Touching
The H1N1 or swine flu virus spreads in a similar way to a seasonal flu. An infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, possibly passing the virus. The virus can also spread to people who touch something with the flu virus on it and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes. A person with the virus can even pass it to another person before symptoms develop. Everyone is at risk. Health care workers who are in direct contact with patients, college students and children are at high risk of catching the virus. Children can pick up the virus in the classroom and spread it to their families. Eating pork or pork products cannot infect you.
Prevention
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the common flu, including fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. One of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus is to stay at home if you're sick during a flu outbreak. You can pass the virus starting about 24 hours before you develop symptoms and ending about seven days later, the Mayo Clinic says. You should also wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and frequently, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Stay away from crowds if possible when there's an outbreak. Reduce exposure within your household if a member of the family has swine flu. Have one person take care of the ill person. Flu viruses can survive for two hours or longer on surfaces, including doorknobs and countertops.
Potential
The concern about this virus--and any virus that spreads from person to person--is that it can mutate. It can develop into a new form of virus, making it harder to treat. Drug makers may then be unable to develop vaccines fast enough before the virus spreads at alarming rates. The World Health Organization announced that the H1N1 virus outbreak has "pandemic potential." The swine flu, like any flu, can be fatal in people with certain medical conditions or weak immune systems. In most cases, the swine flu has made people sick but is not usually fatal. However, there have been deaths, mostly people who had pre-existing illnesses. There have been outbreaks and fatalities.
