Volume 3, Issue 2
October, 2009
SCOPE FOR PSRP’S
McAllen AFT, 1500 Dove, McAllen, TX, 78504
Telephone—682-1143, Fax—631-0190, Cell—607-0193
Stories contributed by McAllen AFT PSRP’s
Lessen the Spread of Swine Flu in Your Home
A little common sense and know-how can help you protect yourself and your loved ones from spreading the swine influenza.
When providing care to a household member who is sick with influenza, the most important ways to protect yourself and others who are not sick are to:
Keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible, especially from others who are at high risk for complications from influenza.
Remind the sick person to cover their coughs, and wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.
Have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. Children may need reminders or help keeping their hands clean.
Ask your healthcare provider if household contacts of the sick person, particularly those contacts who may be pregnant or have chronic health conditions, should take antiviral medications such as oseltemivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) to prevent the flu.
If you are in a high risk group for complications from influenza, you should attempt to avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with household members who are sick with influenza.
If close contact with a sick individual is unavoidable, consider wearing a facemask or respirator, if available and tolerable. Infants should not be cared for by sick family members.
Placement of the Sick Person
Keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the house. (e.g., a spare bedroom with its own bathroom, if that’s possible.) Keep the sickroom door closed. Wash bed linens daily to prevent re-infection. Good ventilation is a must—open windows so that the room is ventilated. Disinfectant surfaces everyday and dispose of any used tissue.
Unless necessary for medical care, persons with the swine flu should stay home and keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel, for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine). This is to keep from making others sick. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.
If persons with the flu need to leave the home (for example, for medical care), they should wear a facemask, if available and tolerable, and cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Have the sick person wear a surgical mask if they need to be in a common area of the house near other persons.
If possible, sick persons should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned daily with household disinfectant.
Protect Other People in the Home
The sick person should not have visitors other than caregivers. A phone call is safer than a visit.
If possible, have only one adult in the home take care of the sick person. People at increased risk of severe illness from flu should not be the designated caretaker, if possible.
Avoid having pregnant women care for the sick person. (Pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications, and immunity can be suppressed during pregnancy).
Avoid having sick family members care for infants and other groups at high risk for complications of influenza.
All persons in the household should clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub frequently, including after every contact with the sick person or the person’s room or bathroom.
Use paper towels for drying hands after hand-washing or dedicate cloth towels to each person in the household. For example, have different-colored towels for each person.
Maintain good ventilation in shared household areas (e.g., keep windows open in restrooms, kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
Antivirals can be used to prevent the flu, so check with your healthcare provider to see if some persons in the home should use antiviral medications.
The Swine Flu: Household Cleaning, Laundry, and Waste Disposal
Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by the sick person in the trash.
Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.
Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
Linens, eating utensils, and dishes belonging to those who are sick do not need to be cleaned separately, but these items should not be shared without washing thoroughly first.
Wash linens (such as bed sheets and towels) by using household laundry soap and tumble dry on a hot setting. Avoid “hugging” laundry prior to washing it to prevent contaminating yourself. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub right after handling dirty laundry.
Eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap.
Quick Fact:
Your toothbrush can be a breeding ground for germs sterilize daily with hydrogen peroxide and discard once your get well.
Best Foods for Flu Symptoms
When you're coming down with the flu, the staple of food remedy to battle those symptoms always has been chicken soup. Soup feels good going down, and your nasal passages reap the awards that the steam produces. But chicken soup isn't the only food to battle your flu symptoms, and other foods offer additional nutritional value.
Various fruits and vegetables provide support to your immune system while conquering those nagging flu symptoms, and the best part is that these foods also battle disease-causing cells in your body, not just the flu.
Green tea also contains anti-oxidants and supports the immune system
Garlic supplement could prevent or shorten flu symptoms.
Other flu fighters include red peppers, broccoli, oranges and strawberries. All of these fruits and vegetables include vitamin C, which has been lauded in the battle against flu symptoms.