This is a sample of the comprehensive information available to you on the CDC website.

- There is general advice for us all.

- There also is special advice for home care-givers who have health problems of their own, such as cardiac conditions, asthma or other illnesses which require the care-giver to take extra precautions.

- IMPORTANT: There is a list below of the symptoms which mean you should call for emergency help. Please print these out. They will help you know what to report to doctors right away.

The message coming through from most knowledgeable experts is that preparation, not panic, is the best thing each of us can do.

Remember that now that the pandemic is here, scientists have found that this is a strain well known to them, the same one which has been around since 1918. Each time the influenza strain changes, or mutates, they have to figure out what the latest change means in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

But, however hard H1N1 (this strain of swine flu) hits this fall, it is not a never-seen-before infection, either.

Prepare. Take the necessary steps to prevent your getting it if at all possible. That’s the advice for now from the epidemiologists and infectious disease experts.

Below is the current guidance. If there are updates, the CDC will announce them.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

…“The main way that influenza viruses are thought to spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object and then touches their own mouth or nose (or someone else’s mouth or nose) before washing their hands.

“People with swine flu who are cared for at home should:

• check with their health care provider about any special care they might need if they are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema
• check with their health care provider about whether they should take antiviral medications
• stay home for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer
• get plenty of rest
• drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated
• cover coughs and sneezes. Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often and especially after using tissues and after coughing or sneezing into hands.
• avoid close contact with others – do not go to work or school while ill
• be watchful for emergency warning signs (see below) that might indicate you need to seek medical attention”

“When to Seek Emergency Medical Care

“Get medical care right away if the sick person at home:

• has difficulty breathing or chest pain
• has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
• is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
• has signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when they cry
• has seizures (for example, uncontrolled convulsions)
• is less responsive than normal or becomes confused”

Source: CDC, May 13, 2009