Diagnosing SO-H1N1

The 2009 H1N1 virus is transmitted from person to person.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
The 2009 outbreak has shown an increased percentage of patients reporting diarrhea and vomiting.

Because these symptoms are not specific to swine flu, a differential diagnosis of probable swine flu requires not only symptoms but also a high likelihood of swine flu due to the person's recent history. For example, during the 2009 swine flu outbreak in the United States, CDC advised physicians to "consider swine influenza infection in the differential diagnosis of patients with acute febrile respiratory illness who have either been in contact with persons with confirmed swine flu, or who were in one of the five U.S. states that have reported swine flu cases or in Mexico during the 7 days preceding their illness onset."

A diagnosis of confirmed swine flu requires laboratory testing of a respiratory sample - which is a simple nose and throat swab.