Flu watch: Prevention is the best medicine

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Many doctors call my office asking if their patients’ fever, cough and other respiratory symptoms mean they have pandemic H1N1 flu, or swine flu.

As an epidemiologist and physician specializing in infectious diseases, I can tell you that the majority of flu cases are now due to H1N1. But it doesn’t really matter whether it’s the H1N1 or seasonal flu. Once you have the symptoms, which are nearly identical, we recommend caring for them the same way.

The best way to deal with these potentially dangerous illnesses is to prevent them by vaccination.

You should get two flu vaccines this season, if possible. The seasonal flu vaccine is available now, and more will arrive throughout the fall. I recommend getting a seasonal flu vaccination soon.

I also recommend getting an H1N1 immunization when you can. Certain groups have priority for this vaccine and should get it when it becomes available. High priority for H1N1 vaccine will be given to pregnant women, caregivers of infants younger than 6 months, health-care workers and children from 6 months to 4 years.

Even if you’ve received flu shots, it’s a good idea to take additional precautions because no vaccine is guaranteed to provide complete protection. But, you’re far better protected by having the immunizations than you would be without them.

Sick people who cough or sneeze spray droplets containing the virus into the space around them. If the droplets land on a mucous membrane, such as the nose, mouth or eyes, they can easily enter the body and cause illness. If you touch a sick person or something the sick person has handled and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, the virus can enter your body that way, too.

To keep the flu or any respiratory virus from spreading, cough or sneeze into a tissue. Then throw it away and wash your hands. If no tissue is readily available, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or forearm can prevent the virus from spreading.

Washing your hands often and thoroughly for 15-20 seconds with soap and water will go a long way toward protecting you. You also can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

At home, you might consider keeping a sick person away from the common areas of the house with the door closed.

If a sick person has no choice but to care for infants and children, it’s a good idea to wear a mask in addition to frequent hand washing.

A person who has flu-like symptoms should not go to school or work until 24 hours after the fever is gone without taking fever-reducing medication. Health-care workers should stay home for seven days after the onset of the symptoms, providing that the fever has been gone 24 hours.

Dr. Burke is the health-care epidemiologist for SMDC Health System and an infectious disease specialist.

Tags: swine flu, news, health, h1n1