11-04-2009, 02:39 AM
Pam wrote:
[quote=AlphaDog]
So, if you're sick, how much difference does it really make whether you have H1N1 or just a bad case of the "regular" flu? The treatment is the same, and people should be staying home and away from others when they're sick anyway, so it seems more like the curiosity value of knowing instead of anything that has practical application.
It makes a difference in tracking the infections and their related effects. From the testing done already it's pretty much a slam dunk that if you test positive for influenza that it's H1N1. Later on that may not be the case. So no need to identify the strain unless you're hospitalized.
That's valid from the standpoint of the epidemiologist, but I was talking about how much difference it really makes to the person who's sick.