2009Reputable sourceWell documented
The 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic
On the timeline · around 2009 · The Modern Age
What happened
In 2009 a new H1N1 influenza virus — a 'swine flu' combining pig, bird, and human strains — emerged in North America and spread worldwide within weeks, prompting the WHO to declare the first flu pandemic in over 40 years. Unusually, it hit children and young adults hardest while largely sparing the elderly, who retained some immunity from older H1N1 strains. Global deaths were estimated in the hundreds of thousands.
Why it matters
The 2009 pandemic was the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century and the first to unfold under modern real-time genetic surveillance. It tested — and exposed gaps in — the world's pandemic-preparedness plans.