Q92 (IAS/2015) Science & Technology › Biotechnology & Health › Human infectious diseases Official Key

H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?

Result

Your answer: — · Correct: D

Explanation

H1N1 virus is commonly referred to as swine flu[3]. H1N1 flu is a type of influenza A virus[3], and it was found to be a novel strain of influenza[4] that gained global attention during the 2009 pandemic.

It is important to distinguish H1N1 from other diseases mentioned in the options. AIDS is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), not influenza viruses. Bird flu refers to disease caused by infection with avian influenza Type A viruses[5], which is a different category from H1N1. Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes and is unrelated to influenza viruses.

The new H1N1 virus became the dominant influenza strain in most parts of the world, including the United States[6], making it a significant public health concern that was frequently mentioned in news coverage during and after the 2009 pandemic.

Sources

[1] https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/specific-agents/influenza-virus-flu
[2] https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/specific-agents/influenza-virus-flu
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/swine-flu/symptoms-causes/syc-20378103
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/avian-timeline/2020s.html
[6] https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/specific-agents/influenza-virus-flu

How others answered

Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.

Community Performance

Out of everyone who attempted this question.

40%

got it right

Web / Current Affairs

Online pages / news items supporting the statement

Web source

Presence: 5/5

"the novel virus, commonly called swine flu, is named influenza A (H1N1)."

Why this source?

Explicitly identifies H1N1 as an influenza virus (swine flu), indicating its disease is influenza, not AIDS.
Shows H1N1 is a novel influenza A strain that spreads person-to-person, describing flu characteristics rather than retroviral disease.

Web source

Presence: 5/5

"The virus was found to be a novel strain of influenza for which existing [vaccines](/wiki/Vaccination"

Why this source?

States the virus was found to be a novel strain of influenza, specifying its cause as influenza A (H1N1).
Describes diagnostic tests for influenza A (H1N1), tying the virus to influenza detection and response, not to AIDS.

Indirect textbook clues (5)

How books hint at the answer

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > AIDs/HIVs > p. 80

Strength: 5/5

“AIDS (Acquired Immuno Defciency Syndrome) is a disease of the immune system caused by the human immunodefciency virus (HIV). HIV slowly attacks and destroys the immune system, the body”

Why relevant

Defines AIDS as a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), linking a specific disease to a specific viral agent.

How to extend

A student can extend this by checking whether H1N1 is named or classified as HIV or a different virus to see if it matches the causative agent.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > AIDs/HIVs > p. 81

Strength: 5/5

“defence against infection. It leads to afected person to a variety of other infectious diseases and certain malignancies that eventually cause death. AIDS is the fnal stage of HIV infection, during which time fatal infections and cancers arise. AIDS was frst reported in 1981 by investigators in New York and California (USA). HIV is transmitted by direct transfer of body fuids, such as blood and blood products, semen, and other genital secretions, or breast milk, from an infected person to an uninfected person. Te main cellular target of HIV is a class of white blood cells critical to the immune system known as helper T cells.”

Why relevant

Explains HIV transmission, targets (helper T cells), and that AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection—showing disease specificity and distinct pathology.

How to extend

Compare the known targets and transmission modes of H1N1 (respiratory spread, different tissue targets) to those of HIV to judge if H1N1 could cause the same syndrome.

Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Health: The Ultimate Treasure > Activity 3.4: Let us find out > p. 33

Strength: 4/5

“Diseases | Causal agent | Site of infection | Symptoms | Preventive measures Diseases spread through the air • humans: Common cold and influenza; Col2: Virus; Col3: Respiratory tract; Col4: Nasal congestion and discharge, sore throat, fever, cough, body ache; Table 3.1: Some common communicable diseases affecting: Washing hands frequently, not sharing personal items, covering the mouth and nose • humans: Chickenpox; Col2: Virus; Col3: Respiratory tract, skin; Col4: Mild fever, itchy skin, rashes, blisters; Table 3.1: Some common communicable diseases affecting: Complete isolation of the patient, covering the mouth and nose, vaccination • humans: Measles; Col2: Virus; Col3: Skin, respiratory tract; Col4: Fever, sore throat, and reddish rashes on the neck, ears and other parts of the skin; Table 3.1: Some common communicable diseases affecting: Isolation of the patient, covering the mouth and nose, maintaining good hygiene, vaccination”

Why relevant

Lists influenza (a virus) and its site of infection (respiratory tract) and symptoms, treating influenza and AIDS as separate entries in disease tables.

How to extend

Use this pattern to check whether H1N1 appears under influenza/respiratory diseases rather than under AIDS/HIV in standard disease classifications.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 17: Contemporary Issues > Epidemics > p. 36

Strength: 4/5

“The term epidemic originally denotes a sudden excessive prevalence of disease in a population. Epidemic means upon the people. Historically, epidemic was applied to infectious disease, but in more recent times, it also includes major non-infectious diseases, such as AIDS, and cancer, too. The main epidemics in India are malaria, small-pox, cholera, typhoid, dengue, swine flue, cancer, AIDS, etc. AIDs according to a UN report caused 1,30,000 deaths in 2013.”

Why relevant

Presents epidemics and explicitly lists both swine flu and AIDS separately among major diseases, implying they are distinct conditions.

How to extend

A student can use this separation as a basis to verify that swine flu (H1N1) and AIDS are treated as different epidemics caused by different agents.

Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye > Ever heard of ... > p. 17

Strength: 4/5

“Viruses are microscopic and acellular. Viruses multiply when they enter a living cell. They may infect plants, animals, or bacterial cells and may cause a disease.”

Why relevant

States that viruses infect different hosts and cause specific diseases when they enter particular cells, indicating that 'a virus' is not a single interchangeable cause for all viral diseases.

How to extend

Extend by noting that because different viruses infect different cells and cause different diseases, one should check whether H1N1 infects the cells implicated in AIDS (helper T cells) — if not, it likely does not cause AIDS.

Question map

H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?

Explanation

PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

Which one of the following diseases is caused by virus ?

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