"It's probably going to take a week or two to really sort all of this out, and figure out how rapidly it's spreading and how deadly it is," says Morris.

Coming up with a vaccine would take a minimum of six weeks, but Morris said the country is prepared for a pandemic illness.

But could the swine flu be more deadly than the common flu that kills 36,000 in the US each year?

"That's the question of the hour," says Morris. "We don't know."