You may have recently heard about the new Chinese swine flu that has the potential to become a pandemic virus and wondered, what is happening? Have we crossed over into some new territory? The short answer: No.

Whether you’re a parent with school aged children, or work in a busy environment, where you generally have contact with lots of people, chances are you’ve picked up a cold or two along the way. You have an even better chance of catching a virus than you do a bacterial...