Swine Flu Epidemic Of 2009 Originated in Central Mexico

The 2009 swine flu pandemic originated in pigs in a small region of central Mexico, a new study reports. Researchers used genetic analysis to pinpoint the source of the H1N1 pandemic. This version of the swine flu killed more than 17,000 people worldwide. The scientists used the same type of genetic analysis to learn how the virus jumped from pigs to people. It's the first time the origin of a pandemic flu virus has been determined in such detail, the study authors said. The virus was a combination of a North American swine virus that had jumped between birds, humans and pigs, and a Eurasian swine virus that circulated for more than 10 years in pigs in Mexico before jumping into humans, the investigators said.