As the anxiety around contracting H1N1, more commonly known as swine flu, continues, health officials insist the public isn’t well-informed about the differences between H1N1 and the regular flu.

According to Richard Rosselli, project manager of the pandemic influenza planning efforts for the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, said although the symptoms of H1N1 are similar to that of the seasonal flu, there are some distinct differences.

“Other than symptoms like fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue and headaches, H1N1 also may include diarrhea and vomiting especially in young children,”Rosselli said.

Compared to the seasonal influenza, the H1N1 strain is more likely to cause infection in young children and adults while seasonal influenza is a concern mainly for elderly individuals, according to Rosselli.

“H1N1 has to be looked at carefully because it is causing significant illness in people with underlying illnesses and among age groups that typically do not get serious cases of influenza,” Rosselli said.

According to Rosselli, H1N1 has received a lot of media attention because it is a relatively new virus and “humans have no natural immunity to it.”

H1N1 has two types of vaccinations either a live attenuated vaccine nasal spray — FluMist — or an inactivated vaccine, which is administered as a shot in the arm, he said.

For children ages 10 and younger, after initially receiving the shot, they must return after three weeks to receive another shot. Adults only have to get the shot once. Wake County has given more than 3,500 vaccinations during the past few days, Rosselli said.

Health officials are recommending people get both the seasonal influenza and the H1N1 vaccination. The seasonal influenza is typically avoided by a one-time vaccination or treated with medications.

“Many people think that they can catch influenza from the vaccine,” Rosselli said. “But most influenza vaccines contain an inactivated killed virus that can not cause influenza.”

Rosselli also said while the FluMist nasal spray vaccine does contain a live virus, it is weakened so it cannot cause influenza infection.

According to Administrative Director at Duke Student Health Jean Hanson, the seasonal flu has more potential to make people more sick than H1N1.

“H1N1 is not as bad as the regular flu,” Hanson said. “One may develop complications if he or she has an underlying health condition.”

Hanson said the seasonal flu has not begun circulating as much as H1N1.

Although people are not immune to the  H1N1 virus, the virus usually lasts three to four days while the seasonal flu last seven to 10 days.

“When H1N1 first appeared in Mexico, countless people did not know what to expect or what would happen,” Hanson said.

The H1N1 hit the United States in April, and while there have been several cases of death, in most cases, the person had a previous health condition.

Hanson said though it has been called “swine flu,” H1N1 has nothing to do with pigs.

“Physicians are making the effort to get away from the term ‘swine flu’ because the particular strain does not come from pork,” Hanson said.