In the spring of 2009, a descendent of the Spanish Flu virus, which in 1918 spread to every corner of the world and killed millions of people, suddenly emerged in a highly virulent form across Mexico. This new strain of virus, called A-H1N1 by scientists, was colloquially named the "swine flu" because it was commonly found throughout pig populations worldwide before it moved to humans. The rapid spread of the "swine flu" effectively shut down the Mexican economy and public life, and created widespread fear. Hundreds of people died within the first few weeks. Mexican authorities asked citizens to avoid unnecessary contact with others and sequestered A-H1N1 patients in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus across the Americas and to other continents. However, due to the fact that A-H1N1 is unusually contagious, these measures were ineffective, and on June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared A-H1N1 a global pandemic.

On May 14, 2009, after a meeting with WHO, a number of pharmaceutical companies announced that they would begin developing an A-H1N1 vaccine. As of this writing, development of the vaccine has been successful, and it is predicted that as many as two billion doses will be distributed starting in November 2009. Yet many of the fundamental scientific questions about A-H1N1 remain unanswered. Why can the virus spread so quickly and widely? Why does it affect the young more heavily than the old? How will it be contained in the long run? A number of ethical and societal questions have also generated fierce debate. How many people does a disease need to affect before the efforts involved in developing and distributing a vaccine are justified? To what degree should governments intervene in private lives for the sake of public health? Some vocal constituencies argue that governments are not doing enough to plan for the global pandemic; others argue against the use of vaccines because they doubt their effectiveness or because they feel that vaccination should not be forced by a government upon its citizens.

The growing number of people affected by A-H1N1 means that these questions are relevant to all of us. In this Spotlight, you will find a range of resources intended to help you understand the broad scope of issues and questions posed by the A-H1N1 virus.

Image: C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish/CDC.