H1N1 (Swine Flu) is back are you prepared?

The calendar says 2014, but health officials and flu victims might feel like it’s 2009 all over again. The H1N1 flu strain — which was responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic — has dominated this season’s flu scene, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“[Usually] the most common problem from the flu isn’t the virus itself, but the bacteria and pneumonia that the virus sets you up for,” Bruce Hirsch, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital in New York, told weather.com. “(But) this season — unlike few others — we’re seeing this H1N1 flu cause viral pneumonia in and of itself and causing an occasionally fatal flu in young adults who would not be otherwise vulnerable."

“H1N1 seems to be a character — a bad actor — and causing more problems [than other flu strains],” said Dr. Hirsch. “So far the outbreak of this flu season seem to me, as an infectious disease practitioner, to be more dramatic and more severe. It seems to be a little bit of an explosive onset, and what I’ve seen in my patients is a few cases trickling in and then boom! It’s much more common.”

Late last month, health officials in Texas confirmed that the H1N1 flu killed six people. Officials expressed some concern because this year’s flu vaccine is designed to help prevent H1N1 cases.

Texas isn’t the only state dealing with H1N1 cases. Here are some of the states battling the swine flu:

Michigan. Swine flu has killed three adults, and infected about a dozen more child and adults. These patients remain on life support, according to The Detroit Free Press.
California. Last week, Santa Clara Health Department officials reported the state’s first flu death of the season. The victim tested positive for the H1N1 strain, and other counties have also reported positive tests for the virus. In addition to seven cases in Santa Clara County, Marin County and Contra Costa County have reported several cases of swine flu, according to NBC Bay Area.
Oregon. Health officials confirmed two deaths from H1N1 flu, and another 81 hospitalizations, according to King 5 News.
Utah. Utah officials warn that swine flu is on the rise, and could be responsible for the first two flu deaths reported last week, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
North Carolina. The flu has killed 13 people in North Carolina, according to USA Today.
The CDC reports that the flu is now widespread in more than half of the country, with many states reporting severe outbreaks. As of the last weekly flu advisory report, widespread activity has been reported in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington state and Wyoming.