Honestly, what is with all of the hype about the swine flu (H1N1)? People get the flu every year. Did you know that thousands of people die in this country from different variances of influenza? So, what's the hype about swine flu (H1N1)??
It's the flu folks!! Something that cannot be cured or 100% prevented. There are certain people who are at increased risk - young children, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses or who are immunocompromised, and yes - pregnant women. Those are the highest risk factor groups.
If you don't fit in any of those groups, chances are that your immune system will be able to fight off the flu perfectly fine.
Things to consider:
- Proper handwashing is #1 to prevent the flu!
- Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze, preferably with a tissue.
- Wash your hands immediately after sneezing or wiping your nose.
- If someone in your household is sick, WASH WASH WASH! Clean household items, doorknobs, sheets, etc, with a bleach/water solution to kill germs.
- If you become sick, STAY INSIDE. Don't run to the doctor, unless you meet the risk factor groups listed above. The doctor or emergency room isn't going to be able to do anything for you, if you have an uncomplicated case of the flu.
- Rest, tylenol/ibuprofen for fever, drink plenty of liquids -- this is exactly what your doctor or friendly emergency room doctor/nurse will tell you.
- Don't go to work and infect others if you are sick. Common sense!!
- It will take 1-2 weeks for the flu to totally be gone from your system.
Here are a few links for your reading pleasure:
What you should know about the flu
What pregnant women should know about swine flu (H1N1) -- CDC
Taking care of a sick person in your home - CDC
Swine flu (H1N1) and feeding your baby - CDC
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14 comments:
I am so glad other people aren't making a big deal about this! I'm American and working as a nanny in Germany right now, and everyone here is freaking out big-time about the swine flu, it's so dramatic!
lol okay someone sent me a flair today...which i thought was hilarious...swine flu? I thought we were all going to die from the bird flu or was the the west nile disease.
i think that the media blows things out of proportion just to sell papers
thats my take
AMEN!!!
I'm so sick of hearing about this... but all the "flying pig" jokes are pretty funny.
I'm not making a fuss over it yet, but I'm not happy about it. I live in Central California, and we're just waiting for the crap to hit the fan. There have been documented cases just one county south of us, although Fresno hasn't had any yet. My hospital has a plan in place for isolation and cohorting. True, it's "just" the flu, but it's a bit more aggressive than our normal flu strains. I'm thankful that we have ready access to simple things like IV fluids, with many deaths in Mexico occurring from something as simple as dehydration. I have to admit that I'm dreading the coming days at our hospital. We expect lots of cases due to the high population of indigents and immigrants.
I'm glad you posted this. I work in a Peds Clinic and we've been doing nasal swabs on pretty much every kid that walks through the door!
Just another case of our irresponsible media taking advantage of all of us because they can!
Friendly ER doc/nurse? I wish... my employee health nurse sent me to ER (against my will) to be tested (had a fever for 3 days) before I could come back to work... and the ER staff in my own hospital treated me like I had the plague. Not one recorded case in my county! Lol... oh well! I guess having a q-tip crammed up into my sinuses to ensure my babies and mammas are safe from the swine flu is worth it! ;)
"There are certain people who are at increased risk - young children, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses or who are immunocompromised, and yes - pregnant women"
how do you explain that the most ppl affected by this one are healthy individuals between ages 25-45?
Sadly, employers make it very difficult to stay home from work.
I think about this one quite alot actually, Are we overreacting to swine flu?
So over it!
Hey!
Happy Nurses Week!
I totally agree with your post :)
I guess my biggest pet peeve about this whole thing, other than the hype, is the fact that people are still so uninformed about Influenza. They think it's a gastric illness. While yes, from coughing and phlegm one may vomit but it's not the running from both ends, "OMG I can't hold anything down" illness.
Nice post, very informative!
Oooh, the media drives me nuts. They definantly had people (myself included) nervous about the swine flu. When it actually hit all over the U.S. it is clear that it's no big deal here. Yet the media never apologizes for making the whole thing sound like the black plague.
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