SWINE FLU- Do you know the symptoms?
If you're about to look up the "swine flu symptoms," we'll save you some trouble. The symptoms are like that of the flu, and you will need a lab test to tell whether it is in fact the swine flu.
Here's what the CDC's web site says about swine flu symptoms: "The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea."
Red-flag warnings Most people with swine flu and seasonal flu get a mild illness that might make them feel miserable for a few days but isn't life-threatening. But with both types of flu, it's important to watch for red-flag warning signs that suggest a person is developing severe complications.
In children, look for fast breathing or breathing difficulty. Also, act fast if skin appears bluish or the child has a fever with a rash. Failure to wake up or interact, and extreme irritability, are also warning signs. In addition, symptoms that improve but then return with fever and a worse cough need immediate attention.
In adults, red flags include breathing difficulty, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, or severe or persistent vomiting.
Prevention Both viruses are transmitted through tiny amounts of mucus released when you talk, sneeze or cough, explains Dr. Robert W. Frenck Jr., professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. You can prevent the spread of both flu viruses by developing these healthy habits:
- Wash your hands. Several times a day, wash your hands with soap and water, especially before eating. If you don't have sink access, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Cover your cough. If you feel the urge to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with a tissue and then throw the tissue away. If you don't have a tissue handy, cough into your elbow.
- Stay home. If you get sick, plan on staying home for four days, or until the fever has been gone for 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing medication.
- Get vaccinated. "Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza, whether it's seasonal flu or H1N1," says Dr. Davis. To find H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccination clinics near you, contact your local or state health department
Excerpts taken from http://www.snifflesolutions.com/
No longer hiding from sickness,
some turn it into a fashion statement
By MEGAN K. SCOTT
Associated Press
Excerpts taken from Thursday, January 24, 2008 edition
New honesty
Experts aren't sure what to call this new open attitude about illness. But they credit television, the Internet, celebrities, and the need to raise money and awareness for diseases.
"Morning television and Oprah, settings where empathy existed, that really said, 'it's OK for me to have an illness,'" says Rich Hanley, director of graduate programs at Quinnipiac University's school of communications. "Pop culture has embraced personal narratives."
And whether it's Lance Armstrong fighting cancer or Brooke Shields and postpartum depression, celebrities show people that it's OK to tell the world what they are going through, says Rhoda Weiss, a national health care consultant in Santa Monica, Calif.
"The hipness is also indicative of a new freedom of expression that came out of the Internet," she says. "Being able to talk about your disease has a freeing-like affect on the victim both on the Net and in front of others."
Combine all of that with the sophisticated marketing of diseases - ribbons, awareness months, walks, and colors - and the illness becomes a pop-culture statement, says Hanley.
Owning the illness
People who broadcast their illnesses are not looking for pity and are not in denial about the seriousness of their disease, says breast oncologist Dr. Alejandra Perez, who sees patients wearing everything from sloganed T-shirts to pink wigs to no wigs at all.
"For our patients, it is very, very important to show the world that even though they have cancer, they are fighters," says Perez, co-director for the Memorial Regional Hospital Breast Cancer Center in Hollywood, Fla. "They are not victims.".
"You are giving affirmation to the fact that it does suck, and it's OK to suck but nonetheless you can look good and feel good," says Silverman, 38, mother of two. "It's my goal for people not to look at me and cry. Look at me and see that I am doing all the things you need to do to have a life."
Feeling good can look good
"Medical fashion accessories" can actually look good, too.
Stylish bracelets, necklaces and watches from http://www.creativemedicalid.com/ changed Renee Rhoades' attitude about having to wear a medical ID bracelet. She was worried about being branded as a sick person.
"I feel like a diva when I wear them," says Rhoades, who lives in Richmond and has diabetes. "I went from feeling self-conscious about being tagged with something for the rest of my life to 'So, what bracelet do I get to wear today? "
