Early Flu Season _ What You Need to Know

Flu season's in full swing two months early this year — and nearly all the cases are the new swine flu strain that so far is targeting mostly children and younger adults.

That doesn't mean older people are off the hook. They sometimes catch swine flu. Also, we could see a one-two punch when regular flu strains start circulating as the weather gets colder. You probably won't know which kind you have. Very few people will get the specialized testing to tell. That doesn't matter — treatment's the same for both.

Here are answers to some questions about what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts will be a busy and long flu season.

Q: Where's the vaccine, and how many shots will I need?

A: Many people will need to line up twice. One vaccine protects against regular winter flu, and that vaccine's available now. A separate vaccine to protect against swine flu — the 2009 H1N1 strain — will arrive in October. It appears that adults will need one dose of that vaccine; dose studies are under way in children to see if they'll need a booster.

Q: Why couldn't both kinds be put into one shot?

A: Bad timing. Swine flu didn't burst onto the scene until April, after manufacturers had already begun brewing this fall's regular flu vaccine and too late to add into that mix.

Q: How does swine flu compare to regular flu strains?

A: So far it doesn't seem any more deadly than regular flu, which kills 36,000 Americans a year and hospitalizes 200,000. But swine flu does sicken the young much more frequently than the old, and it spreads very easily, especially in crowded schools. A University of Washington study found the typical sick school student infects two to three classmates — so keep sick kids at home.

The sad reality: You can be contagious up to 24 hours before you show symptoms, one reason flu spreads so easily.