|
Seasonal Flu Information
Seasonal:
* Usually during fall and winter months
* Affects 5-20% of the population
* Age 5 years and under and over age 65 years higher risk group
* Accounts for over 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually in the U.S.
* Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
* Complications include sinus infection, bacterial pneumonia, dehydration
* Best defense is through vaccination and hand washing (warm soap and water at least 20 seconds or alcohol-based hand sanitizer if running water is not available)
* Transmitted via cough, sneeze, or touching contaminated surface and then touching eyes, nose, or mouth
H1N1 Influenza:
* First noted as resembling swine flu
* Novel or new virus
* First noted in April 2009
* Transmitted same way as seasonal
* Same symptoms as seasonal
* Age 60 or older may have some antibodies but how much protection is unclear
* Predict 40-50% of population will get H1N1 and more deaths than with seasonal influenza
* Virus lives 2-8 hours on a surface,clean common “touch” surfaces
Who should be vaccinated?
* Age 6 months up to the 19th birthday
* Pregnant women
* Age 50 or older
* Persons with chronic medical conditions
* Nursing home and long term care patients
* Health care workers
* Household contacts of high risk persons or of infants less than 6 months old who can’t be vaccinated
Who should not receive the vaccine?
* Severe allergy to eggs
* Severe reaction to flu vaccine in the past
* Guillian-Barre syndrome within 6 weeks of a flu shot
* Less than 6 months old
* Any person who is febrile and ill on the day of administration
| 
District Home
|
