Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health

With pamphlets arriving across the GTA informing the public on correcting bad hygiene habits by 'sleeve sneezing' by using the upper sleeve as a tissue instead of your hand and 'hand washing' campaigns to minimize contamination from surfaces we touch, yet since alcohol does not kill every germ one has to wonder if any of this is enough or if the entire motive is to subject oneself to the mass vaccination process that commenced today across the city. This can be confusing since the information a few months ago pegged the elderly as practically immune to the virus that was only inflicting younger people. 

SYMPTOMS: H1N1 symptoms are similar to regular flu but may escalate to more serious side effects including fever, chills, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle and body aches, fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea according to the Toronto Public Health advisory. Medical care is urged when one is experiencing breathing anxiety or difficulty, increased drowsiness, irritability, signs of dehydration or having experienced chronic health problems with immunity, diabetes, heart or lung disease. 

PREVENTION:  Nutrition, lifestyle and focus on health are very good ways to build and maintain immune systems to prevent or moderate all diseases. Keep your immune system working its best by eating well balanced meals and reducing germ risks by staying home if feeling sick, washing hands with soap and sanitizer for at least 20 seconds and by not touching vulnerable body parts as in mucous membranes that are entry points to your body such as on your face, mouth, lips, nose, nostrils or eyes.   A person can be infectious until symptoms are gone.