Swine influenza is currently raising concern across the United States as hundreds of people have been infected already. The CDC warns there is a new type of swine flu currently spreading in the United States.

Earlier today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report informing there is a new strain of swine flu spreading across the country. The CDC report on swine flu reads 153 cases were registered to be connected to the new strain of H3N2 infections. According to the report, most of the cases reported involved patients that came in contact with or were around pigs.

Although the CDC warns there is a new strain of swine flu that puts people at risk, officials seem confident it will not reach pandemic proportions. However, the same officials inform since July 200 cases of the new type of swine flu were reported.

Dr. Joseph Bresee epidemiologist with the CDC said “this is not a pandemic situation”. Only two people have been hospitalized so far, but have already been released. Dr. Bresee explained the new strain of swine flu is not as damaging to humans as previous strains, but it represents a risk for children and young adults, as well as all people that come in contact to pigs.

“This virus is still principally a swine virus, but it doesn’t seem to have onward spread. It’s still not a human virus” said Dr. Bresee in a press statement this Friday. “Even so, a H3N2 candidate vaccine has been prepared and clinical trials are being planned for this year” the CDC epidemiologist added.

But there is one aspect to this new strain of swine influenza CDC officials seem to be just too calm about it. This new strain of swine flu the CDC has reported contains “the matrix (m) gene from the influenza A H1N1 pandemic virus”. It’s what gives the swine flu virus “increased transmissibility to and among humans, compared with other variant influenzas viruses” said Dr. Bresee.

Over the past two years, only 29 patients were reported to have been infected with the new strain of swine flu. This year alone, since the beginning of summer, CDC has identified almost 200 cases of the new type of swine influenza, particularly in the Midwest region.