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Preparation Prevention Vaccine development Flu shots Masks
Good items to have on hand include ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables and soups; protein or fruit bars; dry cereal or granola; peanut butter or nuts; dried fruit; crackers; canned juices; bottled water; canned or jarred baby food and formula and pet food. Also, experts say it is wise to keep a variety of health-related supplies around the house. These include prescribed medical supplies, such as glucose and blood-pressure monitoring equipment; soap and water, or alcohol-based hand wash; medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen; a thermometer; anti-diarrhea medication and vitamins. It's also suggested to maintain a supply of flashlights, batteries, a portable radio, a manual can opener, garbage bags, tissues, toilet paper and disposable diapers. The American Red Cross suggests collecting a supply of empty, rinsed, plastic soft drink bottles and caps that can be refilled with water at the point when they may be needed. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has additional helpful information online.
Top If you do not wash your hands frequently, you are likely to pick up germs, and then infect yourself when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Health-care professionals say it is important to learn proper sneezing and cough etiquette as well as proper hand washing techniques. In order to minimize the spread of germs when sneezing and coughing: • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. • Put used tissue in the wastebasket. • Wash with soap and water, or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. • Wash hands with soap and warm, clean running water for 20 seconds, which is about the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice to yourself. • Rinse hands well. • Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If using one of these products, apply it the palm of one hand, rub hands together and make sure to rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands are dry.
Health-care professionals recommend washing your hands often, especially in the following situations: • Before preparing or eating food. • After going to the bathroom. • After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom. • Before and after tending to someone who is sick. • After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. • After handling an animal or animal waste. • After handling garbage. • Before and after treating a cut or wound.
Keep surfaces clean, especially those used by others such as telephones and keyboards. Choose liquid over bar soap.
In addition, it is advised that taking getting adequate exercise (at least 30 minutes most days of the week), getting enough sleep and taking a multivitamin can help boost overall immunity.
Top But Purdue University researchers are developing a new type of vaccine, based on cell technology, that uses a harmless virus called adenovirus. This vaccine is designed to be faster and easier to produce and also more adaptable to different types of flu. This would make it possible to stockpile the vaccine before the disease strikes. Also, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, is supporting the development and testing of candidate avian influenza vaccines using another technique of cell-based technology. Trials began in April 2005 and continue today. Since the usual manufacturing process for the current flu vaccine requires at least six months before distribution for use, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising that public health planners not rely on vaccination as the sole control measure, especially during the first pandemic phases. Although priority groups for a potential vaccine distribution has been set, the CDC predicts that people age 65 and over with long-term illnesses would receive the protective shots first. Next would be people age 2 years to 64 years with serious conditions; those 65 and older without serious conditions; children 6 months to 23 months; and pregnant women. Health-care workers and household caregivers would receive next priority, then healthy people age 50-64. The last group to receive the vaccine would likely be people age 2 years to 49 years without high-risk conditions.
Top The current seasonal influenza vaccine is targeted against specific influenza strains predicted from the previous year. It does not provide protection against avian influenza. However, experts say getting a flu shot can reduce your risk of becoming ill with the more common flu. Staying healthy, in turn, will make you less vulnerable to other viruses that may come along, including H5N1. A vaccination against typical seasonal flu also will give the H5N1 less chance to mutate into a virus easily spread human to human. Mutations can occur when a person who is already ill with the seasonal flu comes in contact with the more virulent avian flu virus, allowing the two viruses to exchange genes.
Top Experts say the most effective face masks for protecting uninfected people are the N95 disposable particulate respirator-rated masks. N95s should be fitted to ensure a good seal. A person typically would use five to 10 per week. Although these disposable masks are relatively cheap, costing under $1 each, they likely will be in short supply if a pandemic arrives. The Centers for Disease Control advises offering simple surgical masks to anyone infected with a flu-related cough because the mask can offer some protection against from large droplets coughed or sneezed from a sick person. If a mask isn't available, coughing or sneezing into a tissue works almost as well, experts say. Some flu experts say wearing a face mask would help reduce the spread of the disease by a small amount by stopping you from touching your mouth, eyes or nose. A major mode of flu transmission is touching people or surfaces contaminated with flu virus and then touching your face.
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