Eat your veggies, wash your hands.
Mom's words were never truer than this flu season.
With the threat of an H1N1 pandemic, parents, teachers and employers should be prepared to battle what many fear may be a virulent and deadly illness. Now pharmacists are poised to help sort through the H1N1 hype, to guide, reassure and to help consumers choose their weapons.
"Pharmacists will be playing an important role," says Donnie Edwards, a past Chair of the Ontario Pharmacist Association. To help, the province's 10,000 community pharmacists have prepared free information kits to share with their patients.
The kits include a preparation checklist, notes on handwashing and handrubbing, and a handout to help understand common myths and facts. The kit is also available online at www.ontariocommunitypharmacies.ca.)
The first task is educating people as to what a pandemic actually is. Though the World Health Organization has officially declared a pandemic, the word simply means that multiple countries are affected and that humans are easily spreading the virus to one another.
Pandemics can be mild, moderate and severe -- so far, this one is moderate.
Many people think it's easy to tell the difference between a cold, seasonal flu and H1N1. But it's challenging, says Edwards. Like regular flu, H1N1's symptoms are cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, headache and body aches. The ordinary cold, however, is unlikely to include a fever.
Edwards says that in addition to knowing the H1N1 symptoms, people should be prepared to compare their symptoms to a kind of baseline of symptoms of former illnesses. "If you have had colds or flu before, you know what that feels like. If this new illness is anything worse than what you felt before or if you have a spike in fever, diarrhea or vomiting, you should definitely see a health care provider."
Most people who have had the H1N1 have had mild symptoms and have fully recovered. Certain people will be at higher risk for H1N1, says Edwards: They include pregnant women (particularly those in the third trimester), adolescents, young adults and those with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructivee pulminary disease or diabetes.
Some people have been asking their pharmacists for antiviral drugs to have on hand if they get the flu: Two drugs, Relenza and Tamiflu, are approved by Health Canada but are only available by prescription. These drugs may lessen the severity of the flu if taken within 48 hours of its beginning, but many doctors won't prescribe them for patients to have on hand "just in case", and there are some reports of Tamiflu-resistance to H1N1.
The best defense is plain old hygiene, says Edwards. "How you prevent illness is key. Washing your hands frequently and properly, for instance. And if you use an alcohol-based sanitizer, rub it in until your hands are dry ... a lot of people wrongly just slap it on and rub once or twice."
Eat healthy foods including probiotics, drink plenty of water, get adequate sleep, keep at least a two meter distance from someone who is ill, and minimize the time you spend in crowded settings, he adds.
"If you sneeze, do so into the crook of your arm, not into your hands where you would transfer it."
Also avoid sharing makeup with friends or hand-to-face contact. Touching the eyes, nose and mouth during flu outbreaks provides easy access for germs. Have electrolyte replacements on hand, a thermometer and a fever reducer such as acetaminophen. Caregivers may consider purchasing eyewear (it protects against the viral particles from someone who is sneezing) or surgical masks (buy them from a pharmacist who can instruct you as to how to properly wear them.)
Finally, expect not one but two flu shots this fall. The first, a regular seasonal flu shot, should be available mid-October -- the H1N1 by November. And remember, you can't get swine flu from pork, Edwards stresses. "I still get that question often."
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Happy birthday helps handwashing
Singing Happy Birthday through once is how long you should spend on handwashing, say experts. Remove jewelry, lather soap, and scrub palm to palm, then between and around fingers, the back of each hand, and fingertips. Rinse, then pat dry with paper towel before using the towel to turn off the faucet. For a how-to diagram on handwashing with soap or alcohol-based rub, visit www.ontariocommunitypharmacies.ca.
SURVEY SAYS...
A recent survey by COLD-FX Flu Fighter explores our thought on the H1N1 virus:
42% of Canadians think the H1N1 outbreak will get worse than it was this spring
23% think it will infect more people because cold weather makes the H1N1 virus easier to spread
16% think the spread will be increased because people won't take necessary precautions to prevent it
77% would support requiring all Olympic athletes be screened for H1N1
In the event of an H1N1 outbreak:
48% would refrain from eating out in the event of an outbreak
46% would stop going to movies or shopping malls
49% would rethink travel plans
