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Guest column |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Matthew H. Smith
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Prepare yourself for flu season
Right now, many families have settled into a routine as school is well underway and the calendar has turned to fall. But before the leaves drop from the trees, all of us need to prepare in case someone gets the flu.
This year we have to plan for a new version of seasonal influenza, and another potentially serious strain, the 2009 H1N1 virus or swine flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates so far we’ve had more than 1 million cases of H1N1 in the United States. Through mid-September, Pennsylvania has had 2,181 confirmed cases of swine flu, including 160 cases in Allegheny County, according to the state Department of Health.
Like seasonal flu, with H1N1 you’ll get a fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, achiness, headache, chills and fatigue. It can cause diarrhea and vomiting. For some people, it can be severe and potentially deadly.
H1N1 can be dangerous for a person with an underlying medical condition -- such as asthma or diabetes --or if you’re pregnant. So far, it’s been most contagious among children and young adults age 6 months to 24 years. Health-care workers, emergency responders and people caring for infants should be on guard.
So prepare yourself. Some precautions are simple: make it routine to wash your hands often with soap and water; cough into your elbow or into a tissue, not in your hands. Make an effort to stay home if you’re sick, and start planning now in the event that one of your kids gets the flu. And ask yourself these questions: If you work, have you made arrangements for child care? Have you talked with your employer about what to do in case you need to be out?
If you’re an employer, now is the time to plan to meet your objectives with a reduced staff. You do not want an employee who is ill to spread flu in the workplace.
I will have more information about H1N1 and seasonal flu at my senior health fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at Galleria of Mt. Lebanon, 1500 Washington Road. People who have a Medicare card can get a free seasonal flu shot.
If you want more information, please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health Web site at www.dsf.health.state.pa.us.
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