Swine Flu Less Severe for Over-50s?

Swine Flu Less Severe for Over-50s?
Pre-1957 Flu Exposure May Protect Against H1N1 Swine Flu
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

May 20, 2009 -- People born before 1957 may be less susceptible than
younger people to the H1N1 swine flu.

CDC researchers have detected antibodies in the blood of older people
that neutralize the new flu bug now sweeping the nation, Daniel
Jernigan, MD, MPH, deputy director of the CDC's flu division, said today
in a news conference.

"We infer from that, there is some level of protection," Jernigan said.
"But to prove protection, we look at the effect [the virus has] on the
population, and at this point we don't have that information."

Why is 1957 a key year? Every flu season after it first appeared, the
deadly 1918 pandemic H1N1 flu bug circled the globe. Each year, the
virus acquired changes that made it different from the original virus.
But in 1957 there was a new pandemic, this time with an H2N2 virus. The
new virus took the place of the old H1N1 bug.

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