Several patients have just asked what President Obama’s declaration of the H1N1 pandemic as a national emergency means for them; more specifically, they wanted to know if they should be worried?

The answer to that is NO… and YES.

EXPLANATION OF “NO”:

This declaration was made, not because anything has changed from what we already know about the H1N1 flu, but in order to allow greater flexibility in treating patients. For instance, it allows hospitals to set up emergency treatment areas away from the hospital itself in order to accommodate the growing number of people with the infection, and  to avoid exposing infected patients to those not infected.

So, if you’ve been keeping with what’s been going on with the H1N1 flu since last spring, when it first reared its ugly head, or more recently, you can be reassured that nothing new has happened to warrant this declaration. It’s actually a good thing.

EXPLANATION OF “YES”:

If you haven’t kept up with the news about the H1N1 flu, then you should start now. And yes – you should be worried enough to protect yourself and your loved ones from this virus if you can, and to know what to do if someone you know does get infected.  But, you should not be so worried that you don’t do anything.

One piece of information about this virus that IS in fact new is that we now know that there are major production delays in the making of the H1N1 vaccine. This will obviously slow down the government’s initial optimistic attempt to get large numbers of the most at-risk people vaccinated in October. Only 11 million doses of the vaccine have been released thus far, whereas it was projected that 120 million doses would be given by midOctober.  The government hopes to have 50 million doses out in November, and another 150 million in December.

In the meantime, the virus continues its march across the country, with 46 states thus far reporting widespread flu activity.  Almost 1000 people, including nearly 100 children have died from infection with the H1N1 virus.  These numbers are not a complete surprise to the authorities, as high numbers of infected people were predicted since the H1N1 flu began its course last spring.

So, what can you do? Learn the basics from two of our September blogs discussing the H1N1 flu virus.

http://www.smartwomanshealth.com/horn_miller_blog/?p=397   and

http://www.smartwomanshealth.com/horn_miller_blog/?p=393

Take the following actions to help prevent infection by this virus.

      Everyday actions:

1)      Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

2)     Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.*

3)     Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

4)     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.

5)     Stay healthy by continuing to regularly exercise, to eat nutritious foods, to drink plenty of fluids, and to get enough rest.

       Ask your healthcare provider if you should:

1)       Get the seasonal flu vaccine

2)      Get antiviral medication (Tamiflu) if you’ve been exposed to someone with H1N1 flu or are very ill

For continuous updates on the H1N1 flu and the seasonal flu, go to:

For H1N1 info:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu   

For seasonal flu info: 

 http://www.cdc.gov/flu