How to protect yourself from the influenza A(H1N1) virus (or swine flu)

Pandemic Flu Planning

Filed under Uncategorized

Pandemic Flu Planning – How to protect yourself from the influenza A(H1N1) virus (or swine flu).

Below are several ways to protect yourselves from swine flu or the influenza A(H1N1) virus:

1. Practise general preventive measures for influenza:

Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have cough and fever
Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly
Practise good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food and keeping physically active

2. If there is a sick person at home:

Try to provide the sick person a separate section in the house. If this is not possible, keep the patient at least one metre (about 3 feet) in distance from the others
Cover mouth and nose when caring for the sick person. Masks can be bought commercially or made using readily available materials as long as they are disposed of or cleaned properly
Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after each contact with the sick person
Try to improve the air flow in the area where the sick person stays. Use doors and windows to take advantage of breezes
Keep the environment clean with readily available household cleaning agents

3. If you feel unwell, have high fever, cough and/or sore throat:

Stay at home and keep away from work, school or crowds as much as possible
Rest and take plenty of fluids
Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when coughing and sneezing and dispose of the used tissues properly
Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly, especially after coughing or sneezing
Inform family and friends about your sickness and seek help for household chores that require contact with other people such as shopping

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.