How to Catch Swine Flu

By Rita Forsythe

To effectively avoid swine flu, you first need to know how to catch swine flu. Swine influenza, or swine flu, is a virus hosted by sick pigs. Swine flu is contracted and spread between people like any other common flu, and you cannot catch swine flu by eating pork.

Step 1
Catch swine flu directly from infected pigs. Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Swine flu outbreaks occur regularly amongst pigs, and it is typically transmitted directly from infected pigs to people.

Step 2
Catch swine flu from an infected person. Swine flu is contagious between people, but in the past, swine flu was limited to, and not transmitted beyond a series of three people.

Step 3
Become infected with the swine flu virus when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The swine flu virus spreads to the air when a sick person coughs, sneezes, and exhales respiratory droplets containing the swine flu virus. Eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, keep your stress level low, and maintain your overall health to decrease the chance of catching swine flu.

Step 4
Contract swine flu by picking up germs from infected surfaces, and then touching your mucous membranes. Swine flu germs may contaminate surfaces that we commonly touch with our hands. If you have germs on your hands, and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you can infect yourself with swine flu. Washing your hands frequently is an effective way to limit the number of germs that you contract.

Step 5
Come in close contact with an infected person to catch swine flu. Contagious people can transmit the disease as early as one day before they exhibit symptoms, and as many as seven days or more days after becoming sick with swine flu. Avoid close contact with sick people to decrease your chance of contracting swine flu.