The number of healthy people that are getting hit hard by this novel Swine Flu are slowly increasing. It could be simply because we’re hearing more about it in the press, but more likely, the virus is slowly starting to mutate in a more deadlier form.

While this Swine Flu virus is no more deadlier than seasonal flu, if you look at what type of people are succumbing to it, you can see that there’s a distinct difference. Many of the people that died from this have had underlying conditions. But an increasing number of the victims are younger, healthier people with no pre-existing conditions.

It’s unclear where this is going, but we already know that this virus will be with us for years. Which means that there’s a good chance that we’ll see this go around for the next several years or so. Let’s all hope that it doesn’t get any worse than this, but be prepared in case it does.

Keep your eye on the news for more like the below – it may be an early warning signal of how the bug is changing.

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Swine flu can leave a young victim fighting for life

The latest figures from the Arizona Department of Health Services show that 439 people have been hospitalized with the new influenza virus since it emerged in April. Thirty-nine have died, including nine new deaths confirmed in the last week alone.

The disease, a never-before-seen mix of human, avian and swine flu, is considered no more deadly than typical seasonal flu, and most victims recover on their own.

But some are suffering severe consequences, and they’re often in the prime of their lives.

“That’s the difference this time,” said Dr. Bob England, Maricopa County’s public health director. “It’s mostly younger people who are getting into serious trouble and dying.”

Seasonal flu, by comparison, tends to hit older patients more aggressively. Health officials say it appears that group is the only one with some immunity to H1N1; officials speculate it’s because they were exposed to a similar form of influenza during their lives.

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