DuBOIS – What’s the best defense against the H1N1 influenza virus? Common sense and common courtesy, according to Kathy Lemmon, registered nurse and certified in infection control, manager of Infection Prevention and Control at DuBois Regional Medical Center.

There is a lot of information being published about the H1N1 virus, and it can be overwhelming. To help, here are the top things to remember to do for the H1N1 flu:
• Stay home. Don’t spread your germs to others. Wait until you have been fever free for 24 hours – without taking fever-reducing medicines – to return to work or school or to attend any public function.
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizers often. Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and face.
• Always cover your sneezes and coughs. Use a tissue and throw it away immediately in a trash can (or put it in an empty pant pocket until you can get to one). If you can’t use your hands at the time, sneeze or cough into your elbow. Just cover it. And then wash your hands!
• Do not go to the Emergency Department with the flu. It is not an emergency to have it. Call your family doctor to discuss symptoms and for advice. Like other flus, most people will get through this with no problems. It’s just not fun. (Read below to see when the flu turns into an emergency.)

What is the H1N1 virus?
The H1N1 virus is a contagious influenza virus sometimes called the swine flu. It is spread the same way seasonal flu does – by people coughing or sneezing around others who breathe in the droplets or by people coughing or sneezing their germs onto surfaces that others touch before touching their eyes, noses or mouths.

The symptoms of H1N1 are not unusual. They include:
• Fever;
• Cough;
• Sore throat;
• Runny or stuffy nose;
• Body aches;
• Chills;
• Fatigue;
• Possibly diarrhea and vomiting.

But remember, anyone is contagious one day before any symptoms show up.

How to lessen the spread of the flu at home
If you are sick, stay home and keep away from others as much as possible. If you have your own bedroom, stay in it and keep the door closed. If you share a bedroom, one person should move to a spare bedroom or the healthy person should move to the couch.

If you are sick and must be in a common area in the home, wear a mask over your face and nose. Common areas should have good ventilation. Open a window to have air flow through.

Do not accept visitors. It is better to talk on the phone (and don’t forget to disinfect it afterwards).

If you are not sick, try to avoid close contact with sick people. Keep at least 6 feet away when possible, and wash your hands after providing care. If a child is sick, it is recommended that only one adult care for the child. Hold a child so his chin is on your shoulder instead of face-to-face to avoid sharing germs.

Keep things clean. Flu viruses can survive on surfaces for 2-8 hours. Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth after touching any object. The virus can be destroyed by heat, chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide, soaps, iodine-based antiseptics and alcohol.

If you use common towels to dry your hands at home, switch to paper towels or give each person his or her own towel. This will cut down on germ sharing.

What medicines might you need?
When sick with the flu, you will need fever-reducing medicines like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin) or naproxen (Aleve). Do not give aspirin to children or teenagers with the flu. It could cause Reye’s syndrome. Children under age 4 should not be given over-the-counter cold medicines without first consulting a health care provider.

Over-the-counter medicines should be used according to package directions to lessen symptoms, such as coughing and congestion. Check the labels to be sure the medicine does not already contain acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen as a fever reducer to avoid overdosing.

Check with your doctor or pharmacists if you are take other medications that could interact.

What else can you do?
If you are sick with the flu, you stay home. Get the medicines, tissues and hand sanitizer that you think you will need now. Be sure to have food items for the family in stock and any other supplies so no trips are necessary.

If you have friends and neighbors – especially if they live alone – help them now to get their supplies together. Make plans now about how to provide care if they need it later.

When you are out, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. This is how you get the germs. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you sneeze or cough. Or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Try to improve your immune system by eating a balanced diet, exercising and getting enough rest. If you are well but have sick family members, you can still go to work, but monitor your health daily and take precautions.

What about medical care?
The H1N1 virus should be treated like other flus. You won’t need to make an Emergency Room/Department visit unless there is a complication. Here are the warning signs that need urgent medical attention:
• Fast or troubled breathing or shortness of breathe;
• Bluish or gray skin color in children;
• Not drinking enough liquids, especially in children;
• Severe or persistent vomiting;
• Not waking up or interacting, especially in children;

Keep informed
Follow the news to know the latest information. This virus may be around for a long time.

Should you get the vaccine?

With so much talk about the vaccine in the news, it can be difficult to sort out.
The list of those who should be first in line is simple:
• Pregnant women;
• People who live with, or take care of infants less than 6 months;
• All people age 6 months to 24 years with those age 9 and under receiving two doses,
four weeks apart;
• Health care workers and EMS personnel;
• Age 25-64 with health problems - such as asthma, diabetes, immune system disorders,
heart disease, kidney disease, neurocognitive disorders (i.e. Alzheimer’s) and
neuromuscular disorders (i.e. multiple scorosis) - that pre-disposed them to having
more problems if they get the flu.

Infants under 6 months cannot be vaccinated. Their parents and caregivers should take care to stay flu-free and protect the infant from the virus.
When all else are vaccinated, the rest of population will be offered a chance to get it. This flu will affect children and young people more than the elderly and adults.
What is the H1N1 vaccine?

The H1N1 vaccine was made with help from the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC isolated the H1N1 flu virus and modified it to be used by vaccine manufacturers to make hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine. The H1N1 vaccine is made using the same process that the seasonal vaccine is made; there have been no short-cuts.

There are two types of the vaccine being made – a nasal spray and a shot. What one gets is decided based on a person’s age and health situation.

Coming out first is a vaccine mist nasal spray, and it is already being used in Tennessee and Indiana. Called the live attenuated 2009 H1N1 vaccine, it has the actual live, but weakened, virus in mini-dose that one’s body can fight, kill and create antibodies from. In the future, the antibodies would fight off the H1N1 virus if a person is exposed.

Only healthy people between ages 2-49 can get this vaccine. People with sinus problems cannot receive it. Anyone who is pregnant or has asthma or any other health issue cannot get it. This would be OK for healthy children, healthy childcare workers, health care workers and EMS personnel to use.

The inactivated 2009 H1N1 is the other type of vaccine. It is a shot just like all the other seasonal flu shots, and it can be administered at the same visit as any other vaccine, including the pneumonia vaccine. This is good for anyone who is pregnant or over 49 with health issues.

People with an egg allergy cannot get the vaccine, as it is developed using eggs. These people need to concentrate on hand hygiene, cough etiquette and staying away from others who are sick.
What if I already had the flu?

Was it H1N1? Do you really know? The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to those caused by many other viruses. Even when influenza viruses are causing large numbers of people to get sick, other viruses are also causing illnesses, according to Lemmon.

To know if a virus is H1N1, a specific test called the RT-PCR test is needed. This test is different from rapid flu tests that doctors can do in their offices. Since most people with flu-like illnesses will not be tested with RT-PCR this season, the majority will not know whether they have been infected with 2009 H1N1 flu or a different virus. However, according to the DOH, the vast majority of circulating flu virus this year is H1N1.

If one does not know, it will not cause a problem to get vaccinated if recommended by a doctor.
When can one get their H1N1 flu shot locally?

DRMC and its physician offices, like many, are working on a process with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to obtain enough vaccine. Only after the announcement is made in the media that the vaccine has arrived, anyone who wants to receive the H1N1 vaccine should call their doctor’s office.