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October 14, 2009
The Ste. Genevieve County
Health Department is offering additional seasonal flu shot clinics for
adults over 50 and adults with chronic illnesses. They will be held on
October 20 from 9 am to 11:30 p.m. at the Ste. Genevieve County Nutrition
Center; A second clinic is slated for October 22 from 9:30 am to noon at
Immaculate Conception Church in St. Mary. And on October 23, seasonal flu
shots will be available at the Bloomsdale Senior Apartments from 8:30 am to
10 am.
Seasonal flu shots are
still available for high risk patients of the hospital’s primary care
providers. Call your individual provider for an appointment.
As soon as the H1N1 flu
vaccine becomes available, the vaccine will be made available to the public
and will follow the guidelines that have been developed by the CDC.
As always, it’s best to
concentrate on things you can do to stay healthy.
•Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue
when you cough or sneeze.
•Wash your hands often with soap and water,
especially after you cough or sneeze.
Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
•Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid contact with sick people.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly
person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
The primary signs of seasonal and H1N1 flu
are
• Fever
• Cough
• Body Aches
• Headaches
• Chills and Fatigue
Like seasonal flu, the H1N1 virus may cause
a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.
We also encourage residents to get a flu
vaccine. High risk patients may get the flu vaccine from their primary
provider. The H1N1 flu vaccine is not anticipated to be available in the
county until late October or November.
If you do get sick with influenza, stay home
from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting
them. Remain diligent until your symptoms have subsided, especially a
fever, for at least 24 hours.
It is recommended that you seek medical care
in the following instances:
In children, look for
• Fast breathing
or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not
interacting
• Being so irritable that the
child does
not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but
then return
with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash
Seek medical care for adults when there is
• Difficulty
breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest
or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
Consult with your
physician about the use of prescription antiviral drugs like Tamiflu. These
drugs can make your illness milder and may also prevent serious flu
complications.
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