Don't confuse carbon-monoxide poisoning for swine flu

"Dr. Carson Harris is always a little suspicious this time of year when patients come in with symptoms of the flu: headache, nausea, fatigue. They might think it's swine flu, but it could be carbon monoxide poisoning. 'The symptoms are so similar,' said Harris, an emergency room physician at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. 'It can look just like the flu.' "

That was the attention-grabbing opening to " Carbon Monoxide Can Cause Same Signs as Flu," an article by Maura Lerner that ran late last month on StarTribune.com. The story notes that with the heightened awareness of swine flu, Regions Hospital and the St. Paul Fire Department issued a public alert to help people distinguish between CO poisoning and the flu.

Don't take any chances if you think there's a carbon-monoxide problem at your home. Remember, CO poisoning can occur from even brief exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide as well as from longer exposure to low levels. Symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, unconsciousness, and ultimately death. (Learn more about swine flu, including symptoms of and treatments for the H1N1 virus.)

The best way to prevent carbon-monoxide-related problems at home during the winter is to keep your heating system and chimneys in good working condition. Read " Protect Yourself Against Carbon-Monoxide Poisoning" for more details. And remember, never operate fuel-burning equipment—a portable generator, snow blower, gas or charcoal grill—in an enclosed space like a garage or basement. Carbon monoxide can build up and even migrate into other livings spaces.

For optimum protection, you also need to have carbon-monoxide and fire alarms that interconnect—they all sound at once—installed throughout your home. Read our November 2009 report on CO and fire alarms and find the best carbon-monoxide alarms in our ratings (available to subscribers). We recommend models with a battery backup, which will work during a power failure.

Essential information: Check out our free buyer's guide to carbon-monoxide and smoke alarms, which includes specifics on alarm types and proper installation.