The end of summer brings with it two certainties: a new school year and a new flu season.This year, families are on the lookout for two different kinds of flu: the seasonal flu that arrives in November or December and winds down in March, and the H1N1 (swine flu) that hit this country last May and is still circulating.

As of 27 September 2009 (Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 68), worldwide there have been more than 340,000 laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 and over 4100 deaths reported to WHO.  It’s considered most dangerous for ages 5 to 24 and very young children, which is why it makes parents so nervous. People over age 64 seem to have some immunity, perhaps because they’ve encountered similar viruses in the past.

Still, health experts urge parents not to panic about H1N1, assuring them that most children and adults will probably suffer from typical flu symptoms, spend a few days at home recuperating and then be back on their feet.

All that said, here are four things you need to know about H1N1 and the seasonal flu:

1. Seasonal influenza is actually more deadly than H1N1. It’s most dangerous for the elderly, the very young and those with underlying medical conditions.

2. Regularly washing your hands is the best way to stay healthy.

3. An H1N1 vaccine won’t protect you against seasonal flu or vice versa.

4. If you get sick, stay home.

According with the UAE Ministry of Health there is no need to panic about H1N1  (Sunday, 13, September 2009 )

Every year half a million people around the world die from influenza. Seasonal flu attacks the elderly, young and ill. Road accidents claim 1.27 million lives and deaths from cancer number 3.9 million.

The message here is not to panic.

Listen to the advice the Ministry of Health and Committee to Combat Swine Flu are issuing. If you have a high temperature and other flu symptoms, seek medical advice. If you're diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, stay at home for seven days, avoid crowded places, wash your hands regularly and don't sneeze in close proximity to anyone else.

You may have mild symptoms, and feel well enough to go back to work. But think of others around you. How would you feel if you infected an elderly person or a baby, who doesn't have the strong immune system that you have? Such people may struggle to combat the virus.
Precautionary measures are just that - a precaution - and should not be ignored.

Healthy adults have strong immunity against viruses, including H1N1. As a healthy person you wouldn't expect to die from seasonal flu and wouldn't even necessarily contract it every year.

Keep calm, follow medical advice, stay healthy, take precautions and, above all, don't panic.

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