House Calls Episode Two

"House Calls" airs Sunday night at 10pm on AM 560 WIND and streams live at 560wind.com. In addition to the latest health headlines, I will address the topic of H1N1 flu. My guest is Donald Thompson, MD, Senior Medical and Public Health Program Director in the Center for Infrastructure Protection at the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.

Episode Two Action Steps:

1) Prepare to utilize hand sanitizer liberally this flu season. Purchase some bottles for you and your family to have with you at all times.

2) Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth until your hands are clean.

3) Get the regular influenza vaccine, available now at your doctor's office or other locations (unless you have a contraindication like egg allergy or previous adverse reaction to the vaccine).

4) Get the H1N1 vaccine when available (likely late October-early November) if you are in one of the recommended groups:

a) Pregnant women

b) Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age

c) Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel

d) All people from 6 months through 24 years of age

e) Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza (these would include asthma and other lung disorders, and conditions causing immunosuppression such as HIV or certain cancers).

5) If you get sick with fever, aches, cough, and congestion ("flu-like" symptoms) stay home and limit your exposure to people until 48 hours after your fever is gone.

6) If your fever is over 103, you are unable to eat or drink, or you are having severe vomiting or diarrhea, seek medical attention. These are risk factors for dehydration, a major cause of morbidity and mortality from the flu. You should also seek medical attention, of course, if you are having difficulty breathing.

7) Don't panic. Common sense will get us through this!