Prevent Swine Flu

Posts Tagged ‘hospitals and swine flu’

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced recently that in response to a request from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, it has issued an emergency use authorization or EUA for the investigational antiviral drug peramivir intravenous (IV) in certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza infection who are admitted to a hospital. The CDC has developed an electronic request system that lets healthcare providers request peramivir for patients who have been admitted to their hospitals due to 2009 H1N1 influenza.

More explicitly, IV peramivir is authorized only for hospitalized adult and pediatric patients for whom therapy with an IV drug is clinically suitable, based on one or more of the following reasons.  The first is if the patient is not responding to either oral or inhaled antiviral therapy, or when drug delivery by a route other than an intravenous route like enteral which is absorbed by the intestines or inhaled is not expected to be dependable or feasible.  The other is for adults only, when the health care professional deems IV therapy is appropriate due to other circumstances and t he FDA has reviewed the available scientific data and has concluded that the criteria for authorizing the emergency use of IV peramivir have been met.

There are no FDA-approved intravenously administered antivirals for the treatment of influenza. Peramivir is the only intravenously administered influenza treatment currently authorized for use under EUA for 2009 H1N1 infections. The EUA authority allows the FDA, based on the evaluation of available data, to authorize the use of unapproved or un-cleared medical products or unapproved or un-cleared uses of approved or cleared medical products following a determination and declaration of emergency, provided certain criteria are met. The authorization will end when the declaration of emergency is terminated or the authorization is revoked by the agency.

It has been reported that by the end of July, up to 5.7 million Americans which is 140 times the reported number had H1N1 swine flu.  As many as 21,000 flu sufferers were hospitalized by July 23, according to CDC estimates. This suggests that the current number of H1N1 swine flu-related hospitalizations is a vast underestimate. The number is just under 22,000 from the end of August to the middle of October.

When reporting numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, CDC officials have always noted that the data is just a guide to the severity of the pandemic and not a precise tally.  We still don’t really know exactly how many millions of Americans have come down with H1N1 swine flu.  That question is still unanswered, but there’s been more than a fivefold increase in increasing flu-related hospitalizations and deaths since Aug. 30.

If you find yourself in the position of having to take care of a family or household member who is sick with the flu there are steps to take to protect yourself and others who are not sick.  This first step is you should keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible especially others who are at high risk for complications from influenza like illnesses.  This includes making people who are sick with any influenza like illness stay home and keep away from others as much as possible. They should avoid traveling for at least 24 hours after fever has abated.

Remind the flu sufferer to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water often.  If soap and water are not available, they should use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.  You should have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water or hand sanitizer. Children may need repeated reminders or even help keeping their hands clean.

It is a good idea to ask your health care provider if household contacts of the sick person, should take antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) to prevent getting the flu themselves. This is especially important for those who may be pregnant or have chronic health conditions Persons with the flu should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned on a daily basis with a disinfectant of somekind.

Anyone who falls into a high risk group for complications from influenza should attempt to avoid close contact with household members who are sick with influenza. If close contact with a sick individual cannot be avoided consider wearing a facemask.  Infants should never be cared for by family members or persons with the flu.

Keep in mind that the sick person should not have visitors other than the person caring for them. A phone call is much better than a visit.  If possible, have only one adult in the home take care of the sick person. It is not people at increased risk of severe illness from flu should not be the designated caretaker. Having pregnant women care for the sick person should be avoided because pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications and immunity can be suppressed during pregnancy.

All persons in the household should clean their hands with soap and water often.  This includes after every contact with the sick person or the person’s room or bathroom where you may pick up germs. Use paper towels for drying hands after hand washing.  Another option is to set aside cloth towels to each person in the household. Using different colored towels for each person makes this easier to keep track of.

Recent government information is focused on informing the consumer that the most effective method to prevent the spread of H1N1 Influenza (known by most as swine flu) is through the use of their hurried rushed to market vaccine.

While this may be true in the grand scheme of things it does very little to reassure the millions of people who have a hard time trusting vaccinations — and for some an even harder time trusting their government. Beyond the deep concerns we decided to examine the language of the recent news and guidance from the CDC and other authority sources on swine flu.

We found the usage of the phrase ‘most effective method to prevent the spread of H1N1 Influenza’ to be a bit concerning because this seems to suggest the governments primary concern is the prevention of the spread of swine flu. You can read that to mean their main intent it is calm the population and stem fears of a wider spread of this pandemic.

So what about the rest of us? What do we use as a yardstick to determine how effective a solution is — beyond just getting vaccinated? You still have to protect yourself, wash your hands frequently and clean your environment. Right?

Well with the recent news of a registered nurse dying of flu like symptoms we now begin to wonder if the message is also focused on reducng the level of alarm in the healthcare professional community. That begs the question:

What do healthcare workers do to prevent swine flu, or rather, What do healthcare workers do to prevent H1N1?

Considering their fate rest daily in their methods of staying clean and virus free we decided to try and locate the products they use to stay safe on the job and to make sure they do not take deadly illnesses home with them.

Fact #1: Clean Your Environment

Depending on how cold it is (ambient room temperature) a virus deposited on a hard surface by a sneeze or contact transmission can remain alive and viable from 2 hours to up to 48 hours. This can make the healthcare environment a hazardous place to sped your day.  So what do healthcare environmental services use to clean hard surfaces? And can the average consumer get their hands on this product?

The answer is yes.

Although not under the same tradename as the formula sold to hospitals, there is a highly concentrated virucide – bacteriacide – and fungicide that is available to consumers. We tracked down one of these products and are advertising it through our website. We choose not to mention it directly in this article because we do not wish to unfairly favor one product over another. Also there may be other products that are proven effective against h1n1 virus on hard surfaces, but we have independantly confirmed this product is safe, affordable and proven effective against h1n1 swine flu on hard surfaces.Also note that 1 gallon of this concentrate make 64 gallons of virucide – more than enough to clean the average home though the winter season.

Visit our website at http://prevent-swine-flu.com for more information and to learn about healthcare products to prevent swine flu.

prevent the spread of swine flu by sanitizing your environment

The CDC says that a good way to prevent any flu disease is to avoid exposure to the virus. This is done by frequent hand washing, not touching your hands to your face.  Be especially careful to avoid the nose and mouth and avoiding any close proximity to or touching any person who may have flu symptoms. Since the virus can remain live and infectious for about 48 hours on many surfaces it is essential to practice good hygiene like cleaning with soap and water or alcohol-based hand disinfectants. Some physicians say face masks may help prevent getting airborne flu viruses from a cough or sneeze but others think it would be better for the people who actually have symptoms and sneeze or cough to wear the masks.

The use of Tamiflu or Relenza may help prevent the flu if taken before symptoms develop or reduce symptoms if taken within about 48 hours after symptoms develop. The vaccine recommendations as of October 2009 from the CDC say the following groups should get the vaccine as soon as it is available:

* people who live with or provide care for children younger than 6 months of age,
* pregnant women,
* health-care and emergency medical services personnel,
* people between 6 months and 24 years of age, and
* people from the ages of 25 through 64 who are at higher risk because of chronic health disorders such as asthma, diabetes, or a weakened immune system.

Generally speaking, about 90%-95% of people who get the disease feel dreadful but eventually bounce back with no problems.  This has been seen in patients in both Mexico and the U.S. Caution is still crucial as the swine flu (H1N1) is still spreading and has become a pandemic. So far, young adults been hit hardest, and in Mexico, this group currently has the highest mortality rate. This data however is constantly changing.

At this time the CDC is stating that people ages 10 and above are likely to need only one vaccine shot to provide protection against novel H1N1 swine flu and further suggest that these shots will be effective in about 76% of people who obtain the vaccine. One type of vaccine (currently named Influenza A [H1N1] 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Live, Intranasal) has been made available during the first week in October 2009. It is a live attenuated novel H1N1 flu vaccine that contains no thimerosal.  This vaccine is produced by MedImmune, LLC, and is administered by spraying it into the nostrils. This vaccine is only for healthy people 2-49 years of age. Children 2-9 years of age should receive two doses (0.1 ml in each nostril; total equals 0.2 ml per dose) and the second dose should be given the same way about one month after the first dose.  Children, adolescents and adults, 10-49 years of age should receive one dose (0.1 ml in each nostril; total equals 0.2 ml per dose).

The CDC is recommending all healthcare providers receive both the seasonal influenza vaccine every year and the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. Healthy persons including healthcare providers, who are infected with influenza virus, can transmit the virus to persons at higher risk for complications from influenza, like patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease.

Early treatment with oseltamivir or zanamivir should be contemplated for persons with flu-like symptoms, suspected or confirmed, who have an elevated risk for complications including patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease. Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease within any of the following prioritized groups are recommended to receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine:

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
• Persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
• Persons between the ages of 25 and 64 years old who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems (including with inflammatory rheumatic disease)

Persons age 65 or older are not included in these specific groups because recent research indicates that the chance of infection among persons age 65 or older is less than the chance for younger age groups. While not expecting a shortage of 2009 H1N1 vaccine, the CDC states that availability and demand can be unpredictable. Once the need for the vaccine among the younger groups has been taken care of, the vaccine should be offered to people age 65 or older, including people with inflammatory arthritis.  Persons with inflammatory rheumatic disease who develop flu-like symptoms need to know the following:

• If you develop flu-like symptoms contact your healthcare provider.
• Avoid contact with others. Seek medical care early. You should stay home and avoid travel, including not going to work or school, until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or necessities. Your fever should be gone without using fever-reducing medications.
• If you leave the house to seek medical care, wear a facemask, if available and tolerable, and cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
• Do not stop taking any medicine you take for your arthritis unless told to do so by your physician.
• Seek medical attention early. Treatment is available for persons with severe disease and those at high risk for complications. Persons with inflammatory rheumatic disease are considered high risk for complications from the flu; therefore, your health care provider may choose to prescribe antiviral medications for you if you get the flu.
• If you are exposed to someone who has flu, consult your health care provider.  They may prescribe medication to help prevent you from getting the flu or watch you closely to see if you develop flu symptoms.

Joe Raedle / Getty

Since this global swine flu issue is taking off in the media and by word of mouth nearly everywhere you turn, there’s no wondering why so many people may easily panic and overact to even the smallest sign that they feel ill right now. Because of this terror instilled in people, some are going so far as to pour into emergency rooms in many states across our country; they fear they have this horrifying disease. It is strongly urged that people DO NOT rush to the emergency room if they start feeling the tiniest inkling that they have contracted swine flu. Like, “oh, my throat hurts…”, or “I feel more tired than i usually do”, or “what’s with my coughing and sniffling?, that can’t be good!”

It also burdens hospitals, the more that “just paranoid” people that start rushing to ER.  Having to examine people who aren’t really sick puts a toll on the already strained/stressed hospitals that are trying to prepare for a pandemic. Additionally, going to an emergency room without just cause may even put you further in harms way and risk your health. In past outbreaks, including SARS in 2003, hospitals were actually breeding grounds of infections — all those sick people in close proximity — and the same could be true of swine flu.

“If you actually have flu-like symptoms — a fever above 100° F, headache, sore throat, body aches, chills or fatigue — and you live in an area where there have been confirmed swine flu cases, by all means report to your doctor. Otherwise, leave the hospital to the sick people.”

ARTICLE FEATURED ON TIME.COM