Swine Flu Info

Resources:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/whatsnew.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html

You can follow the CDC on Twitter or get email updates or an RSS feed. The CDC seems to be updating faster or more frequently than the WHO.

General recommendations:

• Wash your hands often.
• Cover your cough properly. Sneeze and/or cough into the crook of your arm. This is the best way to thoroughly capture as many germs as possible.
• Clean all surfaces as often as is viable. The virus can live on surfaces for over 2 hours.
• Maintain 'safe' distances (3 to 5 feet is good in most instances)
• STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK!!!
• Adults are likely to be able to spread the virus for one day prior to symptoms and up to 7 days after symptoms appear. Kids can spread it for about 10 days after symptoms appear.
• Symptoms are typical seasonal flu symptoms.9. If you are going to get medicated for the flu, you need to have either a preventative shot (but I don't think there is one for this strain yet) OR you need to get antiviral drugs within the first TWO DAYS of symptoms.

Prepare at home:
The preparation is the same as any shelter-in plan.

• Have a few weeks of food on hand, up to two 6 week waves of pandemic flu was/is expected for the H5N1 virus (bird flu). I don't know what the info is on swine flu yet. But if you can stay out of the stores when/if it gets bad, then you are one step safer. Plus if they start shutting things down, like in Mexico City, then you'll have food on hand for your family.
• Make sure you have cash on hand.
• Make sure you have a full tank of gas.
• Make sure that you have plenty of meds to treat the symptoms of flu -- decongestant, anti-diarrhea, cough medicine, Tylenol or other fever reducer.
• If you can, have surgical grade or better masks on hand and non-latex gloves. If it gets bad and you have to go out, you'll want these to protect yourself. Also, if someone in your house gets it, you may want to protect your family by having the sick person wear them.

For herbalists, cat's claw tinctures would be good. They are anti-viral.

Keep in mind that HEALTHY YOUNGER ADULTS have been the ones sick -- not the elderly, not the children. This has been typical of other pandemic flus. The healthy adults are usually the care takers and the ones out and about the most to catch it. Do not assume that since you are usually as healthy as a horse that you don't or won't catch it. You are the group that is getting hit the worst so far. Also, keep in mind that we have less people infected and/or dead from the swine flu (H1N1) than the bird flu (H5N1).

Lastly, check with your HR if you or your family get sick. Many of the corporate pandemic plans have a clause in them that allow you to not come to work and not be docked or fired for absences in a pandemic flu outbreak.