NEW H1N1 INFORMATIONAL HANDOUTS FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES-

KDHE and CDC have released these new handouts for you to use with your patients, please feel free to print and make copies of these new handouts.

“H1N1- A New Kind of Flu”-    http://www.kdheks.gov/H1N1/download/H1N1_A_New_Kind_of_Flu.pdf

“Seasonal and Novel H1N1 Flu:  A Guide for Parents”-  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/flugallery/2009-10/pdf/pan_flu_brochure.pdf

Posted On 8/19/2009

New H1N1 Information and Recommendations
On August 5, the CDC revised recommendations about how long people with flu-like illness should stay home and away from other people to prevent spreading the flu.

• Those with flu-like illness should stay home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone, without using fever-reducing medication.
• During the spring, most people infected with the new H1N1 flu had fevers for 2-4 days. 
• The new recommendation applies to camps, schools, businesses and other community settings where most people are not at high risk for flu complications.
• It does not apply to healthcare settings, where the recommendations remain at 7 days after symptoms began or until all symptoms are gone, whichever is longer. 
• People give off more flue virus when they have a fever, so staying home during this time is especially important.
• Even when the fever has subsided, people can continue giving off the flu virus, so frequently washing hands and covering mouths and noses while sneezing is still a way to prevent the spread.

School Guidance
On August 7, the CDC released new guidance to help schools promote a safer environment for their students and staff to reduce exposure to influenza during the 2009-2010 school year.

• For an outbreak similar to the spring H1N1 outbreak, CDC recommends stepping up basic good hygiene practices like hand washing, keeping sick students and staff away from school and helping families identify their children who are at high-risk for flu complications and would benefit from early evaluation from their physician if they develop the flu.
• CDC recommends that all children 6 months up to their 19th birthday get a seasonal flu vaccine.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used if soap and water are not available
• In places where alcohol-based sanitizers are not allowed, other sanitizers can be substituted but may not work as well.
• If tissues are not available, coughing or sneezing into the arm or sleeve is recommended.
• Studies have shown that influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for up to 2 – 8 hours after being deposited on the surface.  School staff should routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with cleaners that they typically use.   Special cleaning with bleach and other special cleaners is not necessary.
• Students and staff who appear to have flu-like illness should be sent to a room separate from other students until they can be sent home.  CDC also recommends they wear surgical masks if possible.
• Additional precautions were laid out for schools for outbreaks of increased severity.

KDHE has established a phone number for concerned Kansans to call with questions about the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus. The toll free number is
1-877-427-7317

For information on pregnancy and H1N1 click here.

Posted on 8/10/2009

The following information can be found by clicking here:  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/fluvaccine.htm

When should I get a flu vaccination?
CDC recommends that people get their flu vaccine as soon as vaccine becomes available in their community. Vaccination before December is best since this timing ensures that protective antibodies are in place before flu activity is typically at its highest. CDC continues to encourage people to get vaccinated throughout the flu season, which can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Over the course of the flu season, many different influenza viruses can circulate at different times and in different places. As long as flu viruses are still spreading in the community, vaccination can provide protective benefit.
In addition, there are other people who may benefit from vaccination as late or April or May, even if influenza viruses are no longer circulating in the United States. This includes:

1.     Persons likely to be traveling to the Southern Hemisphere where influenza may be circulating before the 2009-10 vaccine is available, and

2.     Children younger than 9 being vaccinated for the first time who still have not received their second recommended dose of vaccine. (If they get their second dose, then they will only need one dose of vaccine next season. If they do not get their second dose, they will still need to get two doses of vaccine the next season in order to best be protected by the vaccine. This is because studies have shown that two doses are needed in children younger than 9 the first year they are vaccinated in order to maximize the protective benefit from vaccination.)

Once you get vaccinated, your body makes protective antibodies in about two weeks. However, children younger than 9 years old who are being vaccinated for the first time still need a second dose 4 or more weeks later in order to be protected.

Does getting vaccinated against flu early in the season pose a risk that immunity may wane before the end of the season?
Flu vaccination provides protection against the influenza strains contained in the vaccine through one influenza season. Vaccination can begin as soon as vaccine is available. Studies have not demonstrated a benefit of receiving more than one dose during an influenza season, even among elderly persons with weakened immune systems.

Posted on 7/24/09

 

Why Flu Vaccine Matters

This powerful six and half-minute video, created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with Families Fighting Flu (FFF), features the personal stories of parents who have tragically lost or nearly lost a child to the flu. "Why Flu Vaccination Matters: Personal Stories from Families Affected by Flu" intertwines the stories of these parents with the facts about influenza as explained by Dr. Jeanne Santoli, Deputy Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC.

http://www.youtube.com/user/cdcflu

The video carries a strong message, underscoring the fact that influenza is serious and more than 20,000 children are hospitalized every year due to flu-related complications and some children tragically die.

Vaccination is the best and most effective way to help prevent the spread and potentially serious complications of the disease, especially for young children and children with chronic illnesses such as asthma.

Posted on 10/3/2008--------------------------------------*