The proclivity of a flu virus to strike young people is one of the red flags of pandemic.

A friend of mine has had a major medical battle this year and is on medication that's suppressing her immune system. Her doctors will be giving her the normal flu vaccine and the swine flu vaccine as soon as it's available. She's expecting to get these late-September or early-October.

I think she said that her doctors told her the swine flu vaccine will be a two-shot deal. I'll double-back with her on that.

I had a scary bout with flu in 1994, when the virus got me at a vulnerable time. It knocked me flat for 10 days. Sickest I have ever been. That was as close as I've come to calling 911 for an ambulance. Ever since I have taken no chances even with "normal" flu. Vaccinations annually, don't touch door handles or knobs (all year 'round -- gloves or carry a handkerchief), carry hand sanitizer, avoid people who are sick or whose kids are.

And if you're single, just to save yourself having to go to the store when you're feeling miserable this winter, stock up now on food and meds. In normal winters, I always keep a couple weeks of soup on hand -- chicken noodle and French onion to soothe a sore throat. I'll up those stocks this year, starting today when I go to the grocery.

Have a functioning thermometer on hand.

QUESTION: What over-the-counter meds would people want to have plenty of for this contingency?

Tylenol, aspirin, cough & sore throat lozenges....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051601850.html

The swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus that burst into public consciousness a month ago is starting to behave like a mixture of its infamous, pandemic-causing predecessors.

It seems to have a predilection for young adults, as did its notorious ancestor, the 1918 Spanish influenza. Many of the young victims who have become deathly ill turned out to have other medical problems -- a phenomenon first clearly seen with the 1957 Asian flu. H1N1 is spreading easily in North America but sputtering in Europe, just as Hong Kong flu did in 1968. And as in the mini-pandemic of Russian flu in 1977, some people appear to have a degree of immunity.

Exactly how swine flu fits into the pantheon of flu pandemics will not be known for a while. It will take months -- and many more victims -- for its full personality and behavior to emerge. But one thing is clear: This is a lot more than just seasonal flu out of season.