Bloomberg — Swine flu sufferers pass the bug to about two other people, fostering its spread, according to the first published study of the pandemic strain’s infectiousness in the Southern Hemisphere.

Researchers in New Zealand and the Netherlands used mathematical modeling to estimate the transmission potential of the new H1N1 strain, also known as swine flu.  The reproduction number in New Zealand is 1.96, meaning that up to 79 percent of people could potentially catch the germ during the epidemic, said Michael Baker, one of the study’s authors.

The pandemic bug appears to be as contagious as seasonal influenza, and is spreading faster among people aged 10 to 45 years, according to the World Health Organization. The severity of the disease ranges from mild symptoms such as sore throat and muscle ache to severe illnesses including pneumonia that can result in death, WHO said.

Further studies are needed to produce more robust reproduction estimates for New Zealand, the authors said. Effective public health interventions, including improved hygiene-related behavior, could stem the spread of the disease, said co-author Nick Wilson.

Mortality rates in developed countries from the current pandemic could be as low as one death out of 10,000 cases, Baker and Wilson said in a separate study earlier this month.

Improving hygiene-related behavior includes sanitizing your keyboard along with hand washing. Infectious diseases can be spread through a dirty keyboard. Keep your keyboard consistently clean – get a washable keyboard. It can be disinfected and fully submerged in cleaning solution. 

Swine Flu Sufferers Pass Bug to at Least Two Others, Study Says

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