Here’s some advice from an expert I trust:

“All this media attention to swine flu is a little bit confusing. True it is a new strain and appears to have a higher mortality rate than existing strains, but annual deaths from existing influenza worldwide are estimated to be around 500,000. In the US alone about 36,000 people die every year from influenza; mostly the young, the sick and the elderly.

The best advice to prevent infection is common sense. Have a flu shot, eat a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, avoid extremes of weather and temperature and, as much as possible, avoid places where there are crowds of people in confined spaces (airplanes!!!). Frequent washing of hands is always a good idea to minimize the risk of contamination.

It is also expected that a swine flu vaccine will be available in a few months, and when it does become available be early in the line.”