JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Channel 4 is dedicating the entire day to answering your questions about the flu -- both the seasonal flu and the swine flu.

There's a lot of confusion because the bottom line is that no one's sure how it's going to play out.

One thing experts do know is when there's a new strain of a virus, it makes a lot of people nervous. That's really what this is all about.

You always hear about the flu of 1918 that circled the globe and killed millions of people.

It was called the Spanish flu, and it was so dangerous because it, too, was a new strain of virus that no one had immunity to.

So far the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, hasn't been nearly as dangerous as the Spanish flu, but it's something medical professionals are taking seriously -- like Shands Emergency Room Dr. Joseph Sabato.

'Flu Day' Coverage On WJXT       Channel 4 is devoting Wednesday to helping keep your family healthy when it comes to the flu, both the season variety and H1N1:     6 a.m.    Staci looks at preparation made in the schools to keep it safe.       7 a.m.    The director of the Duval County Health Department looks at the facts and fiction of flu season.        8 a.m. Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi talks about keeping your family safe and how to prepare your child for getting a shot.        5 to 6:30 p.m. Phone bank staffed by Duval Health Department.       5:30 p.m. Special "Jen Cars 4 Kids" segment.       6:30 p.m. Is H1N1 flu vaccine safe?       10 p.m.    Profile on a child who contracted the Swine Flu while she was away at camp over the summer

He, like other health workers, worry about the virus mutating.

"The real question is, the flu always evolves as time goes on. What it evolves into is what we have to watch out for," Sabato said.

Sabato has been a physician for 30 years and said so far, H1N1 hasn't shown itself to be any more of a threat than the seasonal flu.

The only difference with the seasonal flu is there's a vaccine for it.

Health companies had to start from scratch to make a new vaccine to provide immunity to H1N1.

Meantime, people got sick, and some died.

"We have seasonal flu, we know it's coming," Sabato said. "We have a vaccine. Most years the vaccine works so it can protect people against the flu. We don't have the vaccine yet (for H1N1), so that raises concern, plus there are some folks who have gotten seriously ill with it. So it does get a little frightening."

The latest release from the health department shows that six people have died in Duval County as a result of H1N1.

The latest victim was a 9-month-old boy, the first child to die of swine flu in Duval County.

The health department wouldn't say whether the baby had existing health problems.

Swine flu is spreading, including a new surge in the southeast.

Twenty-five schools in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee dismissed students because of an outbreak, affecting about 12,000 students.

Pediatrician Pauline Rolle, who works at a Duval County public health clinic, said she's seen a lot more people coming in for flu-like symptoms earlier this year as opposed to last year.

When asked how concerned she is about the trend, she said, "Just as concerned as I am every year during flu season. It still is a problem with seasonal flu. H1N1 has given parents more heightened awareness regarding hygiene and flu in general, but as a physician I'm always concerned."

Another sign of the medical field's concern about the swine flu is an actual sign that says if you've got flu-like symptoms to see the security guard right away. The guard will give you a surgical mask and put you in a quiet room all by yourself.

At schools around the area, thorough cleaning is always a priority, but this year, school officials said their cleaning contractors are putting hygiene into sharper focus.

"Anytime they learn that there may be an influx of students who learn they've got influenza-type illness, going ahead and doing extra fogging to ensure that the rooms are clean," school official Jill Johnson said.

School health officials are in constant contact with the health department to report any illnesses, but administrators are making it clear that unless there's a major outbreak of illness, it will be "rare" to close a school.

Vaccines will be ready soon. Just how many shots you'll need is still up in the air.

You might need two shots for H1N1 and one for seasonal flu.

For children, talk to your doctor.

There's a chance depending on your child's age and whether the child has had previous flu shots that he or she may need up to four shots.