H1N1 flu: What you need to know

What is H1N1 virus?

The 2009 H1N1 or swine flu is a novel flu virus causing extreme illness in people. The virus was first detected in the United States in April 2009. The H1N1 virus is sometimes called swine flu because some genes are similar to flu viruses that normally infect pigs in North America. But the novel also has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and bird genes and human genes.


What are the common H1N1 symptoms?

The common H1N1 symptoms include fever (not everyone with flu will have fever), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy  nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.


How does the H1N1 map look like?

As of Sept 19, 2009, twenty-six states have reported widespread influenza activity. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.


Is H1N1 vaccine ready yet?

The Food and Drug Administration on Sept 15 approved four H1N1 flu vaccines , which are expected to be available in next four weeks.

CSL Limited, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, and sanofi Pasteur Inc manufacture inject-able influenza A/H1N1 monovalent vaccine while MedImmune LLC produces intranasal influenza A (H1N1) monovalent vaccine.

The H1N1 vaccination is expected to be started in early October.


What percentage of people die from H1N1 infection?

H1N1 deaths are rare, although sporadic cases of H1N1 death have been reported. Generally speaking, the risk of dying from H1N1 virus or its complications is similar to the one from seasonal flu.

The CDC reports that the overall death rate from pneumonia and flu is low. However, the agency said "49 pediatric deaths related to 2009 H1N1 flu have been reported to CDC since April 2009, including three deaths reported this week.  "Some reports pointed out that most of the children have some health conditions."


What should I do if I get swine flu?

If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people, except to get medical care. Most people with swine or seasonal flu experience mild illness and they do not need any medical care or antiviral drugs.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should seek medical attention. People in the high risk group include:

Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
People 65 and older
Pregnant women

People who have:
Cancer
Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)
Chronic lung disease [including asthma or chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD)]
Diabetes
Heart disease
Kidney disorders
Liver disorders
Neurological disorders (including nervous system, brain or spinal cord)
Neuromuscular disorders (including muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis)
Weakened immune systems (including people with AIDS)


What are the signs that indicate the need for emergency care?

Children experience the following should receive emergency care:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash

Adults with the following symptoms should also seek emergency care:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Are there any antivirals for H1N1 treatment?

Remember that most people do not need any medication to recover from swine flu. However, the CDC has recommended that the priority for use of antiviral medications this flu season should be given to people with more severe illness such as people hospitalized with flu and people at elevated risk of flu-related complications. This group of people includes adults 65 years and older, pregnant women and people with certain chronic medical or immune-suppressive conditions and people younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy.

At this time, only oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (trade name Relenza®) are recomended to treat suspected or confirmed flu in all people who require hospitalization.


If I get sick with flu, how long do I need to stay home?

The CDC recommends that you should stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.

Where can I find detailed H1N1 updates?

For H1N1 updates, refer to http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

By David Liu - davidl @ foodconsumer dot org

edited by Rachel Stockton - rachels at foodconsumer dot org