During a Flu Pandemic

During a Flu Pandemic from Vanderbilt Doctors For Patients, Staff and Families Did you know? Every year there is an outbreak of seasonal flu. We call it simply the flu. Scientists found a new kind of flu and call it H1N1 flu. People die from both kinds of flu. The danger of H1N1 flu is that it is likely to be more severe, to affect more people and cause more deaths. The illness has spread to many people. Here are ways to protect yourself. What to do first Wash your hands often. Stay away from crowds as much as you can. Get a flu shot for seasonal flu. It will not protect you from the H1N1, or Swine, flu. But seasonal flu can also make you very sick. Check with your doctor to see if you need a pneumonia shot, too, if you are over 65, have asthma, diabetes or another chronic illness. If you have the flu Common symptoms of seasonal flu or H1N1 flu fever cough sore throat other cold symptoms Take all medicines that your caregiver prescribes. Follow directions carefully. Cover your cough and wash your hands often, even when you take prescription medicines for the flu, to prevent spreading it to others. Stay home until you have not had a fever for 24 hours. Prevent being dehydrated. Drink plenty of fluids. Remember, fever causes dehydration. FLUIDS TO DRINK water broth sports drinks other clear, non-alcoholic liquids Give infants electrolyte beverages such as Pedialyte or Gatorade. Use a dishwasher or hot soapy water to wash your dishes. Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by anyone who is sick. Then wash your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. They are places where germs can get inside your body. Take medicines you can buy without a prescription for fever and pain. Stop taking them when symptoms go away. MEDICINES TO BUY WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION acetaminophen (Tylenol ) ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin ) 1

When to go to the emergency room Adults need to go to an emergency room if you have: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath pain or pressure in the chest or belly sudden dizziness confusion vomiting a lot or vomiting often flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and a worse cough Children need to go to a doctor or emergency room right away if the child: has trouble breathing or is breathing fast has bluish or gray skin color has less urine than normal. This is a way to tell if a child is dehydrated. vomits a lot or vomits often is very sleepy, not waking up or not talking is so irritable that even holding the baby does not calm him or her has flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough Ask a health care provider if it is OK to give cold medicines that you can buy without a prescription to a child younger than 4 years old. Do not give aspirin or products that contain aspirin to children or teenagers 18 years old or younger. Do not give Pepto Bismol because it contains substances found in aspirin. For diarrhea, give Imodium instead. Keeping up the body s ability to fight the flu is very important Everyone in the household must wash hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are as good as soap and water unless you can see dirt and grime on your hands. Wash again after coughing or sneezing. Use a disinfectant cleaner to clean things that people touch often. countertops sinks, faucets, doorknobs TV remotes, keyboards toys phones light switches Exercise on a regular basis and get plenty of rest. Eat a variety of healthy foods. plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products low-fat dairy products lean meats, poultry, fish, beans Go easy on salt, sugar, alcohol, and saturated fat. Drink lots of water. Make sure your family s immunizations are up to date. Make a list of all the medicines you take and the amount you take. Show the list to any medical provider that you see. Make sure you have prescription medicine that you need. Do not run out. Talk with family members and loved ones. It is everyone s responsibility to help prevent the flu. Some family members and loved ones may need to talk about how they would be cared for if they got sick. You may need to plan what you will need to care for them in your home. Your community during an H1N1 In a many parts of your community will change. Many people may be going to hospitals and other health care facilities. You may have to wait. Banks, stores, restaurants, government offices, and post offices may not be open. Volunteer meetings, worship services, and other public gatherings may be canceled. CLOSED Consider how to care for people with special needs if they can t get their usual services. Your work during a Find out if you can work from home. Ask your employer how a will affect your work. Plan for the possible reduction or loss of income if you are unable to work or if your place of employment closes. Check with your employer or union about leave policies. 2

Schools during a Offer to help the school nurse or the health center, teachers, administrators, and parent-teacher organizations in a flu. Schools may close. Have books, toys, and other materials at home. Plan other ways to pass the time. Consider your childcare needs. Transportation during a Think about how you can rely less on public transportation during a. Keep food and other essential supplies at home. Make fewer trips to the store. Prepare backup plans for taking care of loved ones who are far away. Consider other ways to get to work. If you can, work at home. Deliveries to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and other places may be slow or stopped. For managers during a If you are a manager at work, think about information the people in your workplace will need. This may include insurance, leave policies, working from home, possible loss of income, and when not to come to work if sick. See this Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist www.flu.gov/plan/business/ businesschecklist.html Meet with your colleagues and make lists of things that you will need to know and what you can do. Find volunteers who want to help people in need, such as elderly neighbors, single parents of small children, or people unable to get the medical help they will need. Identify other information sources in your community, such as mental health hotlines, public health hotlines, or electronic bulletin boards. Find support systems people who are thinking about the same issues you are thinking about. Share ideas. At home during a Stock a supply of water and food. During a you may not be able to get to a store, or it may be out of supplies. You might have no water. You need to have a gallon of water per person per day. Keep a 2-week supply of foods that will keep for a long time and don t need a refrigerator are easy to prepare in case you cannot cook require little or no water so you can conserve water for drinking Examples of food ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and soups protein or fruit bars dry cereal or granola dried fruit crackers canned juice bottled water baby food and formula in cans or jars pet food Examples of medical and emergency supplies thermometer Over the counter medicine anti-diarrheal medicines such as loperamide, also sold as Imodium medicines for fever such as acetaminophen, also sold as Tylenol, and ibuprofen vitamins fluids with electrolytes Personal items soap and water alcohol-based (60-95%) hand wash toothpaste tissues, toilet paper, disposable diapers Household soap and antiseptic cleaners flashlight extra batteries portable radio cell phone charger non-electric can opener garbage bags Medical equipment blood pressure monitoring equipment medical supplies that you need a prescription for, such as glucose 3

Quarantine and isolation Sometimes national, state or local governments direct people to quarantine and isolation. Isolation means separated. Isolation is for people who are ill with a contagious disease. Contagious means you can give the disease to other people. People in isolation receive special medical care, usually at a hospital or at home. People around them who do not have the disease need to protect themselves from it. Occasionally, governments can require you to be isolated to protect the public. Quarantine means staying away from other people. It is only for people who have been exposed to a contagious disease. They may or may not become ill. They may spread the disease to other people. Quarantine lasts only as long as necessary to protect the public. Modern quarantine is more common for just a few people in small areas than large numbers in entire cities. 4 For more information CDC Public Response Hotline English 888-246-2675 Spanish 888-246-2857 TTY 866-874-2646 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu Or 800-CDC-INFO Vanderbilt Occupational Health Clinic www.vanderbilt.edu/hrs/wellness/ occhealth.htm Updates on the vaccination program and guidance for Vanderbilt employees, visit www.occupational health.vanderbilt.edu U.S. Dept of Human Services Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist for Individuals and Families www.flu.gov/plan/ individual/checklist.html A Guide for Individuals and Families www.flu.gov/plan/ individual/familyguide.html Also available in other languages: Amharic pdf/fluindividual families_amh.pdf Arabic pdf/fluindividualfamilies_ ar.pdf.pdf Chinese pdf/fluindividualfamilies_ tch.pdf Farsi pdf/fluindividualfamilies_ fa.pdf.pdf Oromo http://flu.gov/individual/ individualfamilieschecklistoromo. html Español (Spanish) http://espanol.flu.gov/ flu/enes/24/_www_ flu_gov/individual/ familyguide.html Российская (Russian) http://ru.flu.convert language.com/flu/ enru/24/_www_flu_gov/ individual/checklist.html Vietnamese pdf/fluindividual families_vt.pdf Somali http://flu.gov/individual/ somali.html See the next page for Personal Information forms for you and your family, to keep with you at all times.

Personal Information Keep a filled-out Personal Information sheet with you at all times. NAME Personal Information Keep a filled-out Personal Information sheet with you at all times. NAME BLOOD TYPE ALLERGIES BLOOD TYPE ALLERGIES MEDICAL CONDITIONS NOW MEDICAL CONDITIONS HISTORY MEDICINES YOU TAKE HOW OFTEN DOSE OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS NOW MEDICAL CONDITIONS HISTORY MEDICINES YOU TAKE HOW OFTEN DOSE OTHER PHARMACY EMERGENCY OUT OF TOWN CONTACT EMERGENCY CONTACT NEAR WORK NEAR HOME NEAR SCHOOL FAMILY DOCTORS STATE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPT EMPLOYER SCHOOL RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION VETERINARIAN PHARMACY EMERGENCY OUT OF TOWN CONTACT EMERGENCY CONTACT NEAR WORK NEAR HOME NEAR SCHOOL FAMILY DOCTORS STATE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPT EMPLOYER SCHOOL RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION VETERINARIAN