There is no vaccine available to protect against the deadly disease, but anti-viral drugs are available to stop the virus reproducing in your body.

Authorities say that more importantly, there are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of the disease.

For example, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw out tissues after you use them.

Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person can move through the air quickly, so sitting in a crowded doctor’s clinic may not be the best option.

Given that a single sick individual can infect an entire waiting room, patients seeing a doctor over what are in fact the symptoms of ‘common’ influenza could be risking exposure to the more virulent swine flu carried by others in the room.

Germs also spread when a person touches the respiratory droplets from another person on a surface such as a desk and then touches their eyes, mouth or nose before washing.

To avoid this, wash your hands often with soap and water and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you get sick with influenza, the authorities say it is better to stay home from work or school and limit contact with others.

Workplaces are encouraged to examine options such as telecommuting in the event of a serious outbreak, arranging for sick workers to use the internet and telephones to conduct as much of their work as possible from home as opposed to spreading their illness to other workers.

Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick.

That means you may be able to pass on the flu to someone before you know you are sick.

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return
• Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Dizziness and confusion
• Persistent vomiting

Regarding food concerns, eating pork isn't likely to give you swine flu any more than eating chicken will give you bird flu, according to infectious disease expert Charles Ericsson, of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.