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Luckily, the 2009 "Swine Flu" did not turn out to be as debilitating as was initially feared. The symptoms are relatively mild in most people with a small percentage of high risk groups suffering the majority of complications, hospitalizations, and deaths. The Death Rate is significantly lower than even the seasonal flu. So, unless you are among those at high risk, if you catch the H1N1/09 virus you will probably feel pretty bad for a week to ten days and then recover fully even without any treatment. Usually only over-the-counter medications for the symptoms are needed, such as cough medicine, fever reducers, and analgesics for aches and pains. So, it is likely that all that will happen is you feel the flu symptoms and your body will rid you of it asap.

If you get symptoms of the flu and contact your doctor within the first 48 hours, they may consider prescribing an antiviral medicine like Tamiflu, which can lessen the severity and duration of symptoms. However, it is usually not needed.

If you have an underlying health condition, contact your doctor at first symptoms and always get a seasonal flu vaccination in the fall to prevent the most prevalent flus of that season.

See below for additional information in the related questions section.

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14y ago

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