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The number of deaths across the world linked to the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” has passed 50. China is now reporting its first infection. The Chinese have taken extraordinary measures to prevent the spread of the flu strain.

In Hong Kong last week, nearly 300 people were quarantined inside a hotel after a guest got sick. Mark Moore was one of those quarantined guests. He spoke to Carol Costello on CNN’s “American Morning” Monday.

Carol Costello: You were in Hong Kong, in a very posh hotel, having a great time. And all of a sudden… what happens?

Mark Moore: To be honest, I didn't know what was happening. I was in my room doing e-mail and my brother called me and he said you realize your hotel is under quarantine the last two hours, which nobody had notified me. The whole hotel was locked down. Everyone in the hotel had to stay there.

Costello: What did you do when you got the word from your brother? I mean eventually the hotel management came and took you to a certain area. Tell us about that.

Moore: We were all tested. We had our temperatures tested. We were all taken to a common area, which I think some of us questioned because if there were sick people in the hotel, surely it would have been better to keep us in our rooms and test us individually in isolation. We were brought down to the mezzanine floor and we were tested en masse.

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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/04/art_china_flu_quarantine_cnn.jpg caption= "A worker walks outside a Chinese hotel where officials have quarantined visitors as a precaution."]

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) - Mexico lowered its health alert level Monday, citing improvements in the battle against swine flu.

The level was lowered from red, or "high," to orange, or "elevated."

"The measures we have taken, and above all the public's reaction, have led to an improvement," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said at a news conference.

"But I insist that the virus is still present, that we need to remain on alert, and the resumption of activities will be little by little, not all at once."

But U.S. health officials cautioned that the H1N1 virus is still on an "upswing" in the United States. And the World Health Organization warned that after the number of cases begins to subside, the swine flu could return this year "with a vengeance."

The number of confirmed cases worldwide was expected to cross the 1,025 mark Monday. Earlier in the day, the WHO reported at least 985 cases across 20 countries. There were 26 reported deaths, including one in the United States, a Mexican toddler who was visiting relatives in Texas.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 226 cases across 30 states.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday that 10 more cases not counted in the CDC total have been confirmed, bringing New York City's total to 73. One school - P.S. 177 in Queens - remained closed Monday because of five confirmed cases there.

Keep reading this story

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/29/art_swine_flu_cdc.jpg caption= "A preliminary image of the swine flu virus from the Centers for Disease Control."]

Today I asked one of my colleagues "what makes swine flu different from the regular flu bug?"

Her answer: "One is being talked about all day on TV and the other is not"

She has a point but that's not the whole story. Since we began covering the swine flu these have been my biggest questions:

-What makes this different from the regular seasonal flu? (Seasonal flu kills 36,000 Americans each year)
-Why can't they come up with a vaccine for it?
-How do you know if you or your loved ones have swine flu?
-Can you get it from eating pork?

If you are wondering the same things, here's a quick explainer based on what we've gotten from all of the experts we've talked to over the past few days, including our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CDC Acting Director Dr. Richard Besser, and the president himself.

The biggest reason the swine flu is a concern is that swine flu is harder to treat or fight, because it’s a new strain and thus people have little natural immunity to it according to experts. Here's what Dr. Carlos del Rio of the Emory University School of Medicine told VOA News.

"This is a totally new virus... You have a virus to which there's no pre-vaccination, there's no prior immunity. And, therefore, the mortality rate may be higher than other influenza viruses."

Coming up with a vaccine takes time. And as the CDC acting director said today on our air, they are fast tracking a swine flu vaccine. Whether or not they choose to recommend using it is still apparently up in the air. Watch the interview

So how do you know if you have it? Symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; much like regular flu. So if you have those, stay home, avoid others in your household, and call your doctor to see if you should get tested or take an anti-viral.

Lastly, experts say you cannot get it from eating pork, according to the USDA.  In fact, there’s no evidence that even touching raw pork infected with the virus is risky, says the USDA.

You can get more swine flu questions answered here

Hope this helps,

Kiran