2009 H1N1 Flu Info

The 2009 H1N1 virus spread in the same way seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

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Steps You Can Take to Prevent the Flu

Get vaccinated. The vaccination is your best protection against getting the flu.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If you don't have a tissue available, cough or sneeze into your elbow or your sleeve.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

What are the Symptoms of the H1N1 Flu?

You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

Fever (not everyone with the flu will have a fever)
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Body aches
Headache
Chills
Fatigue
Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.

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Who is at Higher Risk for H1N1 Flu Complications?

While most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs, there are priority groups who should receive the vaccination as soon as it becomes available. They are:

Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
People 65 and older
Pregnant women
Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza, including:
- Cancer
- Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)
- Chronic lung disease [including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)]
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Kidney disorders
- Liver disorders
- Neurological disorders (including nervous system, brain or spinal cord)
- Neuromuscular disorders (including muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis)
- Weakened immune systems (including people with AIDS)

About the Vaccination

The H1N1vaccine is available now. TPeople at highest risk of H1N1 complications, including pregnant women, children under the age of 2 and people with asthma or other chronic respiratory disease should NOT get the nasal spray vaccine.

Lakeside Community Healthcare will update you as soon as we know when and to whom the vaccine will become available. Please contact your healthcare provider for questions regarding the vaccine's availability and your risk for complications from the virus.

What Should You Do If You Get Sick?

Most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu. If you get sick:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands
Put used tissues in the trash.
Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing. Wash with soap and water, or with alcohol-based hand cleaner.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
If you get sick, stay home from work or school, and limit your contact with others to keep from infecting them.
If you live with someone at higher risk for complications due to underlying medical problems, or an infant; contact your doctor for possible antiviral treatment and prophylaxis.
People should stay home at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100°F), or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
After you return to work or school; continue to practice good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene and avoid close contact with people you know to be at increased risk of influenza-related complications.
Because some people may shed the influenza virus before they feel ill, and because some people with influenza will not have a fever, it is important that all people cover their cough and wash hands often.
To lessen the chance of spreading influenza viruses that are resistant to antiviral medications, adherence to good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene is as important for people taking antiviral medications as it is for others.
Be watchful for emergency warning signs (see below) that might indicate you need to seek medical attention.

Seek emergency medical care right away if the sick person at home shows the following signs:

In children:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash

In adults:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Caring for a Child with Flu-Like Symptoms

Keep your child at home. Don’t let him go to school or child care until he has been fever-free for 24 hours.
Keep a sick child away from other people as much as possible. If your child has underlying health problems or is under 4 years of age, see a doctor when symptoms start. Sometimes these children may need antiviral treatment.
If your child is otherwise healthy, call a doctor to see if an appointment is needed.
When holding a small child who is sick, place the child’s chin on your shoulder so that he or she will not cough in your face.
If your child has severe symptoms, has been to an area where there have been cases of swine flu, or been directly exposed to a swine flu patient, call your doctor for advice.
Wash your hands with soap and water often, or use an alcohol-based hand gel if soap is not available.
Keep surfaces (including toys and bedside table) clean – wipe them down with a household disinfectant.
Wash bed sheets and towels with laundry detergent in hot water. Avoid “hugging” the dirty laundry on the way to the washing machine, and wash your hands right after handling dirty laundry.

Advice for Parents with Children in School or Child Care

Parents should not take healthy children out of child care or school unless public health authorities have recommended such a step.
We do not have to close schools and other gathering places to prevent infection except in those areas where the public health authorities have determined that school closings are necessary.
If the virus is causing significant illness in a particular area, authorities may close child care programs and public events.
If the school or child care program closes and your children are healthy, you should still keep them home and not participate in social activities. Working parents may team up with other parents to take turns staying home with children; such groups should be kept to small numbers of children (<6) to minimize the risk of spreading germs.
Parents should remind their children about proper hygiene, including sneezing and coughing into a tissue or sleeve, and frequent hand-washing.
Parents should advise children to go to the school nurse if they start to feel sick during school. Children who are sick should stay home at least 24 hours after their fever is gone.

LA County H1N1 Vaccination Clinic Schedule

2009 H1N1 Flu & You

What Should You Do If You Get Sick?

Flu: A Guide For Parents

For Patients

2009 Flu Information

2009 H1N1 Flu Info | Lakeside Community Healthcare