A few of the most common H1N1 flu symptoms include fever, fatigue and headache. Also known as swine flu, other symptoms include sore throat, runny nose, chest pain, body aches and a cough. For some, symptoms may also include vomiting and diarrhea.
Anyone can contract the flu at any age, but H1N1 flu symptoms are primarily found in children and adults under the age of 65 years old. Depending on a person’s age, however, the symptoms of H1N1 may manifest in different ways. For instance, in children, swine flu symptoms may include breathing difficulties, a rash that is accompanied by a fever, irritability and skin that appears to have a bluish hue. Children stricken with the swine flue are likely to also stop drinking enough fluids and may experience dehydration. In some, symptoms may subside and a child may show improvement only to suddenly experience the onset of symptoms again, which may worsen during a second appearance.
Adult H1N1 flu symptoms are similar, but most do not experience a skin rash or a blue skin color. Rather, adults are more likely to experience a shortness of breath, confusion, dizzy spells, nausea and vomiting, chest pain or pain in the abdomen. These symptoms tend to only last for 24 to 48 hours before subsiding. Once infected with the virus, however, a person is considered contagious for a full week after the first appearance of H1N1 flu symptoms.
In most, a fever usually exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius) and is often accompanied by chills. While pain in the chest and body aches are common with regular influenza symptoms, when they are experienced as swine flu symptoms, these pains are generally worse. Combined with other H1N1 flu symptoms, most people experience severe discomfort and pain for the duration of this illness.
H1N1 flu symptoms can be quite alarming and often require emergency medical attention. Even in times when pandemic influenza is not a concern, many will still contract H1N1, as well as other types of influenza. As a highly contagious virus, the spread of influenza is significantly hampered by frequent hand washing, isolating people in their homes at the first presentation of influenza and seeking medical attention for help in treating influenza when symptoms appear to be extreme or persistent. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advise flu vaccinations as an effective method for avoiding contracting swine flu or other dangerous influenza strains.