The virus first became widespread in Mexico before being noticed in other countries.

CDC officials say the government has already been treating the outbreak like a pandemic, and they don’t want people to overreact. Since the first cases of H1N1 were reported, scientists have found that it’s not much worse than the seasonal flu.

There have been more than 13,000 confirmed cases of the virus among Americans. Two have been confirmed in Mecklenburg County while more than 50 have been seen across the state.