I'd say stay at home and play diplomacy all day. (After you visit a doctor of course).

I can't "read" sarcasm, so if that was sarcasm, ignore this post...

The swine flu is like the flu. It's not any more dangerous than the flu, just more contagious, because most people don't have any immunity to it.

However, diarrhea means you should be drinking lots of fluids to not get dehydrated. It's probably just a virus (swine flu is a virus, too), and it'll go away within a few days. If not, see a doctor. If you think something is seriously wrong right now, see a doctor. In fact, none of us here are doctors, so you should at least call a doctor and check with a nurse on whether you should go in... my advice is a fatherly advice I'd give to my son...

I think the name is H1N1 and not swine flu. Just drink lot of liquid, pop couple of tylenol and rest rest REST

And avoid babies, pregnant women, and the elderly at all costs. You don't want to give it to them (or anyone else for that matter).

As someone who actually had H1N1, here are my suggestions. First, get tested. If it's H1N1, the earlier you catch it, the easier it will be on you (Tamiflu works best if you take it within 24-48 hours of getting sick). Drink lots and lots of fluids. Can't stress that enough. Keep an eye on it if you get a fever. Mine hit 105.5. If you have asthma or any other pre-existing breathing problems, keep your inhaler nearby at all times. Trust me on that one. Finally, rest. Sleeping made me feel better than anything else. However, you will probably still be physically exhausted for days once the other symptoms get better. Of course, you don't know if it's H1N1 until you are tested. Could be anything. Take it easy and get better!

No, you are wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H1N1 (I know this is Wipipedia, but notice the page was created 9 October 2005, well before the 2009 outbreak; this the page as it looked before the outbreak: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H1N1&diff=prev&oldid=285922691)

The most important advice I can give you is this:

Do NOT go to a doctors surgery or hospital. Contact them by phone. If you turn up in person and you DO have H5N1 you risk infecting others.

That was to BoG75

Ah, Jamiet99uk, now you are mixing up bird flu with this.

JECE - I think it should be called Mexican flu due to orgin of this outbreak but it should not be called swine flu because it has nothing to do with pigs. This current outbreak is strain H1N1.

@BoG75 - Earlier forms of the H1N1 virus were found in pigs. Over time, the virus changed (mutated) and can now infect humans. That is why it is called swine flu.

And that is also why this is called a pandemic, not an epidemic. It crossed species.

I would be annoyed if it was called Mexican flu, but that's only because people would assume even more than they do already that the Spanish flu originated in Spain. (It didn't; Spain had no censorship during WWI, so the first public, and accurate, reports came from Spain.)

That is even bigger reason to call it H1N1 because that is the virus that is causing the outbreak.

Speaking of this outbreak, I am wondering who is getting vaccinated and why or why not?

@ JECE: No I'm not. The NHS in the UK is giving that advice.

A little interesting we bresearch came across this site:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol12no01/05-0979.htm

It's interesting to note that "Spanish" influenza is actually a form of H1N1 as well.

@Draugnar - Pandemic vs Epidemic has nothing to do with it crossing species. It refers to how widespread a given disease is. An epidemic means that the disease is occurring more frequently than should otherwise be expected, and generally restricted to a given region. A Pandemic simply means that the growth has expanded beyond an epidemic. It usually implies that it is a worldwide outbreak, and no longer confined to a region.

I realised that after doing a little more research. I had always heard it differently, but was clearly being misinformed at the time.

Jamiet99uk, are you sure they said H5N1?

No worries :-)

Thanks you for the suggestions guys. I will call the university clinic.

@ BoG75
I like the name Mexican flu, but i would be concerned that it would trigger xenophobia here in the southern US

Timmi88: That's another good point.

Is it xenophobia if its true :)

I had this, and it sounds like you've got the H1N1 virus, although obviously I can't be certain. Easy bullet points:

- It goes through stages, so don't be surprised if symptoms change. For me, it started out with congestion and the indigestion, then moved on to fever and diahrrea before it "broke" and turned into a week or so of coughing. And more congestion.

- As with the above, it takes time, so don't think you're better until you're genuinely feeling much better.

- Stay in. Don't go out unless you have to, and when you do, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. It's very contagious, and while healthy folks like most of us will survive it just fine, pregnant women and children are much more vulnerable, so be thoughtful and try to avoid spreading it.

- Drink lots of liquids and get a lot of rest.

- Play Diplomacy online in your spare time. :)

Actually, H1N1 is very respiratory-oriented. Diarrhea and Nausea, without a lot of coughing, is likely some other virus.

Whatever you do never take the vaccine!!

One is H5N1 and the other H1N1 diff viruses

It's just a variation. Must not get either

...but if you get both they cancel each other

lol no i doubt it;)

Don't go to a doctor's because healthcare workers are already busy and you risk infecting others or getting infected by others if you don't actually have it. Just stay home, get lots of rest and fluids, keep and eye on that fever and yes, if you have asthma, absolutely keep your inhalers nearby. Respiratory emergencies can be very serious and as H1N1 affects your respiratory system more, you need to watch out for this. Pneumonia is not uncommon for swine flu.

H1N1 only really differs from normal influenza in that people don't have an immunity so it spreads very easily. Also, if it's anything like the 1918-1919 H1N1 swine flu that killed 25 million people, it also has a surprising rate of lethality in adults aged 25-40, with over half the deaths from that period being in this age group.

My roommate probably has swine flu.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 = bird flu = avian influenza

H5N1 (avian influenza) has a mortality rate of 59% to date. H1N1 (2009 outbreak) has a mortality rate of 1% to date. These statistics are from the WHO.

Be thankful tha it is not H5N1 that is a pandemic, and that there have been only 442 labratory confirmed human cases to date, with only 47 cases reported this year.

where does the the flu virus even reproduce in your body? lungs? blood? i can't remember.

Still feeling bad this morning eh? It's plague...