Defense against flu is information

Our Voice

By: Hickory Daily Record Editorial | Hickory Daily Record
Published: September 10, 2009

Health officials and government leaders are lining up to quell fears about H1N1, the so-called swine flu.

Now that a new school year has begun, it is vital that students — from kindergarten to college — know about simple measures to decrease the risk of contracting H1N1, a particularly nasty form of influenza.

Parents should be firm about personal hygiene for themselves and their children.

Here are some tips from the state:

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

• If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

• 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 this way.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from making them sick.

• Get the seasonal flu vaccine now and the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.

Many health officials say people with flu symptoms should avoid going to emergency rooms, but instead call the family physician for advice. The ER could worsen the problem and help spread the flu.

We hope schools and colleges are prepared for absences. Mild flu symptoms, including fever, should keep students out of class. That's not debatable. But many students won't need a doctor's care, even thought they have flu symptoms and fever. So teachers and professors must understand that health officials and the governments they serve are telling people to stay home.

That applies to the work place. Business has enough pressures. Sick workers making other workers sick will add to the burdens.

Don't panic. Be observant. Know preventive measures to minimize risk of H1N1 — measures that help with less virulent forms of flu, too.

We should be concerned, but there are plenty of preventive measures we can take.

For more information about influenza in North Carolina, go to www.flu.nc.gov.

For more information about the Sentinel Surveillance Program, go to www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/flusentsurv.html.