "dead" viruses, it's impossible to get the flu from the flu shot. What you are getting is a "reaction" to the flu shot. You know, all the other cr*p they have in it? : ) Not everyone does.

[mark2789]

Just returned from 10 nights in the Maya Riviera (that area of the Yucatan coast south of Cancun) there was NO evidence of flu ...period....none. However thousands of locals are being laid off due to a virtual halt in tourist traffic to resorts.

When watching news, it was the US media that were creating fear..not reporting specifics as to locations of outbreak. Local news would show no virus outbreaks while the US media was screaming about the dangers of traveling to Mexico, not once mentioning that the Yucatan coast was free of the virus.

Another example of how the media shapes the news, promotes rumor, and instills fear
through selective reporting.

What a farce the US media has become. Thousands of people out of work just so the media can up their ratings.

[parisdakar]

I though that, in journalism, you are supposed to report what HAS happened, not what COULD happen.

[mrs_trepidatious]

What it will do next? Well, that all depends on the amount of praying is done, doesnt it?

[barbaram99]

We have talked about people go to work sick..
Their boss demands they be at work or their fired.
They can't afford to stay home.
Whey they are divk they can't go their bestAnd they can't get over itIt is one of those thinhd Darn if ye fo and sarn if ye don't.
People don't cover their mouth and don't wash their habds.
We eake off our shoes we wear outside when we get home, Been doing that for over 30 years. And wr wash our gands when we come home,
People don't do the right thing.
We know that.We do our best to dtay away from the sicly ones.Tge thing that mahes me pissed is when we ho out people pepper us with their sickness. So I stay home, They think it funny to cough in my face knowing I can't see them.
It is bot only rude thst is how they make others ill.
We know this flu is out there and do our best to dtay away from sick people.

[YCantWeAllGetAlong]

Over 30,000 people died this year from the "regular" flu. No news stories, no panic, no face masks with pig snouts on it, nothing. The media created a firestorm of panic, all unnecessary. Now, in the face of no new news concerning this relatively mild strain of flu, they have to now talk about the potential, the currently non-existent potential for this to turn into the plague in the future. Please, PLEASE stop.

[beach671]

Influenza kills every year. Is this strain really more deadly than other years?

Has man's creation of strains of influenza that are used in vaccines added to the risk?

They always say flu shots are dead viruses they made in labs. I always wondered why you immediately got the flu afterwards. There's no cure for influenza. Here we sit in the 21st Century and influenza is still as evasive as whats at the bottom of the oceans. We still really don't know it all yet.

Put the Influenza Vaccine in a lab and reduce atmospheric oxygen 25% and see what it does. Man is using more oxygen than Earth is creating especially with the 2 billion chinese becoming industrial. A lab could see what the virus will do soon. Will it survive or die. Maybe we can see if the virus will outlive humans.

[erasmus111]

Persons know they should stay home when ill.They know they must cover their mouths and wash their hands.

Posted by barbaram99 at 7:50 PM : May 7, 2009

That's the thing, people know that they shouldn't go to work sick, but they do. A lot of times it's because they can't afford to stay home. Also, there are many people that just can't be bothered to cover their mouths or wash there hands. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of faith in people doing the right thing. There are just too many people that don't take it seriously.

[barbaram99]

I am aware we are talking about viruses. Do they know what a virus is.I realise they can be deadly. Have they learnt from them. Yer right my Canadian friend, But we don't want them. Ye have to realise that they don't know every thing about viruses. We must not panic.I know my late Dad never got it,
We can do all the right things. It is a virus,, I don't want it. Have they learnt anything about the flu viruses. I think the thing they did wrong in the early days was they put the patents all in one room. The thing is the sick person needs to be put in a room away from others so that it is not passed on, Viruses want to live. If we can stop them from going from person to person that is better. Persons know they should stay home when ill.They know they must cover their mouths and wash their hands.

[erasmus111]

If this one doesn't get us, another one will. It's just a matter of time.

This is the first hints of the death to come. Just look to the past, 1918, and you will see this future once this strain mutates the fall is the danger zone. Posted by Baileyccc