2009-2010 Influenza (Flu) Season Education & Prevention

Experts at the CDC say that timing is uncertain. The 2009 H1N1 virus has caused illness in the US during the summer months when influenza is very uncommon. It is not known when flu activity will increase, when it will be most intense, what viruses will circulate, or how long the season might last. In preparation, NOAO has installed hand sanitizers in strategic locations in the Tucson office complex and supplied the safety inventory with cleaners and other items just to be prepared. You should decide whether or not you want to get flu shots this season.

If you are sick with the flu, below are some tips from the CDC that we support on how to take care of yourself and to keep others healthy:

Know the signs and symptoms of flu. Symptoms of flu include fever or chills and cough or sore throat. In addition, symptoms of flu can include runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Stay home, if you are sick, for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Staying away from others while sick can prevent others from getting sick, too. Ask someone to check up on you and to bring you food and supplies if needed.

Cover you mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective if soap and water are not available.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.

Sick people should stay at home, except to go to the health care provider’s office.

Stay in a separate room and avoid contact with others. If someone is caring for you, wear a mask, if available and tolerable, when they are in the room.

Drink plenty of clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, and electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from becoming dehydrated.

Contact your health care provider or institution’s health services for treatment if you are at higher risk for complications from flu. People at higher risk for flu complications include children under the age of 5 years, pregnant women, people of any age who have chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), and people age 65 years and older.

Contact a healthcare provider right away if you are having difficulty breathing or are getting worse. For specific information on how to take care of someone who is sick, visit: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm.

For more information about flu, call 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.flu.gov.

Is the vaccine safe? What if one child in a family is sick? What are the symptoms? When should a person go to the hospital? The man in charge answers these and other questions about this fall’s influenza pandemic.

As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci is the government's point man for tracking flu and finding answers to it. He and his team have been monitoring the H1N1 swine flu pandemic since its early days this spring. With the flu spreading rapidly now, and a new vaccine,  Fauci met with USA TODAY's editorial board to address the many questions that are on people's minds. The following Q&A is adapted from that session and edited for length and clarity.

Question: Who is at risk? And how much risk is there?

Answer: The H1N1 virus that's circulating now, for 99% of the people, is a relatively mild to, at most, moderate influenza. However, the people who get into trouble are highly disproportionately young people. Generally, about 70% of them have an underlying condition. And about 30% of them are otherwise healthy. So even though the numbers are very small of people who get hospitalized and sometimes die, the striking thing about it is that you never see that in seasonal flu. I've been in infectious diseases for decades and I've never seen, in seasonal flu, a normal, robust healthy person die from influenza. Everyone I've seen die from influenza have been people who were elderly or sick. So this is a tough message here.

Is this a real serious problem? Well, it depends on who you are. But pregnant women get into trouble. There have been 28 deaths so far among pregnant women, and the people who get into trouble are disproportionately young. The other possible thing that's sort of the gray cloud over everything is that the virus can mutate and become virulent. And if it maintains its high transmissibility and mutates to become virulent, then we have a really, really serious problem. Which we don't have now.

More information is available at:

http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

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Seasonal Flu

More information on the Seasonal Flu and the H1N1 is available at:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

 US Government Pandemic Preparedness www.pandemicflu.gov

 International SOS Preparedness Protocols (ISOS) http://www.internationalsos.com/pandemicpreparedness/