Health Tips 101

It’s been on the news that the H1N1 “Swine” Flu is now a national emergency, proclaimed by President Obama. News stories have cited historical accounts of worldwide pandemics, like the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak, and there’s talk of over 100,000 Americans dying of the disease this flu season.    

First, some numbers – nearly 40,000 Americans die from the flu every year. 100,000, while a significant increase, is still fewer than will die in auto accidents. Like auto accidents, avoiding the flu is possible by taking safe and sound precautions.

How To Avoid It

The most basic precaution is to wash your hands with soap and water. An influenza virus is packaged in a protein case, and that protein case tends to wash away (and break down) when exposed to water. This is also why the flu season is in the winter time; during the summer months when the air is warmer (and moister) the flu virus tends to break down or wash away with sweat.

Second, avoid touching your nose and mouth with your hands. Especially if you’re doing food preparation, or otherwise working in a public place. In fact, if you’re feeling any sort of flu symptoms – do the smart thing. Stay home. Stay hydrated. Avoid exposing other people; the flu will pass for most people within a few days, and after that, you’re not contagious any more.

If you have to work around people who might be exposed, and are either very young, elderly, or have a compromised immune system, get a vaccination. Nearly 18 million doses of vaccine were created, and they’re still being distributed. This will also vaccinate you against the Type A (common) seasonal flu strain. If you’re travelling on a plane, wear a face mask; all the air gets recirculated, and one person coughing or sneezing can affect the entire plane.

If You Do Get It

Where Swine Flu causes problems is in what’s called the relapse phase – this is someone who caught it, almost recovered from it, and got reinfected, or let it relapse; this is where it causes most of the deaths. So, again, if you’re feeling ill – stay home. Don’t go to school, don’t go to work, and stay home with lots of hydration. If you sneeze, or cough, cough into a tissue and throw them away. Wash your hands regularly – even if you’re sick – so that you can avoid spreading the disease to the rest of your family.

If you are sick with the flu, talk to your doctor – you may not need to come into the office for a visit; he’ll want to know what your most recent bouts of travel were, what your symptoms are, and a few other bits of information. This information is used by the CDC to track the spread of the disease and where to send the doses of vaccine next.