Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
Novel H1N1 flu, originally called swine flu, first surfaced in Mexico early in 2009. It quickly spread throughout the United States, arriving in South Carolina in April 2009. By June, it had spread to so many countries, the World Health Organization deemed it an influenza or flu “pandemic.”
Like seasonal flu, novel H1N1 flu can cause mild to severe respiratory illness and can even lead to death.
A flu pandemic has two features:
- It involves a new type (strain) of flu virus that has never infected humans before, so our immune systems sometimes have trouble fighting it off.
- It has spread globally, to people on at least two continents.
Novel H1N1 flu spread rapidly in South Carolina
Unlike seasonal flu, which seems to thrive in cold weather, novel H1N1 flu has flourished in the southern heat and humidity.
Within five months of our state’s first confirmed case, thousands of South Carolinians had tested positive for the new strain of flu. Some had to be hospitalized. A few people, including several children, have died from complications of novel H1N1 flu. Most of those who died were in one of the high risk groups for novel H1N1, which are not the same as the high risk groups for seasonal flu.
Seasonal Flu High Risk Groups |
Novel H1N1 High Risk Groups |
| Children younger than 2 years old | Children birth to 18 years of age |
| Pregnant women | Young adults 18 – 24 years of age. |
| People over 65 years of age | Pregnant women |
| People of any age who have chronic medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, asthma, congestive heart failure, lung disease) | People of any age (Persons aged 25 through 64 years ) who have chronic medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, asthma, congestive heart failure, lung disease) |
Symptoms of Seasonal Flu and Novel H1N1 Flu
The flu is different from the common cold. But symptoms of seasonal flu and novel H1N1 flu are very similar. When a person gets seasonal or novel H1N1 flu, one or more of these symptoms will probably come on suddenly — about 48 to 72 hours after contact with the virus:
- Fever (usually high)
- Headache
- Extreme tiredness
- Dry cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle aches
- Occasionally, stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
Urgent Warning Signs
If you have these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.
In adults:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Sudden dizziness
- Confusion
- Severe or persistent vomiting.
In children:
Fast breathing or trouble breathing - Bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not waking up or not interacting
- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
- Fever with a rash.
Vaccine for novel H1N1 flu
Flu vaccines are your best protection against both seasonal flu and novel H1N1 flu. Each strain of flu requires a separate vaccine.
People who are in greater danger of life-threatening health problems from novel H1N1 flu or seasonal flu, should get vaccinated as soon as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also urges anyone who lives or works closely with an at-risk person (such as an infant under 6 months of age) — to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
To learn where you can get novel H1N1 flu vaccines in your community, see DHEC’s Flu Clinic Finder. Or contact your healthcare provider to see it they will be providing the vaccine. Local pharmacies that signed up to provide the 2009 H1N1 vaccine will advertise it when it becomes available.
These Groups Need Flu Vaccines the Most
The CDC recommends that these groups get flu vaccines as soon as possible.
The list for seasonal flu is different from the list for novel H1N1 flu.
These People Should Get a Seasonal Flu Vaccine ASAP |
These People Should Get a Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Vaccine ASAP |
| Those age 50 and older | Pregnant women |
| Pregnant women | Household contacts and caregivers for babies younger than 6 months of age |
| Children 6 months to 18 years of age | Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel |
| People of any age who have chronic medical conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, congestive heart failure, lung disease) | All children from 6 months to 17 years of age |
| People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities | Young adults 18 to 24 years of age |
| People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu. | People 25 through 64 years of age who have health conditions that put them at higher risk of medical complications from flu. |
Get updates on vaccine availability in South Carolina, learn more about vaccine safety, and find a flu vaccine clinic in your local area.
DHEC has no plans to require South Carolina residents or healthcare workers to get a flu vaccine. However, we believe that getting the flu vaccines is a very good idea. Not only does it help protect the person who is vaccinated, it also protects others in the community who may be at higher risk of complications.
Also see this flu vaccine information from the CDC:
- Flu Myths and Realities
- Fact Sheet on Guillain-Barre Syndrome (11/02/09)
- General Questions and Answers on H1N1 Vaccine Safety
- General Questions and Answers on Thimerosal
- 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine and Pregnant Women
- H1N1 Flu Vaccination Resources
- Children, the Flu, and the Flu Vaccine
Monitoring Outbreaks
DHEC is monitoring:
- Local outbreaks or clusters of novel H1N1 flu
- Hospitalizations due to novel H1N1 flu
- Deaths due to novel H1N1 flu
- Changes in the severity of the virus.
Each week we update our novel H1N1 and seasonal flu surveillance information with the previous week's confirmed flu cases.
The CDC also issues weekly updates on H1N1 flu.
Protect Yourself and Others
We urge you to take these simple, but very important steps to protect yourself and others from various strains of the flu:
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often.
- Cover your cough with your sleeve, not your hand.
- Stay home if you're sick.
- Stay away from people who are sick.
- Eat a healthy diet, exercise and get plenty of rest.
Medicines and treatment for novel H1N1 flu
If you have novel H1N1 flu, your healthcare provider can give you medicine to help ease the severity and the duration of the illness. Two types of antiviral drugs — Tamiflu and Relenza — seem to work for this strain when taken shortly after symptoms begin. If you’re caring for someone who has flu, you may find the CDC’s information on taking care of a sick person in your home helpful. To learn more about antiviral medications, see the CDC’s H1N1 and Seasonal Flu: What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs.
See additional information on flu antivirals from the Food and Drug Administration:
- Zanamivir (Relenza) Fact Sheet for Patients and Parents (pdf)
- Tamiflu Fact Sheet for Patients and Parents (pdf)
Flu Information in Other Languages:
- American Sign Language Videos on Flu for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
- Flu.gov Multi-Language Fact Sheets in Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
If, after reading the information available here, you have questions about the 2009 H1N1 vaccine,
please call 1-800-27SHOTS (1-800-277-4687).
