Anyone experiencing flu symptoms should contact their medical provider. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Children may have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea in addition to respiratory symptoms. These symptoms alone are not the flu. From the time you get exposed to the flu to the time you start getting sick, is usually 1 to 2 days. 

 

Swine flu, like seasonal flu, is thought to spread by coughing and sneezing of an infected person. People can also become infected by touching a surface that someone infected with the influenza virus has touched.

 

There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

·      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.

·      Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

·      Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

·      If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

For more information concerning swine flu call the New York State Department of Health’s hotline at 1-800-808-1987 or visit their website at www.health.state.ny.us/. Further guidance can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.

 

It is important for people to recognize that the symptoms for swine flu are the same as seasonal flu. The only way to differentiate whether an individual has swine flu is through testing. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Children may have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea in addition to respiratory symptoms. These symptoms alone are not the flu. From the time you get exposed to the flu to the time you start getting sick, is usually 1 to 2 days. Anyone experiencing flu symptoms should contact their medical provider.

 

If you have a travel history to any of the locations where swine flu has been identified, you should self-monitor your health for seven days. If you exhibit flu like symptoms within the seven days, you should contact your medical provider and provide them with this information.

 

People should plan ahead and think about what they need to have in their house in case someone in their household were to become infected with influenza and need to receive care at home. If you live alone, are a single parent of young children, or are sole caregiver for a frail or disabled adult, it would be a good idea to have some items stored in your home in case of illness: