Discover new strains of H1N1 flu in Brazil

Brazilian scientists have identified a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) on a patient in Sao Paulo last April. However, it is not clear whether this strain can cause serious illness.

People are concerned with the mutant strain just found in Brazil, the current H1N1 can be transformed into a more dangerous form.Photo: Examine.com.

The new strain was found on a 26-year-old man who had flu symptoms shortly after returning from Mexico. He was hospitalized on April 26 and is currently recovering completely.

The new finding raises concerns that the current pandemic H1N1 flu will spread faster, and the new strain will be more virulent than the current strain.

While the current strain of H1N1 seems to only cause most mild cases, with very few people dying on the total number of people suffering, the medical experts are afraid it will mutate into a more dangerous form. And the concern is that the more people (or "hosts") in the community do not have immunity, the greater the risk of H1N1 mutation.

The last time this happened was the 1918 Spanish flu strain that killed millions of people around the world. It begins with just a mild form of the flu, then mutates into a deadly form and returns to the second wave. And like the current pandemic strain of H1N1 flu, the 1918 Spanish flu affects only young people, unlike the regular seasonal flu that only harms the elderly and the sick.