I think I know how H1N1 is spreading so fast. It's because of all us middle-aged old farts that were born before 1968 and are now carriers and probably don't realize it.
Hong Kong Flu
Now take a look at 'Graph A' in this link:
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/surveillanceqa.htm
It's hitting young children and teenagers the hardest with the most likelihood of causing severe illness or even being fatal in this age group.
I have a theory that all of us that got the 1968-69 Hong Kong Flu (me for sure) or the 1972 Swine Flu are somewhat immune to the newer H1N1 strain and it's not hitting us very hard. I know that the Hong Kong Flu back then was an avian strain, but these viruses have a lot in common with each other. Last week I came down with severe front abdominal muscle pain that started coming on overnight and I definitely know that I hadn't overworked these muscles before that night. Those front abdominal muscles that go between the sternum and pelvis that allow you to sit up were SO painful, I could hardly use them without severe pain and weakness. They were also painful to press on. I could walk upright just fine, but I couldn't get up from a sitting or lying position without rolling to the side and using my side muscles, easier said than done. It took about a week before those muscles were back to normal. There was no fever or respiratory and other flu-like symptoms.
3-4 days after it hit me, my husband also began showing the same exact symptoms with HIS front abdominal muscles. I must have given it to him. He's just starting to recover now and he didn't have any fever or respiratory symptoms either. The only confirmed flu or illness that's going around here right now in Corvallis, OR is the H1N1, which is mostly at OSU, so if these weird symptoms we had possibly came from the flu, we were probably spreading it around without even knowing it. We never went to the doctor since it didn't incapacitate us. However, I'm not willing to pay for a antibody test to confirm H1N1 and I doubt that my doctor would believe me anyway, so it's just my theory right now.
