H1N1 influenza, like most viruses, is spread from person to person through close contact.  Mainly through respiratory secretions and bodily fluids (infected droplets that come out when we cough and sneeze).  That's why the CDC tells us to cough or sneeze into our sleeves, if you can't grab a tissue in time, to block those droplets from spreading through the air. If you cough and sneeze in your hand and don't wash your hands immediately afterward, those germs end up on everything you touch.

Here's why that's important:  the CDC reports that H1N1 germs can live for hours on surfaces. It can survive and infect a person for 2 to 8 hours after being left on a surface. That's why it is so important to disinfect area like night tables and kitchen counters, common places where a sick person might have contact. And clean them often.

  
In the event you get H1N, you are the most contagious the first 2 to 3 days of illness and it appears to correlate with fever. The higher the fever, the more virus you shed and all the more reason to stay home in bed.