H1N1 Prevention & Protection

On June 11, 2009 the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic was declared, moving the alert level to six. It is the first gloabal pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong Flu. The Hong Kong pandemic was only a level 2 but it caused over one million deaths.

Swine flu can only be diagnosed by a blood test due to the fact that the symptoms are similar to an everyday flu virus. These include fever, sore throat, headache, achy joints and muscles, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue and runny nose.

If you have an already weakened immune system you may be at higher risk. This is also the case for those with diabetes, asthma, heart disease, pregnant women or those who are overweight.

There is a vaccine on the way but it will be distributed according to need. For example, pregnant women, children and health care workers will be first up to receive the vaccine. Until then there are a few things you can do to help guard against the virus.

The ideal way to protect yourself would be to avoid all human contact and not go out in public. Of course that is not possible. The best thing you can do is to practice good hygeine. Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. If you are not able to wash your hands keep a bottle of antibacterial cleaner with you at all times.

The H1N1 virus is able to survive on the surface of objects so be sure to not touch handrails, bathroom door handles or anything else that could be harboring the virus.

Avoid contact with people who appear to be sick. If you are sick you should avoid contact for at least 24 hours after your fever has subsided without the use of fever-reducing medication. Even if you have a simple cold you will be more at risk for the H1N1 virus because of a weakened immune system.