swine flu

noun

Definition of swine flu

: swine influenza also : influenza A of humans that is caused by a different strain of an orthomyxovirus subtype (H1N1) from those found in swine and that is marked especially by fever, sore throat, cough, chills, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

Examples of swine flu in a Sentence

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Sent feverish, coughing, achy people to doctors’ offices at a peak rate not seen since 2009, when a new swine flu virus caused a pandemic. — Kim Painter, USA TODAY, "Harsh flu season winding down, but it left its mark: Highest child death count in at least 5 years," 30 Apr. 2018 The current flu season is putting Americans in hospitals and emergency rooms at levels not unlike the 2009 swine flu, experts said, with reports of otherwise healthy people dying from the infection. — Josh Hafner, USA TODAY, "Flu gone in a day? Japanese maker touts new drug," 12 Feb. 2018 Boatner said the Oregon population is relatively disease free, although one was found with swine flu, a respiratory disease in pigs that can spread to humans. — Kyle Spurr, The Seattle Times, "Feral swine population plummets in Oregon," 30 July 2018 Symptoms of swine flu are similar to a seasonal flu and can include fever, cough, runny nose, and sometimes body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, according to the DHHS. — Michelle Gant, Fox News, "Michigan county fair attendees test positive for rare strain of swine flu," 13 Aug. 2018 Greaves' sleuthing turned up evidence that all seven patients had been infected in a swine flu outbreak three to six months prior to their diagnosis. — Melissa Healy, latimes.com, "New 'unified theory' of childhood leukemia raises possibility of preventing the disease," 23 May 2018 This year's flu season started early and it's been the worst since the 2009-2010 pandemic caused by the swine flu, a new form of the virus. — Andy Marso, kansascity, "The CDC says flu season has peaked nationally. But guess where it's still rising. | The Kansas City Star," 26 Feb. 2018 In the 2009 pandemic of H1N1 swine flu, that new strain killed 282 children and 358 children in total died from influenza that season. — Maggie Fox /, NBC News, "Child flu deaths his record high for 2017-2018," 8 June 2018 Plus, the researchers also found evidence that the virus can spread from pigs to pups, which makes this whole situation similar to the developments that led to widespread swine flu in 2009. — Sarah Klein, Health.com, "A New Study Says 'Dog Flu' Could Be the Next Swine Flu. How Worried Should You Really Be?," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'swine flu.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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14 Mar 2019

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The first known use of swine flu was in 1921

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swine flu

noun

Medical Definition of swine flu

: swine influenza also : influenza of humans that is caused by a subtype (H1N1) of an orthomyxovirus (species Influenza A virus of the genus Influenzavirus A) originating in swine and is marked especially by fever, sore throat, cough, chills, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting Among the swine flu cases in the United States, none had had any contact with pigs … — Marc Lacey and Donald G. McNeil Jr., The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2009 As swine flu spreads from person to person around the world, it is most often being transmitted by coughing or sneezing … — Laura Landro, The Wall Street Journal, 29 Sept. 2009