Ochsner Offers New Advice to Help Prevent the Spread of H1N1
Ochsner Offers New Advice to Help Prevent the Spread of H1N1 (Swine Flu)
Ochsner Health System, in conjunction with the CDC, has new advice for healthy individuals who have flu-like symptoms - stay home and rest.
Don't plan to visit the doctor's office unless your symptoms worsen, as you will be exposing even more people to the virus. However, physicians caution that if you are considered "high risk," you should call your physician immediately for advice on what to do.
"We know that H1N1 is going to continue to spread throughout the community. Therefore, our goal is to appropriately care for individuals, while reducing ER overcrowding and additional spread of the illness. We would like to provide education on when to seek medical care and when to remain at home," explains Dr. Katherine Baumgarten, Ochsner Medical Director of Infection Control.
Ochsner is encouraging local residents to follow the recommended CDC advice:
- Healthy individuals are asked not to visit the doctor with onset of symptoms. Instead, remain at home, away from other individuals, in order to recover and reduce the spread of H1N1.
- Individuals who are asked to call their physicians, with onset of symptoms, include the following high-risk populations:
- Immuno-compromised (example: cancer, transplant, diabetes, HIV, those with underlying lung disease)
- Pregnant women
- Parents of young children (less than 5 years)
- Older population (greater than 65 years)
Dr. Baumgarten explains, "If you have flu-like symptoms and are otherwise healthy and not a high-risk category, Ochsner physicians recommend plenty of fluids, Tylenol, and plenty of rest." She advises that Tamiflu, an antiviral drug that helps to treat the flu, will only be administered to high-risk populations and explains, "Most individuals are able to weather the illness as they do the seasonal flu."
As with any illness, it can occasionally worsen in otherwise healthy adults. Individuals are advised to seek care without delay if they begin experiencing the following symptoms:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Intractable nausea and vomiting
- Return of high fever after original fever has gone away
Warning signs for children to seek immediate emergency medical care include:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish or gray skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not urinating as usual
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Not waking up or interacting as usual
- Being so irritable that he or she does not even want to be held
- Fever returns after being absent or a significant change in fever pattern (101 degrees for several days then 103 degrees)
If residents follow this advice, potential over-crowding in local ERs and the spread of the virus can be reduced. Physicians are trying to avoid having non-infected patients get the H1N1 virus from others in patient waiting areas.
"The H1N1 virus is comparable to the seasonal flu in its effects on the population. Every year, millions of Americans catch the flu and recover, and every year we suffer some deaths. H1N1 can be dangerous to some individuals but for the majority of the population it's simply an uncomfortable experience," adds Baumgarten.
All individuals are encouraged to get the seasonal flu shot, which will be available in mid to late September. An H1N1 vaccine is not expected to be available until late fall and will then only be distributed to high-risk populations as directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For more information on H1N1, click here.
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