WASHINGTON, Oct 18, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Doctors say the H1N1 strain of
influenza, commonly known as swine flu, is more likely to get deep into the
lungs than seasonal influenza.
When that happens, patients tend to get viral pneumonia, The Washington Post
reported.
The World Health Organization advised doctors to treat serious cases of H1N1
quickly with antiviral drugs and warned hospitals they may get a lot of
extremely sick patients this winter.
A three-day conference on the flu ended Friday in Washington. The WHO brought
together more than 100 experts to review what is known about swine flu.
The experts said that, as with seasonal flu, most people infected with the H1N1
strain experience only mild illness. But they also stressed differences. While
seasonal flu kills the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, H1N1
targets the young.
"It's not like seasonal influenza," Nikki Shindo of the WHO said. "It can cause
very severe disease in previously healthy young adults."
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International