“The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.”—-Flu.gov

What are likely to be the first  symptoms of H1N1 influenza?

Using the Flu.gov list, your first warning signs could be body aches, headaches, fatigue and chills. You know, the kinds of symptoms which prompt many people to say, “I think I might be coming down with something.”

Those vague-seeming symptoms usually come before the onset of coughing, fever and respiratory complaints, don’t they?

In this season, it is best to assume that, should you have any of these symptoms, you are likely on your way to having H1N1.

One message from the study below is that you should call your doctor as soon as possible, according to the full story in U.S. News and World Report.

One message from other studies stresses the importance of keeping your distance from other people if you have reason to think you are developing influenza.

Practically speaking, the public is getting a lot of mixed messages about whether people need anti- virals or not, and if so, when. This study brief below quotes researchers who urge swift action—call your doctor.

Other experts have said healthy people don’t need anti-viral medications.

Doctors’ phone lines are going to be jammed. If possible, ask your doctor what the practice plans to do in the event of a major outbreak. How should you communicate your symptoms to make it easy for them to help you quickly?

This study looked at the transmission rate for H1N1. Transmission rate is a term used to measure the speed with with which one person can infect others. It is expressed as a ratio, such as 1: 2.5. For every one person who gets infected, that person passes it on to 2.5 more people.

Transmission rates are important to public health officials, both to understand how to prepare for an outbreak and how to compare the current situation with prior pandemics. In this study, the transmission rate is in the range of seasonal flu, which is a good sign.

Dr. Dean Blumberg, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at University of California, Davis Children’s Hospital, says, “In a sense, it’s kind of reassuring in that it is highly transmissible but not exceptionally transmissible,” Blumberg said. “On the other hand, we need to keep in mind that, unless you’re someone who has already been infected with the swine flu, everybody in the world is susceptible to it. That’s the scary part,” he told reporters.  (Emphasis added)

U.S. News and World Report

“Every person who is infected with the H1N1 swine flu puts 1.5 other people at risk over the three days before coughing, fever and other symptoms appear.

“That’s the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

“Anyone showing early symptoms of the flu needs to contact their health-care provider immediately. In addition, anti-viral drugs will likely help slow transmission, the researchers said.”

Source: U.S. News and World Report, August

Citation: Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, September 2009