Swine Flu Update
The latest information and advice for our patients
Recently several people in Mexico City became ill with a new, previously unknown swine flu virus. Since then the disease has been reported in many countries around the world. The U.S. Government has declared a public health emergency.
What this means for you is that if you get a respiratory illness, you should stay home. All the people in the U.S. who have gotten the new swine flu have recovered uneventfully. The last thing you need is to go to a medical facility and expose yourself to other sick patients, or to expose other sick patients to yourself. However, if you develop a high fever (over 101.5 degrees F.) or if you have complications like shortness of breath or coughing up blood, you should go to your local urgent care facility or emergency room. There are antiviral medications that may be used for certain confirmed cases. Currently Relenza is what's recommended in selected cases. The CDC does not recommend that we prescribe this for patients based on a telephone conversation.
What You Can Do to Stay Healthy
There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.
- 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 hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.