Flu Symptoms
(from University Hospital)
The flu usually comes on suddenly and may include these symptoms:
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Fever (Usually high)
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Headache
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Extreme tiredness
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Dry cough
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Sore throat
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Runny nose
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Muscle aches
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Burning sensation in the chest
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Eye pain
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Sensitivity to light
Some say they have or had the “flu” after being sick for only 1-2 days.
When your symptoms come and go that quickly it was not the flu. Bothe seasonal
and novel H1N1 flu lasts for 7-10 days and frequently you are so sick that
for part of this time you may not even be able to get out of bed. Anyone
who has had the flu never wants to get it again!
Websites for more information:
www.cdc.gov/flu/
cdcinfo@cdc.gov
To ask specific questions
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE FLU VIRUS
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Stay home if you feel ill, have a cough, or feel you are coming down with
something. One can be contagious a couple of days or more before
there are symptoms. Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is
gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine).
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If you have a cold, a cough, a cut, sores or abrasion on lips or in mouth,
receive communion by the individual cup.
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Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough. As soon
as possible, throw the tissue into a waste can.
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If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper arm or elbow.
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If you have coughed or sneezed into your hand, DO NOT shake hands or touch
surfaces until you have cleansed your hands.
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Clean handles of shopping carts with hand sanitizer or the wipes that are
offered by some merchants.
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Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer (with 60% alcohol).
As H1N1 influenza A (swine flu) spreads, keeping hands clean is one of
the most important ways to prevent infection and illness. "Frequent handwashing
is probably the single most effective and simplest intervention you can
do to protect yourself and your family," according to Dr. Judy Daly, spokesperson
for the American Society for Microbiology.
"Influenza A viruses, of which swine flu is one, are fragile viruses
that can be easily destroyed through proper hygiene, including use of soap
and water and alcohol-based hand sanitizers," says Daly, director of the
Clinical Microbiology Laboratories, Primary Children's Medical Center,
Salt Lake City.
Washing hands with soap and clean water for 20 seconds is a sensible
strategy for hand hygiene in non-healthcare settings and is recommended
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other experts.
If soap and clean water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
is recommended.
Research* has shown that flu viruses can survive up to 48 hours on hard,
nonporous surfaces and up to 12 hours on cloth, paper, and tissues. Measurable
quantities of influenza A viruses can be transferred from stainless steel
surfaces to hands for up to 24 hours and from tissues to hands for up to
15 minutes. Virus can survive on hands for up to 5 minutes after transfer
from environmental surfaces.
"Flu viruses most frequently enter the body when contaminated hands
touch mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, and mouth. Frequent hand hygiene
certainly makes this transfer less likely," says Daly.
The American Society for Microbiology has downloadable educational hand
hygiene materials, including posters and brochures for children and adults,
available at www.washup.org. The site
also contains information on ordering printed materials.
*Bean, B. et al. Survival of influenza viruses on environmental surfaces.
J Infect Disese. 1982 Jul;146(1):47-51.
• Infection Control Today http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/hotnews/hand-hygiene-flu-protection.html
• Personal Note: If you sing “Take Me Out To the Ballgame”
or “Happy Birthday to You” all the way through while washing your hands,
that will be about 20 seconds. |
