October 05, 2009 –
Health Advisory
from Jerry Briscoe, Potawatomi Health Center Administrator
With flu vaccines now trickling in, please, do your part by knowing the facts: www.flu.gov or www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.
Please encourage persons with flu like symptoms who are at high risk for complications to see a physician right away. This includes:
- Children younger than 2 years old
- Persons aged 65 years or older
- Pregnant women
- Persons of any age with certain chronic medical or immunosuppressive conditions listed below; and,
- Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), or metabolic disorders
- Disorders that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders)
- Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications for by HIV;
- Persons younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy, because of an increased risk for Reye syndrome.
Rather than present to a clinic or hospital, ill persons without underlying medical conditions should self-isolate and drink plenty of fluids (such as water and juice), follow a light diet (soups, crackers, etc), get plenty of rest, ask their health care provider about what meds to take for fever/pain (a call, rather than in person visit, should do the trick), and finally, If you are 18 years and younger, DO NOT take aspirin (risk of Reye’s Syndrome).
SURVEILLANCE AND FLU ACTIVITY
NATIONALLY
CDC is reporting 16,174 hospitalizations (up from 10,082 last week) and 1,379 deaths (up from 936 deaths as of last week) for the period from August 30 through September 19, as reported to CDC by October 2, 2009.
For more information call the Health Center at 785.966.8200.