Symptoms, treatment for the swine flu
Symptoms, treatment for the swine flu
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of swine flu are the same as the symptoms for seasonal flu: fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea. If a person lives in an area in which swine flu has been identified, the CDC recommends a visit to the physician to determine if testing or treatment is necessary.
Because there is no vaccine available at this time to protect employees and home health patients and families against the swine flu, the CDC recommends the following steps to protect against exposure:1
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Stay home if you are sick for seven 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.
Other important actions that you can take are:
following public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds, and other social distancing measures;
being prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so. A supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs, tissues, and other related items could be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious.
The CDC recommends that ill people stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading the illness to others.
Although it is anticipated that most people will recover without needing medical care, people at high risk for flu complications may receive antiviral medications. There are two influenza antiviral medications that are recommended for use against H1N1 flu. The drugs that are used for treating H1N1 flu are oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). As the H1N1 flu spreads, these antiviral drugs might become in short supply. Therefore, the drugs will be given first to those people who have been hospitalized or are at high risk of complications. The drugs work best if given within two days of becoming ill, but it may be given later if illness is severe or for those at a high risk for complications.
Reference
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu). Web: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu. Accessed May 7, 2009.
Need More Information?
For more information about swine flu and pandemic preparedness, contact:
Bart Joiner, Administrator, Heartland Home Health Care and Hospice, 5368 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78229. Telephone: (210) 340-0499. Fax: (210) 615-1177. E-mail: [email protected].
Shan-wei Ko, RN, NP, Chief Clinical Officer, Continuum Hospice Care, 39 Broadway St., New York, NY 10006. Telephone: (212) 649-8908. Fax: (212) 649-5575. E-mail: [email protected].
Kathy A. McMahon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State, 21 Aviation Road, Suite 9, Albany, NY 12205. Telephone: (518) 446-1483. Fax: (518) 446-1484. E-mail: [email protected].
Mary Wagner, RN, BSN, MEd, Vice President, Clinical Practice, Metropolitan Jewish Home Care, 6323 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11220. E-mail: [email protected].
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's web site on swine flu contains daily updates on the spread of the disease and guidance for the prevention and treatment of the disease. A special section for clinicians provides guidance on treatment of special audiences, including young children, patients with cardiovascular disease, and immunosuppressed patients. Go to www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu for the main page of information. To find specific guidance papers for specific audiences, select "Guidance" on the left navigational bar.
The Homecare Association of New York offers an emergency preparedness web site specifically for home care and hospice providers. Go to www.homecareprepare.org and on the top navigational bar, select "pandemic." A list of information links, as well as planning tools, to prepare for a pandemic are available.
The Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State offers tools hospice managers can use during a flu pandemic. Go to www.hpcanys.org. On top navigational bar, select "Resources." Go to "Pandemic Flu Provider Resources," and scroll down to "Tools" for symptom management charts.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of swine flu are the same as the symptoms for seasonal flu: fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea. If a person lives in an area in which swine flu has been identified, the CDC recommends a visit to the physician to determine if testing or treatment is necessary.Subscribe Now for Access
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