the citys erratic weather has already turned bengaluru into a hotpot of allergies infections cough and cold whats more worrying is that this season the city has already witnessed nearly 130 h1n1 cases with five deaths already registered within bbmp limits with such numbers it becomes extremely important for bengalureans to learn about the disease what is h1n1speaking about the disease dr kk aggarwal president heart care foundation of india and the former president of indian medical association ima says though the virus may be less dangerous it is certainly more contagious as the virus has undergone a change it is likely to infect more people who have not developed immunity to it yet flu influenza viruses are divided into three broad categories influenza a b or c influenza a is the most common type h1n1 flu is a type of influenza a h1n1 indicates the viral serotype it is a kind of shorthand for characteristics that identify the virus to your immune system and allow the virus to enter your cells there are many different strains of h1n1 flu the virus spreads through droplet infection mainly coughs and sneezes and can only cover a distance of three to six feetprevention is better than cure personal hygiene is crucial the best thing to do is to disinfect your hands after a handshake cover your mouth when coughing avoid crowded places and if not well then better take rest at home advises dr shylaja shyamsundar a consultant physician internal medicinestake rest at home if you fall sick and do not spread it to others you may not suffer from a complication but another person in your vicinity or at workplace might fall victim to it not taking rest may delay the recovery says dr manohar kn physician and consultant internal medicines at another city hospitalthe unique nature of the influenza virus is its ability to change and undergo mutations public health holds the key to prevention basic infectioncontrol measures like hand hygiene cough etiquette and staying at home when unwell can play a major role in the control of the spread of infection vaccination by far would be the most costeffective measure to control spreading of the virus says dr swati rajgopal consultant infectious diseases at a city hospital symptomsthe symptoms for h1n1 is similar to that of normal flu and fever swine flu is no different from any other flu within 48 hours if you develop respiratory distress face difficulty in breathing or suffer vomiting then it is advisable to visit a doctor adds dr manoharmost often we are seeing high fever cases coming in predominantly with respiratory tract infection generally in h1n1 the condition becomes worse in the first three days after which they have difficulty in breathing most of the patients suffering from h1n1 recover within 10 days unless there is a secondary infection which happens if the immunity decreases adds dr shylaja the symptoms are similar to those of other flu strains some of them