This year's infection rates are spiking in the south-central United States, where five deaths have already been reported in Texas, Newsmax Health reports.
"That may change, but right now most of the flu is H1N1," said Michael Young, M.D., a medical officer with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's influenza division.
Dr. Young noted that H1N1 flu is different from other types of flu because it tends to strike younger adults harder than older adults. Flu is typically a bigger threat to people 65 and older and very young children and people with chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, he said.
The good news, Dr. Young said, is that this year's flu vaccine protects against the H1N1 flu.
"For people who aren't vaccinated yet, there's still time — they should go out and get their vaccine," he advised.
Dr. Young said it's doubtful that the H1N1 flu will reach a pandemic level like in 2009. There are several reasons for optimism, he noted.
First, millions of people have already been vaccinated against H1N1 flu, and millions of others have been exposed to it since 2009, he said.
In 2009, the new type of H1N1 flu appeared in the United States for the first time, according to health officials.
During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, there were 17,855 cases of infection and 45 deaths, according to the CDC.
Besides vaccination, Dr. Young recommends frequent hand washing and covering your mouth when you cough as ways to help prevent getting or spreading the flu. Also, stay at home if you're sick and keep children with the flu out of school, he said.
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