2009 swine flu pandemic in turkey 2009 swine flu pandemic in turkey the 2009 flu pandemic was a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza a virus subtype h1n1, first identified in april 2009, termed pandemic h1n1/09 virus by the world health organization (who) and colloquially called swine flu. the outbreak was first observed in mexico, and quickly spread globally. on 11 june 2009, who declared the outbreak to be a pandemic. the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms", but some persons are in higher risk groups, such as those with asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system. in the rare severe cases, around 3–5 days after symptoms manifest, the person's condition declines quickly, often to the point respiratory failure. turkish h1n1 control further information: 2009 flu pandemic by country