H1N1 Symptoms
H1N1 symptoms are similar to the of common seasonal flu symptoms. The common H1N1 symptoms include:
- Fever *
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Chills and fatigue
- Body aches
- Headache
- Occasionally, vomiting and diarrhea
* IMPORTANT: Not everyone infected with swine flu or regular seasonal flu will have a fever.
If you experience H1N1 symptoms during the flu season the CDC advises you stay home and avoid going into public where you could make contact with others except when seeking medical care. The majority of people that have been infected with H1N1 flu have experienced mild symptoms and medical care or antiviral drugs have not been necessary.
Some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get H1N1 symptoms this season. People at higher risk of serious flu complications are the following:
- Children younger than 5, particularly children less than 2 years old
- Adults 65 years of age and older
- Women who are pregnant
People with the following conditions:
- Asthma
- Neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions [including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy (seizure disorders), stroke, intellectual disability (mental retardation), moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury].
- Chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and cystic fibrosis)
- Heart Disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease)
- Blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease)
- Endocrine disorders (such as diabetes mellitus)
- Kidney disorders
- Liver disorders
- Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders)
- Weakened immune system due to disease or medication (such as people with HIV or AIDS, or cancer, or those on chronic steroids)
It is also possible for healthy individuals to encounter more severe H1N1 symptoms. If you are concerned about your illness or the illness of a loved one you should consult a health care provider.
Emergency Warning Signs
Any person, but particularly small children and others in high risk groups, exhibiting any of the following serious warning signs should seek immediate medical care:
- Trouble breathing, including rapid breathing.
- Gray or bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Sleeping constantly and not interacting when awake
- Being especially irritable
- Not urinating or no tears when crying
- The symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Should I go to the emergency room if I’m only slightly ill?
The CDC is advising that people not go to the emergency room if only slightly ill and states that the emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. If you are exhibiting any of the emergency warning signs listed above, you should go to the emergency room. If you fall into any of the high risk scenarios or are concerned about your illness the CDC advises contacting your health care provider for advice. It is important to keep in mind that emergency rooms can be populated with people who are infected by the flu and people not infected with the virus may catch it.
The CDC is advising all to stay home for a minimum of 24 hours after the fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications except when seeking medical care.
While you are sick you should make every effort to stay away from others in order to avoid making them sick. If you must make contact with others the CDC advises wearing a facemask
H1N1 Symptoms Summary
Most of what you’ve learned about traditional flu symptoms is also true when it comes to H1N1 symptoms. In both cases you should be on the lookout for symptoms of pneumonia, especially among those with a history of respiratory illness.
Most occurrences of Swine Flu are not severe, but for those cases where it is sever it can be fatal. This is typically due to respiratory complications.
An H1N1 vaccine has been developed but is limited in its availability. The regular seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against H1N1 Swine Flu. You should consult your health care professional to determine if you should receive the Swine Flu vaccination.
It is important to keep in mind that the regular seasonal flu can be just as dangerous as the H1N1 Swine Flu.
Every year in the United States, on average:
- 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
- more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications; and
- about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes.
It is difficult to determine what path the H1N1 pandemic will take but arming yourself with knowledge of H1N1 Symptoms is the first step toward prevention.
