Compared to annual death rates of “normal” flu, why is the H1N1 (swine) flu so worrisome to government and health officials? With seasonal flu deaths accounting for anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000, many folks are wondering what the fuss is all about as it relates to this so called “swine flu”.

Apparently, it is the rate of spread of the virus and the incidence of fatality that has most concerned. While world wide numbers of deaths related to seasonal flu seems to be a large number, the percentage of those dying to those who contract the so called normal flu is a much lower number than what is being observed with the H1N1 variant.

Additionally, the number of generations which spread the flu is much higher than normal. These are all precursors to pandemics, more so than the normal “lifetime” of seasonal flus and how often they spread from person to person to person.

Perhaps a brief history of the H1N1 virus is in order. The first documented appearance of the variant H1N1 flu virus occurred in 1917 -1918. The total number of fatalities vary, however they have been estimated to have caused anywhere from 25 million to 100 million deaths around the globe. Granted this was a time when health care and disease prevention was no where as advanced as it is today, the sheer volume of potential fatalities have many individuals and governments concerned.

In 1957, a close relative to the current H1N1 flu, the H2N2 variant is assumed to have been responsible for 2 million deaths. Clearly, nearly 50 years of advances in healthcare technology, widespread communications, and personal knowledge helped to reduce the number of fatalities from similar events of 1918.

In addition to global communications being only a tweet or blog post away, anti-viral medications exist today that were just not available in the early part of the 20th century. These factors hopefully add up to conclusive evidence that will arrest the rate of infections and ultimately the number of fatalities both in the U.S. and abroad.

How can you be best prepared to fight possible infection? The good news is that much of the spread of the infection as well as the potential for death can be fought very easily and right in your own home.

The Centers for Disease Control have indicated that battling the H1N1 flu variant is exactly like what should be done to prevent seasonal flus. Avoiding the acquisition of the virus is the first and best line of defense, obviously. Equally as important is to not go where the flu has been. Most of the confirmed cases in America and Canada are reported to have been contracted while the patient was traveling in Mexico.

A small village approximately 100 km due south of Mexico City has been isolated as ground zero for the current outbreak of H1N1. With nearly 60 confirmed deaths now attributed to the outbreak in Mexico, it is thought that the spread of virus to various Mexican resort centers has been the primary transmitter to citizens of the United States and Canada.

In fact, one vacationing Canadian is thought to have contracted the disease in Cancun, traveled home, and through contact with his swine herd, transmitted the illness to several of his pigs. Health officials have indicated that the virus is not food borne, meaning you cannot become infected simply by eating properly cooked pork products, you can transmit or become sick by being in the vicinity of other infected people or animals. The H1N1 virus is an air borne pathogen which is why finding oneself near coughing and sneezing infected individuals is of concern.

Washing your hands often, steering clear of crowds, maintaining good health practices and keeping your own physical defenses up are all required to ensure you own health and well being.