Whoa.  What are we talking about?!

Antigenic Shift is an intense term with an important meaning.  The long explanation is that “antigenic shift” occurs when two or more strains of a virus, or two or more different viruses, combine to create a NEW virus with the the defenses of the original viruses that it originated from.  The short definition is:  Antigenic Shift =  how Super Viruses are made.  So . . . why does this matter?  As you can tell from the incredibly complex chart at the top of this article, an Antigenic Shift is a molecular change that allows an illness to combine and move between animal species (i.e. “bird flu” and “swine flu”).

As you are most certainly aware, for the past year H1N1 has been an incredibly important global issue.  The “swine flu” originated in animals, mutated, and eventually moved to humans.  As the chart demonstrates, a virus can begin in a bird and move to a pig or human without any mutation.  But if the infected animal (or human) is then infected with another virus, the diseases can combine to create a super virus with the strengths of both types of viruses.

Every time you overcome a virus, it means your body has created antibodies (natural germ killers) that are equipped to destroy that specific type of virus.  When new viruses are created from other animals and humans are infected, the body has difficulty killing them.  Children, the elderly, and persons who are chronically ill have an especially hard time fighting new strains of influenza because their immune systems are already weak.

So what can you do?  The World Health Organization (WHO) advises the public to follow some simple advice:  wash your hands, and resist touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.  These two behaviors alone can keep you healthy when outbreaks occur.