Flu Concerns

This year we are concerned about two influenzas, the seasonal flu and H1N1 swine flu.  We should get the seasonal vaccine as usual to protect ourselves.  Public health statements have warned us about the coming of swine flue or the H1N1 virus as well as the seasonal flu.  In an article on September 15, 2009 in the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope wrote about these influenza threats and what we can do to deal with them.  The Center for Disease Control has indicated that nationwide distribution of the H1N1 flu vaccine is underway in all states.  Your physician will tell you more about the H1N1 vaccine, and if you need to get it.
 

About 6 million doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine have been shipped throughout the United States.  The vaccine for the seasonal flu is available now in clinics, doctors’ offices and some pharmacies.  Recent studies have concluded that in addition to receiving the vaccines, we should make an effort to protect ourselves by avoiding crowds and practicing basic hygiene.

As described in our newsletter, we should frequently wash and dry our hands with soap and water or use a sanitizer.  Either method of cleaning hands has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of spreading infections such as H1N1 or seasonal flu.  Particularly after coughing or sneezing proper cleaning is important because from our hands, germs may enter the body through breaks or openings in the skin.  Therefore we should avoid touching our faces or others after sneezing or coughing.  The Center for Disease Control also recommends that when coughing or sneezing, one should cover one’s mouth and nose with a tissue which is then discarded, or simply cough into the inside of one’s elbow.  Germs may also be passed along to others by touching or shaking hands and by airborne particles when a person coughs or sneezes.  The use of hand sanitizers generally has been shown to lower the risk of infection in colleges according to a University of Colorado study.  They found that in schools where classes have hand sanitizers, students and teachers had fewer absences due to illness.  However, a Harvard study concluded that the use of hand sanitizers “lowered the risk for gastrointestinal illness but not upper respiratory infections”.

Careful hand washing and drying have been cited as a most important means of preventing the spread of infection.  In drying, if using a cloth towel once should change it frequently and avoid using someone else’s towel, or use a paper towel.  The use of a paper towel to carefully dry hands can be quite effective in removing any additional germs left after washing according to the Georgia-Pacific Professional web site.
 In addition to the vaccines and your physician’s advice, these are some precautions we should take every day in this coming season to try to prevent getting the flu.

Rhoda H. Senator, EdD