Carafano, J., Weitz, R. (2009).

Carafano, J., Weitz, R. (2009). Swine Flu: What Every American Should Know. Backgrounder. 2315, September, 1-10. This is a background article on Swine Flu, written more for the lay audience. The material defines the nature of swine flu, shows that the spread of the disease matched air travel patterns globally, and, contrary to belief, most developed countries responded adequately to the issue.

The authors do believe that national capabilities to fight a global flu pandemic are inadequate, unless there are virulent mutations, basic hygiene and medical protocols should prove sufficient to control the outbreak. Garcia-Sastre, a., Whitley, R. (2006). Lessons Learned from Reconstructing the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 194 (Supp. 2): S127-32. The Spanish Flu of 1918 killed more than 30 million people globally. Despite medical and technological progress, there are lessons we can learn from the 1918 pandemic that might prove useful in another, similar, outbreak.

Especially important is the ability for organizations to globally monitor avian influenza viruses for genetic change and predict risks for the general population; remembering that we are far more a global travelled society than in 1918. Girard, M., et.al. (2010). The 2009 a (H1N1) Influenza Virus Pandemic: A Review. Science Direct -- Vaccine. 28 (1): 4895-4902. In the Spring of 2009, a new swine-flu virus emerged in Mexico and the United States. The flu quickly became global, affecting children, young adults, and pregnant women; particularly those with any lung or heart issues.

The article focuses more on the global response to vaccine, and the economic issues surrounding the development of new manufacturers in Asia. Overall, the author's major point is that we need a more robust and global surveillance program focused on flu pandemics. Michaelis, M., et.al. (2009). An Influenza a H1N1 Virus Revival -- Pandemic H1N1/09 Virus. Infection. 37 (5): 381-89.

This article is written more for the professional audience and focuses more on the nature of the flu pandemic, the mutations of the strain, and the biological features of the H1N1/09 virus. Like much of the other material under review, the only way to control a flu pandemic is to develop more technologically savvy prediction models, more complex warning and communication systems, and globally coordinated response preparation. Schmidt, C. (2009). Swine CAFOs & Novel H1N1 Flu: Separating Facts from Fears. Environmental Health Perspectives. 117 (9): A394-401.

Schmidt writes in a popular science mode and hopes to help the public understand how flu viruses regularly mutate through avian and swine farming sources. The article chronicles the conditions that most swine are subjected, and explains the nature of an antigenic shift in birds and hogs, then to humans. Overall, the situation is complex and multidimensional. The flu pandemic cannot be won on a medical basis only; but requires global economic, political, and even organizational cooperation. Yang, Y., et.al. (2009).

The Transmissibility and Control of Pandemic Influenza a (H1N1) Virus. Science. 326 (4): 729-33. Pandemic H1N1 flu has now spread globally and is the dominant flu strain in the Southern Hemisphere. The authors estimate that about 30% of all exposed will manifest the virus, and a typical schoolchild will infect.