He held a captive student audience as he addressed the seriousness of the H1N1 virus at Shady Spring Middle School. The governor said he's working with health departments statewide to make sure everyone's on the same page about swine flu.

Manchin said he's teaming up with health officials to fan out into the community, making sure people get the facts. He mentioned that many people are misinformed. To set the record straight, Manchin said, getting the H1N1 vaccine does not cause the flu. At this point, the vaccine is the best means of stopping the spread of swine flu. Gov. Manchin said it's crucial to make sure that those most susceptible, are armed with the know-how to fight this flu.

"This is serious. It's in all of our counties. And it can get to that serious level if we don't understand how to take care of ourselves and get proper advice," Manchin said.

Manchin said since the swine flu has been deemed a national emergency, he's working to do his part to protect West Virginians. He said he'll be getting involved in statewide conference calls with West Virginia's county health departments. The governor is presenting schools with handouts about swine flu. Parents, look for students to bring these home. Also, be aware, schools are starting to offer swine flu vaccines. Parents will need to sign and return a permission slip for kids.