By ABC-7's Veronique Masterson

The H1N1 "swine flu" virus is worrying many people, but here's a historical perspective.

Over 90 years ago, a flu pandemic killed between 20 to 40 million people worldwide, including more than 600 in El Paso.

Health experts say the current virus does not appear to have the same genes that made the 1918 flu epidemic so deadly.

An article from the El Paso Community College publication "Borderlands" says the virus known as the Spanish flu lasted about 4 months, from September 1918 to January 1919.

According to the article's authors, the Spanish flu epidemic was extremely deadly, with some victims dying within hours of getting sick.

The outbreak forced schools and churches to close.  It is thought that health officials at the time even enacted an ordinance requiring El Pasoans to wear face masks in public.

The article also says Mexican-Americans in the Chihuahuita neighborhood in South El Paso suffered the most because there was no hospital in the area.

About 400 El Pasoans allegedly died by the end of October, with 144 of those in South El Paso.

Even though it appears the H1N1 virus is not as severe as the Spanish flu virus, medical experts stress taking precautions, like practicing proper hygiene as well as staying at home if you feel sick.