If you’re like me, you had no clue what the “swine flu” was. I had even less of a clue that there was an outbreak of this years ago. This commercial is actually from 1976! Many people (including celebrities) are avoiding Mexico. Here is some info from Web MD on what you should do if you had plans to travel outside of the country.
What is swine flu?
Like people, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren’t the same as human flu viruses. Swine flu doesn’t often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. It’s caused by a new swine flu virus that has spread from person to person — and it’s happening among people who haven’t had any contact with pigs.
What are swine flu symptoms?
Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Those symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions, and that means that you and your doctor can’t know, just based on your symptoms, if you’ve got swine flu. It takes a lab test to tell whether it’s swine flu or some other condition.
If you Are Traveling …..
- Check updates from the CDC, WHO, and local health authorities, and follow their guidelines.
- Before traveling, people in high-risk groups — such as the elderly and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, or heart disease — should get the prescription antiviral medications Tamifluor Relenza to take while traveling in areas that have reported cases of swine flu.
- Check on health care resources in the area you’ll be visiting before you depart.
- While you’re in an area with reported swine flu cases, wash your hands often with soap and water, or if soap isn’t available, use an alcohol-based hand gel.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you get sick while traveling, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, and throw the tissue in the trash afterward.
- Seek medical care if you are ill with a fever and other symptoms of swine flu, especially if you think you may have had contact with someone with swine flu or severe respiratory illness in the seven days before you got sick.
- If you’re sick, don’t travel, except to get local medical care. Try to limit contact with other people, so your germs don’t spread (source)
Most people will tell you that this Flu is nothing to worry about. Most cases of death have actually been in areas where people haven’t received the right amount of medical attention. You don’t need to avoid your daily activities, you just need to be more cautious about keeping your body free of foreign matter. Wash your hand more frequently and boost your immune system to help your body ward off infection and disease.
Adria Ali
(CES, PES, CPT, BS)
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