Experts say Long Island?s first taste of swine flu earlier this year may help prevent an even bigger outbreak this coming flu season.

The only way to confirm a case of H1N1 versus seasonal flu is through a lab test, so many who got sick in the spring may not have known which flu they had.

?I do think there's an excellent chance that somebody who did have H1N1 earlier this year will not get it again and therefore potentially not transmit it further,? says New Island Hospital President Dr. Aaron Glatt.

Still, Glatt advises residents to stay vigilant. The CDC continues to urge Americans to get vaccinated.