H1N1 Help Guide

H1N1 (often called the “Swine Flu”) originated in swine in Mexico. It is a subtype of Influenza Virus A which is the most common cause of the flu in humans. A respiratory illness, H1N1 is quickly spread and as a result can affect a large number of healthy people.

H1N1 is spread through the droplets emitted through sneezing and coughing and through hand contact. It is not, as commonly feared, spread through eating certain foods.

People who have contracted H1N1 may experience common flu symptoms such as headaches, chills, coughing, fever, a loss of appetite, muscle aches, fatigue, runny noses, sneezing, watery eyes and sore throats. In some cases, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also be present. Severe cases may result in the development of pneumonia.

If you experience these symptoms, contact your doctor.

• Good hand hygiene is the best way to prevent the spread of all flu viruses. Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and often. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are effective when soap and water are unavailable.

• Keep an alcohol-based sanitizer (gel or wipes) handy at work, home and in your car. It needs to be at least 60% alcohol to be effective.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and dispose of tissue. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Cough into your upper sleeve if you don't have a tissue.

• Avoid large crowds of people where viruses can spread easily. Stay home when you are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

• Keep common surfaces and items clean and disinfected

Using N95 respirators or facemasks is generally not required for general work activities conducted by workers in non-healthcare settings.  For work activities involving even minimal contact with people who have H1N1,  the following precautions are recommended:

• Maintain a distance of 6 or more feet from the infected person
• All interactions with infected people should be minimal
• The infected person should be instructed to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing/sneezing  and dispose of the tissue, use proper hand washing techniques and to use a respirator or face mask
• Workers who are at an increased risk level for influenza should be reassigned.  If this is not possible, they should avoid people infected with H1N1.  If close contact can absolutely not be avoided, the use of facemasks or N95 respirators is recommended.
• Employers should constantly evaluate the hazards in their workplace relating to the H1N1 virus using the CDC and OSHA guidelines

The seasonal flu vaccine is not expected to protect against the H1N1 virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) however, have isolated the new H1N1 virus and have modified it so that it can be used to make a H1N1 vaccine. This vaccine is expected to be available in the fall of 2009.

While there should be no shortage of the vaccine, availability may be unpredictable. If the availability of the vaccine is of concern, the vaccine will be targeted to certain groups within the population. These target groups will include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact, children from 6 months to 4 years of age and children from 5 to 18 years of age with chronic medical conditions.

Surprisingly, current studies indicate that the risk of infection among people aged 65 or older is less than the risk of younger age groups. As a result, once the demand for the vaccine for the target group has been met, health care providers will begin vaccinating everyone from ages 25 to 64 years of age. Once this group has been vaccinated, people over the age of 65 will be provided with the vaccine.

• The World Health Organization

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• OSHA