Jekyll and Hyde Virus

A new nickname for A(H1N1) swine flu which, though mild for many, causes serious complications in some otherwise healthy people.

Reporting on an Autumn upswing in British swine flu infections, the BBC’s health reporter Nick Triggle noted:

The truth is that many experts are hesitant about making predictions about what has been dubbed a “Jekyll and Hyde” virus.

While it remains a fairly mild illness for most, doctors are at a loss to explain why some otherwise healthy people develop serious complications.

So far about a fifth of the 80-plus deaths linked to the virus in the UK have been among people who did not have any previous health problems.

Triggle quoted a flu expert from the University of London, Professor John Oxford, who cautioned:

It may be a mild virus, but it has a sting in its tail.

When you look at the numbers of children being hospitalized and the numbers ending up in critical care, it is happening more often [than with] normal flu.

See also: Swine Flu and Dracula Sneezes