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The following is for informational purposes only and is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. Always bring health concerns to the attention of a licensed physician or other appropriate healthcare expert.
Doctor Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) recommends that H1N1 Influenza (also called 'Swine Flu') vaccinations be given to the general population, especially including persons with underlying conditions such as diabetes, asthma, pregnancy, developmental disability, heart or cardiac disorders, lung or respiratory disorders, and other medical or health conditions who may be at greater risk from the flu and its complications.
Nearly all of the deaths from the H1N1 flu strain were individuals with underlying conditions or a secondary bacterial infection that took hold after H1N1 had weakened their immune systems. Over 500 people have died from the ailment already, and deaths in the coming flu season could be many multiples of that number. It is also important to note that H1N1 can also spread and become infectious outside of the regular flu season.
Presently the H1N1 vaccine is given in a two-step injection process, meaning people will make two visits to their healthcare provider's location. A third visit may be necessary to also receive a regular seasonal flu vaccination. The H1N1 vaccine is described as very effective in preventing Swine Flu, and if sufficient numbers of people are vaccinated, widespread outbreaks will be less likely.
Free or low-cost vaccinations are available to many people, including Medicare and Veterans Administration Healthcare System recipients. Contact healthcare providers for details.
Use the same precautions to avoid spreading H1N1 that are used with other flu types. Wash hands frequently, particularly after touching door handles, money, telephone, and computers that other people touch, and after returning home. Hand-sanitizer products and wipes are available at retailers, and the CDC is currently polling healthcare workers to learn what types of breathing masks are believed to most effective.
People are advised to sneeze into a disposable tissue or cover the nose and mouth with a garment sleeve. The virus spreads by becoming airborne and traveling from person to person and also through surface contamination and bodily fluids.
People who get sick with the flu should stay home from work or school and avoid public places and contact with people at least until the fever passes. According to Doctor Frieden, people do not need to see a doctor when they have the flu unless they have an underlying condition or they become severely ill. Doctors will be busier than usual this flu season, so employers are asked not to require employees to have a doctor's excuse for their absence from work due to illness.
Flu sufferers who are prescribed antibiotics should use the entire bottle as directed. They should not save some pills for the next time they are sick or share the pills with other people. If they stop taking the pills once they begin to feel better, some of the germs that made them sick could still be active inside them and start to multiply again. All of the prescription must be taken properly to break the reproductive cycle of the germs and for the infected persons to stand the best chance of returning to good health.
Although the H1N1 virus may be deadly to some segments of the population, it has killed fewer people so far than the more common flu strains. People who get the flu are more likely to have a common variety of virus than they are to have the Swine Flu.
Please feel free to share this information with discussion groups and online friends. If you have other information about influenza and its complications, please let us know.
The CDC website is www.cdc.gov
Doctor Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) recommends that H1N1 Influenza (also called 'Swine Flu') vaccinations be given to the general population, especially including persons with underlying conditions such as diabetes, asthma, pregnancy, developmental disability, heart or cardiac disorders, lung or respiratory disorders, and other medical or health conditions who may be at greater risk from the flu and its complications.
Nearly all of the deaths from the H1N1 flu strain were individuals with underlying conditions or a secondary bacterial infection that took hold after H1N1 had weakened their immune systems. Over 500 people have died from the ailment already, and deaths in the coming flu season could be many multiples of that number. It is also important to note that H1N1 can also spread and become infectious outside of the regular flu season.
Presently the H1N1 vaccine is given in a two-step injection process, meaning people will make two visits to their healthcare provider's location. A third visit may be necessary to also receive a regular seasonal flu vaccination. The H1N1 vaccine is described as very effective in preventing Swine Flu, and if sufficient numbers of people are vaccinated, widespread outbreaks will be less likely.
Free or low-cost vaccinations are available to many people, including Medicare and Veterans Administration Healthcare System recipients. Contact healthcare providers for details.
Use the same precautions to avoid spreading H1N1 that are used with other flu types. Wash hands frequently, particularly after touching door handles, money, telephone, and computers that other people touch, and after returning home. Hand-sanitizer products and wipes are available at retailers, and the CDC is currently polling healthcare workers to learn what types of breathing masks are believed to most effective.
People are advised to sneeze into a disposable tissue or cover the nose and mouth with a garment sleeve. The virus spreads by becoming airborne and traveling from person to person and also through surface contamination and bodily fluids.
People who get sick with the flu should stay home from work or school and avoid public places and contact with people at least until the fever passes. According to Doctor Frieden, people do not need to see a doctor when they have the flu unless they have an underlying condition or they become severely ill. Doctors will be busier than usual this flu season, so employers are asked not to require employees to have a doctor's excuse for their absence from work due to illness.
Flu sufferers who are prescribed antibiotics should use the entire bottle as directed. They should not save some pills for the next time they are sick or share the pills with other people. If they stop taking the pills once they begin to feel better, some of the germs that made them sick could still be active inside them and start to multiply again. All of the prescription must be taken properly to break the reproductive cycle of the germs and for the infected persons to stand the best chance of returning to good health.
Although the H1N1 virus may be deadly to some segments of the population, it has killed fewer people so far than the more common flu strains. People who get the flu are more likely to have a common variety of virus than they are to have the Swine Flu.
Please feel free to share this information with discussion groups and online friends. If you have other information about influenza and its complications, please let us know.
The CDC website is www.cdc.gov
deleted_user
wow!!! 500 ppl died form this already?!!! aww... god bless their little hearts. that's ridiculous. i might have to tell my mother to fet a vaccination bc she has an underlying condition. she's not gonna listen to me though i might tell her friend too. her friend has sickle cell anemia
Beaumont
Seasonal flu shots are now available at many drugstores and some retailers in the U.S. One drugstore, Walgreens, advertises flu shots for $24.99 with no appointment necessary, between 10 am and 4 pm seven days a week, and the cost may be covered by your health insurance plan. That certainly sounds better than going through the process of calling a doctor's office, setting an appointment, going in for the appointment, and waiting in the doctor's office for what seems like an eternity surrounded by other other patients of the doctor - who may have some horrible infectious disease. This is for the seasonal flu vaccine; the H1N1 flu vaccine will be available sometime in October.
starbright1949
they are doing the swine flu in indy in mass. ppl are standing for hrs to get it. I dont know what I am to do I cant stand 15 mins alone much less hrs.
starbright1949
they are doing the swine flu in indy in mass. ppl are standing for hrs to get it. I dont know what I am to do I cant stand 15 mins alone much less hrs.
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