by Charles Simmins

Created on: July 28, 2009   Last Updated: April 24, 2010

The numbers tell the tale. Over 25% of the American population has already caught swine flu.If you haven't caught the swine flu, how can you lessen your chances of catching it? Are you in an at-risk category?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are calculating estimates of the number of cases of swine flu in the United States. Along with those numbers, they are also estimating the numbers hospitalized and the numbers of patients who have died from the illness or its complications. The latest estimates suggest that between 41 to 84 million Americans have caught swine flu.

183,000 to 378,000 Americans have been hospitalized for novel H1N1, the swine flu, or its complications. 8,330 to 17,160 Americans have died.

Novel H1N1, the swine flu, can infect people of any age but it appears to be especially contagious and infectious for young people. In Arizona, the median age for patients is 15. Half of all Arizona cases are age 15 and under. In Massachusetts, 63% of the cases have been under the age of 18. This is different than the distribution for seasonal influenza, where the elderly and infants are the most at risk.

The Spring outbreak in North America appeared in clusters, many of which were at schools or colleges. The St. Francis Prep cluster in Queens, New York City, resulted in hundreds of infections and forced many schools in the city to shut for a week or more. Clusters have also been seen in jails, camps, military recruit training and anyplace young people gather in numbers.

The best way, and the most difficult way to lessen your chance of getting swine flu is to avoid people who have it. Don't go to places where "there's a bug going around".

Protect yourself by avoiding people who are coughing or sneezing frequently or exhibit a runny nose or other cold symptoms. If you must be around sick people, there are masks that can protect you. Respirators rated N95 will prevent you inhaling the flu virus. These masks are expensive, must fit well, and should not be reused day after day.

The swine flu virus can linger on surfaces. Touching a contaminated surface and then your nose, mouth or eyes can spread the illness. Avoid touching public surfaces such as door knobs, handrails, etc. as much as possible. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching these types of surfaces, twenty seconds or more of vigorous scrubbing with soap and water.

Try to reduce the time you use your hands to touch your nose, mouth or eyes. Cutting down these normal, usually unconscious actions, reduces your potential exposure.

Anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu or Relenza can prevent infection. They are expensive. Tamiflu when taken to prevent flu is a ten day course of treatment. Relenza can be a 10 day course for households at risk but a 28 day course for a community risk. Like all medications, they have side effects and contraindications. And, by the time you begin taking the medication, the swine flu virus may be resistant to the drug.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have a great deal of information on their site about swine flu, its treatment and prevention.

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