The H1N1 influenza virus, known as swine flu, is spreading panic across the country with deaths being reported from several States over the years. The disease is inclined to to appear when the temperatures dip and winter arrives. The issue is that the disease spreads through air and not via a vector, as in dengue, and thus transmission is more rapid.

Swine Influenza is a respiratory disease caused by type A influenza virus and spreads from person to person through coughing, sneezing or through touch. The medicine generally prescribed for the disease is Tamiflu, which must be taken only under doctor’s prescription.

“So awareness among people about the precautions they can take at their level can play a vital role in checking the spread of the disease,” advice doctors.