BACKGROUND: As of late August, 556 Americans had died from the H1N1, or swine flu, virus, with the first U.S. death reported at the end of April (Source: Newsweek). By mid July of this year, 99 percent of all people tested for flu in the United States tested positive for H1N1, according to ScienceNews.

The infection started as a respiratory disease in pigs caused by the type A influenza virus. The first H1N1 virus was isolated from a pig in 1930.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in humans, the virus causes the same symptoms as regular, season flu, including fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. It also sometimes causes runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Infection with H1N1 only becomes dangerous when it leads to complications like pneumonia and respiratory failure, which most often occur in patients with underlying conditions and risk factors like pregnancy, asthma, diabetes, a suppressed immune system, heart disease, kidney disease and neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders.

THE VACCINE: Although initially researchers thought the swine flu vaccine would need to be given in two doses, research in the U.S., China and Australia suggests one dose is strong enough to protect adults against the virus.

In one Australian study on 240 adults, one standard 15-microgram dose of the H1N1 vaccine protected 75 to 96 percent of people, which is the same degree of effectiveness offered by the seasonal flu shot. In the same study, 45 percent of participants who received the new vaccine experienced mild reactions like headache, sore arm or redness at the injection site. Another separate study in the U.S. suggests the H1N1 vaccine provides protection within eight to 10 days.

Since the H1N1 vaccine doesn't protect against the season flu, experts still urge those at risk for complications from either virus to get both vaccines. Researchers are still trying to determine whether the H1N1 vaccine can be administered in combination with or shortly after the seasonal flu vaccine.

H1N1 AND KIDS: In one study published in the journal Science, researchers estimate that 30 to 40 percent of swine flu transmission will occur in households and about 20 percent in schools. A model used in the study suggests that a typical school-age child will infect an average of 2.4 other kids at his or her school. The research also suggests the swine flu outbreak will most likely peak in mid to late October. Study authors urge that because children will experience the highest infection rates, they should be first in line to receive the H1N1 vaccine.

WHERE CAN I GET VACCINATED: Vaccine will be available in a combination of settings such as vaccination clinics organized by local health departments (find your county health department), healthcare provider offices, schools, and other private settings, such as pharmacies and workplaces.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Centers for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu | http://www.clinicaltrials.gov | Q&A.