Commentary

Swine flu - an assessment of the Australian response

Submitted: 12 June 2009 Revised: 15 June 2009 Published: 16 June 2009 Full text: You can view the full article, or view a printable version. Comments: (login to access the comments on this article) Author(s) : Hamilton A.

Alexander Hamilton

Citation: Hamilton A.  Swine flu - an assessment of the Australian response. Rural and Remote Health 9: 1251. (Online) 2009. Available: http://www.rrh.org.au

Swine flu, 2009’s influenza pandemic, has been in the spotlight since it began in Mexico early in 2009. The global response to swine flu has been forceful in an attempt to prevent a repeat of previous devastating influenza pandemics. Outside Mexico swine flu has remained for the most part a mild disease, and it may turn out to be no more dangerous than seasonal influenza. However it is crucial that a rapid, effective worldwide response be mounted while the severity of this virus remains unknown.

Key words: Australia, H1N1, pandemic, seasonal influenza, Spanish influenza, swine flu.

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