I luff while waiting for my daily pc to scan n update my pc...an article abt a malaysian reporter, conducting a simple oral test : What do the letters and numbers in A(H1N1) mean?

The question was put to Health Minister, a pathologist, 2 triage nurses, hotline operators, 2 doctors and a gov veterinarian. Below are the summary of the answers given.


Health Minister: Both H and N are 'nucleic acids'
(and later in an sms, his press secretary, spelt out what the H and N actually stand for.


Reporter (R): I would like to know what A(H1N1) means, can u help me?

Hotline Operator (HO):Oh, it is a flu

R: It's not a flu but the name of a virus that causes a kind of flu n that it's a novel, paradoxical bug that is mild and yet a serial killer that kills selectively (wow, this reporter so geng)I want to know what the A, H and N and 1s mean.

HO put R on hold and R overheard her asking a male colic, who replied: Mana aku tau?(How do I know?). Then the man took over the line

Man (M):Hello sir, I am HM, actually ah....they are just letters to differentiate the strains of the many kinds of flu viruses.

R: I want to know what the A, H and N and 1s mean

M: They dun hav any significant meaning, sir. (Really stewpit)

R: Any doc available?

M: None.

Private Hospital Pathologist (P): Oh dear, my microbiologist is on leave but I can send you some literature which will help you. (Since she hav the lit, why dun she read it first?)

Same Private Hospital Emergency Nurse (N): I do not know the answer n let mi refer you to a doc (Dr H).

This is the most funny answer that I find it.

Dr H: A is for America, H is for hemisphere, and N is for north.

Dr H spoke so professionally that, for a split second, R tot another novel virus was circulating the globe!

R: What abt the two 1s?

Dr H (so enthused with his knowledge of the influenza): As the strain originated from America and since America is in the northern hemisphere, it was named "A(H1N1)" (I tawt it was originated from Mexico)

R commented in his article: What a hogwash from Dr. H at a time when the swine flu is spreading rapidly. If the doc does not understand the letters and digits of A(H1N1) or the seasonal flu A(H3N2), how has he been treating cases of the common flu all this while? (I agreed- This the bullshitest of the bullshits that I ever heard so far in my life...Now I know, doctors bullshit oso, and the shit is size of a mount everest.....blow cow till so confident....I wonder if he got his job by bullshitting)

To treat cases of seasonal flu, it is imperative for a doc to know what strain he is dealing with and only then will he able to match and prescribe the right antibiotic to the corresponding strain.

Gov Veterinarian, (Dr. K): All influenza strains are classified as A or B. In A(H1N1), A refers to the influenza category. (Not for America, stupid)The H is haemagglutinin, a surface protein that binds the virus to the host cell that is being attacked. N stands for neuraminidase, an enzyme that penetrates the host cell. Both H and N are present in the cell membrane of the viruses. There are 16 kinds of H and only 9 kinds of N. And that is why we have the numerical digits in influenza strains.
The bracketed letters and numbers refer to the specific strain or sub-type of the category. In nutshells, the Hs and Ns are blueprints that help to fingerprint the emerging strains and that is how viral types are identified and name.

Imagine H to be a foot soldier who has secured a territory (Host cell). Now imagine N to be the attack commando who strikes at the cell's defense platoon and conquers the territory. An infection has now taken place. And we call it A(H1N1) infection.

(Hooray!!! finally found some sensible answers....We do hav good doctors, but this doc treats animals but not humans)

So there you are: we know wat A(H1N1) means. Remember it's not American Flu.This is another public service by L