As swine flu continues to infect school kids, parental anxieties have stirred up with each one trying to be cautious enough to avoid the spread of HINI virus that has caused severe illness and deaths worldwide.
Dr Galit Holzmann-Pazgal assistant professor of pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston suggest parents can ease their anxieties by arming themselves with facts about H1N1 and using some commonsense tips.
*Wash your hands after you touch...and Twitter
Washing your hands is the single-most important step to prevent the spread of H1N1. The virus is spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes as well as touching hands and objects contaminated with these droplets such as each other''s phones, computer keyboards, iPods and video games.
Main symptoms of swine flu are fatigue and fever. Others include body aches, runny or stuffy nose, cough, sore throat and fever, headache, chills, diarrhea and vomiting
*Know when it is an emergency
Call your doctor if your child has symptoms including rapid breathing, not drinking enough, fussiness or if symptoms improve and then return with fever and worsened cough.
*With mild cases, call your doctor first
If your child just feels lousy, and doesn''t have a high fever or trouble breathing, call your pediatrician instead of heading to the hospital.
*Keep the kids home
Keep your sick child at home for at least 24 hours after his fever is gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine) except to get medical care or for other necessities, according to the CDC.
Encourage her to cover her mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, throw away used tissue in the waste basket, and to clean her hands every time she coughs or sneezes.
*Start the vaccinations
Federal officials expect release of the H1N1 vaccine in October. The vaccine may require a second shot given three weeks after the first. It may take another two weeks before the vaccine fully protects the body against the flu. Recent studies showed that one shot may protect against H1N1, stretching the supply of the vaccine.
Until the H1N1 shot is ready, Pazgal advises families to go ahead and get the "regular" flu shot, which protects against the seasonal flu and is already available. That way, your children won''t get the flu twice in one season.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Simple ways to protect your child from swine flu
Friday, August 14, 2009
Swine flu and your Sex Life
We’re all adults here, so there is no need to run screaming through the streets, but we must use some common sense to keep
Swine flu and your sex life
That includes taking a few extra precautions when it comes to your sex life. Swine flu scare is making sex life suffer. The scare of swine flu is forcing the people to stay indoor but simultaneously creating a fear among the couples to stay away from each other. The reason for staying away is not only the respiratory droplets but also contact formites. The basic fear is that infection can spread one day before the symptoms appear. This one-day fear window is making people afraid of active sexual life.
If one person in a family is suffering with flu symptoms (like fever more than 100.4, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, or vomiting and diarrhea ) then all other family members might have a fear in themselves that they might catch those symptoms easily.
Maintaining 3-feet distance is creating a myth that husband and wife should sleep 3-feet apart on the bed. Sexual life requires close physical intimacy and that is getting affected because of flu mania. People are also afraid that kissing can aggravate infections; it should be avoided if any of the partners has flu symptoms. Flu is not only affecting sexual life between a husband and a wife, also it is affecting friendly relations, couples are canceling their dates, missing lunches, movies, late night parties, social gatherings and much more. Even the release date of some movies has been postponed because of flu mania.
Stay away from your partner for 7-10 days, if you have flu symptoms. Couples should not plan for conceiving if any of them is taking medicines for any type of flu. Pregnant women are at higher risk for complications from the flu–especially the swine flu where there is no vaccine
. Rather they should avoid social gatherings and stay at home in case of such epidemics as high degree fever can even precipitate abortion. Contact your doctor immediately, if found any of the above mentioned symptoms and definitely, stay out of the party life and social gatherings until you feel better!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Mumbai's first Swine flu patient isolated
I'll go anywhere you want me to. I'll take any medication I need to. I don't want anything to happen to my daughter."
These were the last words of the 36-year-old swine flu patient (whose name has not been revealed) before he left for Kasturba Hospital's isolation ward from Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Thursday. The patient's family is now being advised house arrest to rule out any further chances of infection on Saturday.The patient himself is confined to a 10x12 cubicle at Kasturba Hospital's isolation ward. "He is co-operating and we have started the course of medication for him," said hospital superintendent Umesh Aigal.
The patient who walked in to Kokilaben hospital on Thursday afternoon was eager to be treated as soon as possible when his symptoms first led to suspicion of him being infected with the H1N1 virus. "He came in with high fever, chills, congested throat and other symptoms. Once we advised him to go to Kasturba, he was ready to do so for the sake of his family," said the hospital's travel clinic in charge Dr Tanu Singhal.
A team from the BMC and the state health department visited the patient's home in Andheri on Saturday and have conducted preliminary checks on the patient's wife and child as well as the patient's parents and brother who all live in the same home. "They have all been put on Tamiflu and have been directed house isolation to avoid the spread of infection," said Dr Pradeep Awate, head of the state's influenza cell.
At least 15 people including the family who have been in contact with the patient will now be on Tamiflu as a precaution. Executive health officer Jairaj Thanekar said that the family were not displaying any visible symptoms just as yet.
Following the state's first case, preparedness has been stepped up at all centres with district hospitals instructed to keep at least five beds for patient isolation on standby.
There are 56 confirmed swine flu cases in the country so far.
