Swine Flu Research PaperSwine flu is a disease that has plagued humanity for many years. The swine flu virus also has a very intriguing history. Swine flu originated from the first flu pandemic in 1918. The actual swine flu virus came from an Iowa pig in 1931. Two years later, a human swine flu virus was discovered in London for the very first time. This was then followed by the Hong Kong flu pandemic in 1968, which killed up to a million people worldwide. Several years after these pandemics, the first cases of swine flu were discovered in California and Texas in March 2009. This pandemic killed 25,174 people infected with swine flu. A few months later, the United States and the United Kingdom began testing for swine flu and launched vaccination programs. Swine flu has a long history and has claimed large numbers of lives in the past during global pandemics. As a result, countries like the United States have started to take steps towards vaccination. The virus has many modes of transmission, signs and symptoms, regions of the world it infects, and treatment plans. The size of the swine flu virus ranges from ten to three hundred nanometers in diameter. Compared to actual measurements, a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter. The overall shape is a sphere, meaning it targets members of the animal kingdom like mammals. The swine flu virus is not classified into a kingdom, phylum or class because it is not considered living. However, it is part of the Mononegavirales order which includes all viruses that can infect one of the six kingdoms. The family is made up of the orthomyxoviridae which are all spheres...... middle of paper ......nza/variant influenza viruses. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swineflu/Marshall, M. (October 29, 2009). Timeline: The Secret History of Swine Flu. Retrieved from://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18063timeline-the-secret-history-of-swineflu.htmlScienceDaily. (September 3, 2009). World's first swine flu vaccine trial finds one dose provides 090903064927.htmUSA.gov. (December 7, 2009). Updated interim recommendations for the use of antiviral drugs in the treatment and prevention of influenza for the 2009-2010 season. Accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/recommendations.htmZamora, A. (October 8, 2007). Human viruses. Retrieved - http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/virus.html