What is H1N1 and how is it different from ordinary flu?
How does swine flu spread?
What are the symptoms of Swine Flu?
What are the precautions to prevent Swine Flu?

What is H1N1 and how is it different from ordinary flu?
Swine flu is a respiratory disease and has some elements of a virus found in pigs. Swine flu is spreading from human to human, which could lead to what is referred to as a pandemic flu outbreak. Pandemic flu is different from ordinary flu because it's a new flu virus that appears in humans and spreads very quickly from person to person worldwide. Because it's a new virus, no one will have immunity to it and everyone could be at risk of catching it.
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How does swine flu spread?
Flu viruses can be spread through the droplets that come out of your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. When you cough or sneeze without covering your nose and mouth, those droplets can spread and others will be at risk of breathing them in. If you cough or sneeze into your hand, and touch items such as door handles, computer keyboards, mobile, ordinary phones, TV remote control and if other people touch these surfaces, the germs can enter their systems and they can become infected. That's how all cold and flu viruses, including swine flu, are passed on from person to person.
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What are the symptoms of Swine Flu?
In humans the symptoms of the "swine flu" H1N1 virus are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. The 2009 outbreak has shown an increased percentage of patients reporting diarrhea and vomiting. The 2009 H1N1 virus is not zoonotic swine flu, as it is not transmitted from pigs to humans, but from person to person.
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What are the precautions to prevent Swine Flu?
Wash your hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. Chance of transmission is also reduced by disinfecting household surfaces, which can be done effectively with a diluted chlorine bleach solution.
Experts agree that hand-washing can help prevent viral infections, including ordinary influenza and the swine flu virus. Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows small droplets containing the virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria. Anyone with flu-like symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work or public transportation and should contact a doctor for advice.
Social distancing is another tactic. It means staying away from other people who might be infected and can include avoiding large gatherings, spreading out a little at work, or perhaps staying home and lying low if an infection is spreading in a community.
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