If you have been watching the news over the past few months, you have noticed the massive outbreak of a new flu illness called the swine flu. The swine flu originally infected solely the respiratory systems of pigs.

However, recently this respiratory infection has become mutated and is now affecting human beings as well. The swine flu is spread through the air and also by coming into contact with surfaces that have the virus on it.

This outbreak of the swine flu has quickly attacked the human population. At the rate that the swine flu is growing, it is expected that as much as half of the Northern American population will become infected and up to 90,000 people infected with the swine flu will die from this respiratory illness during the flu season. These numbers are twice the number of people who normally die as a result of the flu during the flu season.

The swine flu goes after a person’s respiratory system. Because it is a respiratory infection, certain people with existing respiratory problems can find themselves at a higher risk for contracting swine flu and suffering from complications from the illness and their current infections.

People who are at a higher risk for contracting the swine flu are elderly people, young children and people who currently have respiratory disorders like asthma.

People in these categories are more prone to getting swine flu because their respiratory and immune systems are already not strong. When a person has a weak immune system or a weak respiratory system, he/she is more prone to getting swine flu and also experiencing worse asthma symptoms.

If you currently suffer from allergies, you may be wondering if this puts you at a greater risk for contracting swine flu. If you currently have allergies, you probably also suffer from asthma or some similar respiratory complication.

If you are in this situation or are in one of the other targeted groups (i.e. elderly, small child) and feel that you may be at a greater risk for getting the swine flu, then you need to meet with your doctor to get some preventive treatment. The longer you wait, the more at risk you become to being a statistic of the swine flu.