 Health Corner
Swine Flu
Coping with the threat of an epidemic
Provided by our Benefits provider: The Holman Group
With the ongoing threat of H1N1 Flu
(Swine Flu), many people are
experiencing a significant amount of
fear and anxiety.
Dealing With Your Fears
During this unpredictable time, you may notice
increased levels of fear, anxiety, stress, and/or
anger. These are normal reactions to an abnormal situation. Below are some techniques on how
to cope with your feelings during and following an emergency.
Talk About It
By talking with others, you will relieve stress and realize that other people share your feelings.
Not expressing your feelings will keep you from being able to work through what happened.
Ask For Help
If you feel that you are unable to handle the intensity of your feelings or thoughts, call your EAP.
Licensed professionals are available to assist you and your family members in coping at this
traumatic time.
What to Tell Your Children
Parents can help their children cope with the situation by shielding them from unnecessary media
exposure, encourage the child to talk about his/her feelings and to calmly explain the situation in
a manner that the child can understand without fear.
What to Do if you Have Symptoms
If you have flu-like symptoms, do contact your family physician, health department or local hospital.
Health care providers may want to examine a patient before prescribing medication. Prescription
medication such as Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) are anti-viral medications that
can treat swine flu.
Staying calm and following these instructions will help you and your family to remain safe and
healthy in the event that you are affected. For additional information, you can visit the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention website at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.
A counselor is available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. To schedule an
appointment, or for inquires, our office is
open between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm PST.
www.holmangroup.com
(800) 321-2843
Pandemic Flu
In April and May, 2009 UCLA and UC Irvine instructors from the continuing education and outreach department came to Coaster HQ, LD, and SF and provided special training on the pandemic flu.
What exactly is a pandemic flu? Well, a pandemic is a global disease outbreak and a flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in very short time. Even more frightening is the fact that according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) a person can be contagious with the flu and not show any symptoms for up to three days. This means a person can get on a plane, fly completely around the world and then start to have symptoms!
It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Countries might, through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, delay arrival of the virus, but cannot stop it.
Flu can enter the body in several ways including splashes of large contaminated droplets of blood or body fluids, being in a crowded environment with infected individuals coughing, sneezing, or even talking, or even coming into contact (shaking hands, kissing) with infected individual.
If you want to minimize your exposure you can take several precautions such as protective equipment, washing your hands frequently, and avoiding people. Out of all of these, hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. You should wash your hands after you’ve sneezed or coughed into your hands, after being in contact with someone who is ill, before you touch your face, mouth, nose or eyes, before eating, and after using shared tools.
None of these steps completely eliminates your risk of infection, but they do lower your chances significantly. If you plan well and are prepared for a bird flu pandemic, then you will be prepared for any widespread emergency situation. If a flu pandemic did break out, emergency personnel might not be able to respond and you could be left to survive on your own.
Other Safety Tips:
Did you know a study by OSHA suggests that influenza viruses can survive outside a human host on a contaminated stainless steel surface for up to 8 hours.
Use waterless sanitizing gel to clean hands if soap and water are not available.
Keep your distance from, and avoid people who are coughing. Contagious droplets can travel 4-6 feet.
If you lack cough tissues, you can cough into the sleeve of your shirt, sweater or blouse
Get the current seasonal flu shot. Before Flu season Coaster offers them at work for free!
Do you think your prepared? Click here to see the pandemic flu checklist. |
