Dr. Tanya Benenson has been busier than usual these days. She’s writing the plan for how NBC Universal, the parent company of iVillage, will respond to the possible outbreak of HIN1 (commonly known as swine flu). She also runs the NBC Universal medical centers across the country, stars in health videos for iVillage, and is getting ready to be married in September. So we were lucky to catch up with her to ask some of our most pressing questions about preparing for H1N1 this fall.

Q: Are you concerned about H1N1 this fall?

Dr. Tanya: Yes. Because this is a novel flu, almost everyone is susceptible. It’s surviving the warm summer months, so it’s acting atypically. Outbreaks occurred in summer camps and kids had to be treated with Tamiflu to prevent the spread. So when you put kids together in school, there will be marked increases in cases. We do know that in the Southern Hemisphere it did affect high numbers—I heard it even led to tango hall closings in Argentina!

Q: How will the virus behave this fall?

Dr. Tanya: We don’t know. There haven’t been any cases that have made us think this flu is going to be more severe than the typical flu, but the unpredictability of viruses, and the fact that this virus is acting differently from the typical flu, lead to the question of how this is going to play out.

Q: Who is most at risk?

Dr. Tanya: Usually with the flu there are certain risk groups, such as the very old, the very young and those with chronic diseases. But this virus is affecting a larger scope, including pregnant women and school-aged children. For some of those people who have died from the flu, we don’t have a good explanation [why]. This is concerning.

Q: How can this be if it’s considered a mild flu?

Dr. Tanya: For the majority of people, it is mild. But all flu has the potential to be more serious. For pregnant women, for example, we don’t really know the reason why there are more complications. One theory is that in the third trimester the uterus is taking up abdominal space, not allowing you to take deep breaths. But that doesn’t explain [complications in] the first trimester. There are a lot of questions yet to be answered.

Q: What other groups should take special precautions?

Dr. Tanya: Basically, anyone with a chronic medical condition. That includes asthma, other pulmonary disorders, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, neurological conditions, blood diseases, and people whose immune systems are compromised, whether through medications they take or from an immune condition.