IS IT SWINE FLU? WHAT TO DO
Updated April 30, 2009
Information about Swine Flu (H1N1 influenza) activity in our region continues
to develop. This flu strain is behaving similarly to the familiar
seasonal influenza strains. At Huntington Hospital, we are following
guidelines that come from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), NYS
Department of Health and the North Shore -LIJ Health System, which is tracking
developments on a day-by-day basis.
Here is what you need to know:
- Patients with “flu-like” complaints
including fever, headache, muscle aches and
respiratory symptoms should stay home from
work or school. This same advice applies
during any flu season. They
and their caregivers should practice good hand
washing and avoid sharing food or drink.
- Testing for “swine flu” is being
conducted by the NYS Department of Health laboratory
on only a small fraction of the thousands of
specimens submitted, and this is for tracking
purposes only. Test results do not alter
the recommendations for care of individual patients.
- The current recommendation for low-risk
patients with routine flu-like symptoms includes
neither testing nor treatment. According
to the CDC, treatment with antiviral medication “is
not strongly recommended” for the lowest
risk group. The impact on the course of disease
is usually slight, and Tamiflu ® does cause
stomach upset and other side-effects. Therefore,
otherwise healthy patients with typical flu
symptoms will generally not benefit from doctor
or hospital Emergency Department visits.
- As with any flu-like illness, you
should seek treatment if the symptoms go on for
more than a week, if there is breathing difficulty,
a change in alertness, or any other symptoms
that worry you.
- High risk patients include those with flu-like
symptoms who are less than 5 years old or over
the age of 65, those with disorders of the heart,
lungs, kidneys or liver, immunodeficiency or
pregnancy, as well as patients whose household
members meet any of these criteria. These
individuals will be tested with a rapid screening
protocol. If positive, anti-viral medication
will be prescribed. If negative, further
testing is performed on the specimen at the North
Shore-LIJ Core Laboratory. While waiting
for these results, medication will be considered
based on individual factors.
- When in doubt, speak with your own, trusted
physician.
We will update this website with further information
as it becomes available. Further information
on influenza is available at the CDC website, http://www.cdc.gov/SwineFlu/
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