Boo to the swine flu!

It seems as though the H1N1 virus is going to cause quite the stir this cold and flu season, making things like hand sanitizer and face masks stylish (so of course having the swine flu would be a major faux pas). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is estimating that 1.8 million people in the US are going to get the swine flu, 50% of those people will be hospitalized, and 80,000 people will die. So be part of the in crowd this fall and follow these steps to prevent H1N1 infection:

1) Wash your hands. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom, wash your hands after touching other people, wash your hands before putting ANYTHING in your mouth, wash your hands after washing your hands. Get it? It really is the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick. We all know that Bath and Body works has those really great smelling hand sanitizers. Stock up!

2) Give your immune system a boost. You can do this by eating lots of fruits and veggies, getting enough rest, taking a daily vitamin, and taking something like Air Borne. There are also immunity boosting yogurt and juices being sold in grocery stores. I don't really know a lot about the efficacy of these products but who knows, it might be worth a shot.

3) Get the vaccine. It's going to be available mid-October and it's free to students, the elderly, and health care providers. Along with all the other nursing students at my school, I'm going to be administering them on my campus. Find out where you can get yours!

This is how the swine flu is transmitted:

This is what you look like when you catch it: