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HSC Weekly 08/25/2009 H1N1 Flu Precautions Urged
By Leslie Ridgeway Officials at the Health Sciences campus are monitoring flu activity and urging faculty, students and staff to take precautions against spreading the upcoming seasonal flu or the H1N1 “swine” flu that picked up last spring where the seasonal flu left off.
“There is a concern that there will be a marked pickup (in flu cases) in terms of numbers,” said Paul Holtom, Associate Professor of Medicine and Orthopaedics. “It may be dramatic.”
Fewer cases of H1N1 flu than anticipated have been reported at LAC+USC Medical Center as compared to the rest of the country, Holtom said. Health officials across the nation are nevertheless preparing for a “second wave” of H1N1 this fall that may result in high rates of absenteeism.
An H1N1 vaccine is expected to be ready in mid-to-late October. Current plans are for the H1N1 vaccine to be administered to priority groups such as healthcare workers, children and youth ages six months to 25, and pregnant women.
For many Americans, that could mean three inoculations this fall – one for the seasonal flu, and the recommend two doses of H1N1 vaccine. Pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended for those in high-risk groups, those who have underlying disease, or those who have never had the pneumococcal vaccine before, Holtom said.
Health officials also urge everyone to take steps to practice good hand hygiene, cover your mouth when you’re sick, stay home when you’re sick and stay away from sick people.
“That applies to all respiratory diseases,” Holtom said. “It’s the same as what we’ve always asked people to do (to stop the spread of diseases).”
For more information on H1N1 flu and seasonal flu, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web page at www.cdc.gov.
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