The world has been taken by storm with Swine Flu, with cases growing by the day its turning from an epedemic into a pandemic. Could this affect international transport by air and air travel? As Swine flu continued to take lives in Mexico and other parts of the world, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said it has greatly affected the aviation industry and its timing could not have been worse.Fears of a swine flu epidemic have set travel and airline shares crashing. Among the worst hit were British Airways (falling over 12 percent at one point) and TUI Travel (down over 7 percent) as investors worry over the potential impact on tourism and travel.
So what is swine flu or also known as swine influenza?
Swine influenza (also swine flu) refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV).
Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in humans (a strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1) is believed to have undergone such a mutation.
In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medicines.
Of the three genera of human flu, two are endemic also in swine: Influenzavirus A (common) and Influenzavirus C (rare). Influenzavirus B has not been reported in swine. Within Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus C, the strains endemic to swine and humans are largely distinct.
Will swine influenza affect the aviation sector?
U.S. airlines are scrambling to calm jittery passengers and investors and to address growing concerns about the safety of air travel as swine flu spreads outside of Mexico.
Travel to Mexico typically tails off this time of year -- a factor that may help to limit the number of infected passengers who board planes for the U.S., where relatively few cases and no deaths have been reported.
But for carriers like Chicago's United Airlines the bigger worry is that people will become fearful of flying within the U.S. or overseas if the number of cases reported within the U.S. rises rapidly.
The worst-case scenario? Airlines could see a sharp plunge in travel similar to early 2003, when the SARS epidemic spread through China and Southeast Asia, warned Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.
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