April 2009: an outbreak of swine-origin influenza A(H1N1) virus with evidence for human-to-human transmission

A swine-origin influenza A(H1N1) virus is currently responsible for an outbreak of infections in the human population, with laboratory-confirmed cases reported in several countries and clear evidence for human-to-human transmission. We provide a description of the outbreak at the end of April 2009, and a brief review of the zoonotic potential of swine influenza viruses.