Majority of people affected by H1N1 report mild symptoms.
MARQUETTE COUNTY -- It sent millions scrambling for vaccines across the nation. H1N1, or the Swine Flu, is a new combination of influenza strains, and health officials aren't sure where it came from.
Last month, H1N1 hit several states hard, early for the traditional flu season. It spread quickly, according to the Center's for Disease Control, also unusual for this time of year. Still, most people sickened by H1N1 found the symptoms to be mild, much like the seasonal flu.
So why all the hype this summer and fall?
"They determined this is a new virus," said Marquette County Health Department Director, Dr. Kevin Piggott. "We really don't know what its characteristics are, and so it really is a mix of how do you inform the public about something you don't know much about, and yet, not panic them?"
Unlike the seasonal flu, H1N1 is affecting a younger population because they have less immunity than adults.
Vicky Wood, the mother of four-year-old Maddy, three-year-old Henry, and thirteen-month-old Nate says she feels safer now that two of her children have been vaccinated for H1N1.
She's lucky, only 11 million doses were distributed by mid-October, with more trickling to states on a weekly basis. And while she's thinking more about hand washing, it hasn't changed the family schedule.
"I don't think we feel like we need to cocoon ourselves," said Wood. "I still want to be able to see friends."
So far she's been lucky. No one in her family has gotten sick...yet.
But Dr. Piggott says H1N1 could peak again later this flu season, and the seasonal flu isn't expected to peak until January or February. And yes, if you were sick with one kind of flu, you can still get sick with the other.
Visit our Health Matters page for the latest news and information on this year's flu season
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