BOSTON (ASRN.ORG)- What You Can do to Help BIDMC Control the Spread of H1N1 Flu

This situation can appear scary because of the high profile, ever-changing news. There are very simple things that you can do to control the spread of the virus - protect yourself and others from H1N1 flu the same way that you can protect yourself from seasonal flu.

• Avoid holding, hugging, kissing, or shaking hands with anyone who has a cold or the flu.
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes.
• Clean things that are touched often like door handles, telephones, etc.
• If you get sick with a flu-like illness, stay home from work and school and avoid contact with others until 7 days after symptom onset so the virus does not spread.
  • If you have symptoms of influenza as described below, and especially if you have recently traveled to an area where there have been human cases of swine flu.
  • Fever to >100.0 °F, cough, and sore throat and can include body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also have diarrhea and vomiting.
  • If you meet these conditions, your healthcare provider will decide what type of testing and treatment is right for you.
  • If felt necessary by your healthcare provider, a swab of the inside of your nose may be collected by a doctor to identify any kind of flu virus. Identification of H1N1 Flu virus requires special laboratory testing.

How would you know if you have H1N1 Flu?



 

 

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