Prevent Swine Flu

Things to look for – protect yourself from H1N1

How do you Prevent Flu?
Experts are recommending that if you are showing signs of flu-like symptoms this flu season, staying home and avoiding contact with other people except to get medical care is the best option. The thought is to keep the spread of flu-like symptoms to a minimum.  Most people who have come down with the 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs.  This is also true of seasonal flu.

In the event that you are one of the people who are more likely to get flu complications then you should talk to a health care provider about whether you need to be examined if you get flu symptoms this season. People who fall into a higher risk category are children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old, people 65 and older and pregnant women.  Others at risk are people who have the following:

o    Cancer

o    Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)

o    Chronic lung disease [including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)]

o    Diabetes

o    Heart disease

o    Kidney disorders

o    Liver disorders

o    Neurological disorders (including nervous system, brain or spinal cord)

o    Neuromuscular disorders (including muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis)

o    Weakened immune systems (including people with AIDS)

There are drugs your doctor may prescribe for treating both seasonal and 2009 H1N1 called antiviral drugs. These drugs can make you better faster and may also prevent serious complications. This flu season, antiviral drugs are being used mainly to treat people who are very sick, such as people who need to be hospitalized, and to treat sick people who are more likely to get serious flu complications like those mentioned above. Your health care provider will decide whether antiviral drugs are needed to treat your illness. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, talk to your doctor. It is not advised to go to the emergency room because if you do not have the flu, you may catch it from sick people who are there.

Symptoms of the flu could be one or a combination of fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.  An important side note to keep in mind is that not everyone suffering from the flu will show signs of a fever.  Remember, most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.  Also, it’s possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu so anyone concerned about their illness should consult a health care provider.

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