Symptoms and treatment for swine flu
Symptoms and treatment for 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:
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 are also 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:
Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds, and other social distancing measures.
Be 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.
Once a person contracts swine flu, the CDC recommends that ill people stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to prevent 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 called oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). As the H1N1 flu spreads, these antiviral drugs may become short in 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 may be given later if illness is severe or for those at a high risk for complications.
(Excerpted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/. May 1, 2009.)
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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