Swine Flu - Why is it Dangerous?

"The reason that we’re worried about swine flu is the people typically killed by flu are often older people with underlying health conditions which are pushed over the edge by getting infected with influenza. Because of the deaths in Mexico, there are indications that it may be able to strike and kill younger people."

"The point is, as the virus passes through these animals, it sometimes acquires different genetic characteristics that can make it more or less dangerous to human beings. Scientists have been warning for a long time that even though bird flu that’s been around in Asia for awhile is infecting mostly birds and occasionally infecting and killing human beings, there is always the possibility of a new virus that can cause serious disease. We have that now with swine flu. That’s the key — people have no natural immunity to the new virus. If you’ve had flu shots in the past, it doesn’t matter. Nobody has had the virus before and that’s what makes it potentially so dangerous."

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