This flu season it is doubly important to protect yourself and your family. That is because there are two types of influenza this year, seasonal flu and H1N1, also known as swine flu.
Having a new flu virus like H1N1 can increase the chance you or a family member might get sick because very few people have developed immunity to it. Follow these basic rules to help stop the spread of flu and make a plan if you, a child or family member are home sick for several days.
How to Protect Yourself:
Precautions for protecting yourself and others against both seasonal and H1N1 flu are the same.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or cough into your sleeve.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person to person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- Stay home if you are sick. Stay home until 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicines (Tylenol, ibuprofen). Limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Get a flu shot. Begin with your seasonal flu shot. This will provide extra immunity going into flu season. Consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. This shot will be a series of two shots approximately one month apart. Stay tuned for more information on when H1N1 shots are available.