Note: This article was written on Sunday, April 26, 2009. It summarizes information available to date. However, todays information may be obsolete tomorrow if more cases surface and as ongoing laboratory results are evaluated. Check dates of any material you read.
The largest confirmed outbreak, eight cases, has occurred among students in one high school in New York City. Many additional students at this school are ill with similar symptoms. (Note: Our pediatric office is located near this school. We have seen or talked to the parents of about 12 additional students who appear to have the flu. Our office tests confirmed influenza A in some of the students who came to our office, but office tests are not sufficiently sophisticated to isolate subtypes. Likely these cases are swine flu. )
There have been numerous cases of swine flu in Mexico recently and many deaths. As of today, it is not known if the flu strains in the United States are identical to the ones found in Mexico. Some students from the NYC high school visited Mexico for their recent spring vacation.
Presently, there are more questions than answers. It could be ominous that this flu virus can spread readily from person to person; most (but not all) previous human cases of swine flu had close contact with pigs. What is encouraging is that all known cases in the United States so far are mild. Also, from 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of known swine flu were detected with no deaths occurring.
Here is what you have to know:
Ø Infants have almost as high hospitalization rates for flu as do the elderly.
Ø Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and put your used tissue in a wastebasket and teach older children to do the same. If you dont have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
Ø Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing. Use disposable tissues. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Ø Avoid close contact with sick people.
Ø Ill family members should stay home from work, school and daycare to minimize infecting others.
Ø Train yourself and teach children to avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth as viruses can be caught that way. Viruses exist on fingers from touching contaminated objects.
Ø Seek medical attention only if someone has significant symptoms to prevent unnecessarily crowding healthcare facilities. (Such facilities can also be places to become ill.)
Ø Common flu symptoms include: fever cough and runny nose, body aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.
Ø Likely, the flu vaccine given this past fall offers little or no protection against this new strain.
Ø It may take another day or two to determine if available anti-viral drugs are effective against this strain of virus.
Ø The virus is not transmitted by eating pork.
Ø Presently, health departments are NOT recommending closing unaffected schools, staying home if one is healthy, wearing masks, or taking preventative medications.
Ø Once ill, the contagious period may last up to 7 days. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.
Ø Check travel advisories before traveling, especially traveling to Mexico. See http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx
For further information, see: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/recommendations.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/index.htm.
Click
here for more information
|
