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What You Should Know About H1N1 Flu

The new H1N1 influenza virus, referred to as swine flu during the initial breakout, caused a recent global outbreak. Researchers believe it spreads the same way that seasonal flu spreads — from person to person through coughing or sneezing. It can also spread when people touch infected surfaces and then touch their noses or mouths.

Is It the Flu?

H1N1 symptoms are similar to regular seasonal flu symptoms and may include:

• Fever.
• Sore throat.
• Headache.
• Chills.
• Cough.
• Body aches.
• Fatigue.

Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.

If you experience one or more of the following symptoms, seek emergency medical care right away:

• Difficulty breathing.
• Pressure or pain in the stomach or chest.
• Persistent or severe vomiting.
• Confusion.
• Dizziness.
• Flu symptoms that improve and later

return with fever and worse cough.

Prevention Is the Best Cure

Measures to prevent H1N1 are almost identical to those you can take to avoid seasonal flu. Protect yourself and your family by taking the following precautions:

• Wash your hands with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you don’t have soap and water.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow — not your hands — or cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Put the tissue in the trash.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Keep surfaces clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant.
• Don’t get too close to people who are sick. Those who have H1N1 flu are considered contagious starting one day before they show symptoms and up to seven or more days afterward.

Keep Flu Out of School

Now that children are back in school, the chance for flu to spread has increased. If a child has a fever of 100 degrees or more and a cough or sore throat, he or she may have a type of flu or a flulike illness.

Children with the flu should be kept home from school for at least 24 hours after they are free of fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or signs of fever, without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Call a doctor or seek medical care if your child has trouble breathing; isn’t drinking enough fluids; or has behavior changes like increased restlessness, anxiety and irritability. Be alert for skin rashes, dehydration or any other signs that your child is more uncomfortable than you would expect with seasonal flu. Call a doctor if your child experiences these or other unusual symptoms.