H1N1 Flu and Seasonal Flu: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment

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Coughing into a tissue or into your elbow can help prevent the spread of flu viruses.

As winter approaches each year we brace for flu season. This year brings an extra complication: the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. In June, the World Health Organization declared H1N1 a pandemic. Since then, the media has brimmed with H1N1 stories, governments have stockpiled Tamiflu, flu vaccines have been developed, temperature sensors have been installed in Asian airports, and gallons of hand sanitizer have been dispensed. 

While the concerns are justified, we have always been vulnerable to various forms of the flu (influenza) virus. Flu viruses continually undergo genetic modification, presenting our immune systems with new challenges each season. To help you make sense of what’s in the news and plan your own best course of action, here’s a quick look at what you need to know about H1N1 and seasonal flu, and how to stay healthy.

H1N1 and Factory Farms                                   

Big changes can happen when influenza viruses jump species. Birds, humans and pigs each have their own viruses that circulate among their populations. Pigs, however, can become infected with avian, swine and human viruses. Viruses can trade genes, potentially creating a novel virus capable of infecting humans, such as H1N1. Some authorities have tied industrial-scale hog farms — where animals are crowded together — with the origin and spread of the H1N1 virus.

How Flu Viruses Spread

  • Published on Sep 11, 2009
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