H1N1

Pathology.

1. a subtype of the type A influenza virus, with strains that give rise to seasonal epidemics, or sometimes pandemics, including a strain with swine, avian, and human genes responsible for swine flu.

Word History and Origins

Origin of H1N1¹

First recorded in 1970–75; abbreviation of h(aemagglutinin type)1 and n(euraminidase type) 1

Example Sentences

“One of my biggest concerns about about him is the misinformation that he spreads around vaccination,” said Dr. Richard Besser, who served as acting CDC director during the initial response to the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic and is now president and chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

From Los Angeles Times

This current H5N1 strain—in the context of past respiratory pandemics like the 1918 flu, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu, and COVID-19—is “pretty spooky,” said Gregory Gray, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

From Slate

The 1918 influenza pandemic is thought to have been caused by a reassorted combination of an H1N1 bird flu with a more common flu.

From Slate

In the 2009 swine flu pandemic, multiple reassortment events in pigs and birds led to the novel H1N1 virus strain, which led to 60 million cases and 12,000 deaths in the U.S. in its first year of circulating, per the CDC.

From Salon

He put a human flu virus — H3N2 — into one pig, and a swine flu virus — H1N1 — into another.

From Los Angeles Times