Today's Top 10 list will recap some important points about the flu, which has killed three Solano residents to date. It also will address some issues raised by many in our community in the wake of the death of a 6-year-old Vacaville first-grader.
1. This is a Level 6 pandemic, the highest level. This flu has spread worldwide. It's everywhere. Thinking it is someone else's problem is naïve.
2. The severity so far is rated moderate, which means most people recover without the need for hospitalization or medical care. But make no mistake, it can be fatal.
3. This is a relatively weak virus in the open. It only survives for a few hours when outside the body.
4. Most household cleaners will kill this virus -- soap and water, bleach, alcohol, Lysol, etc.
5. Healthcare workers and public health officials are working closely to limit the spread of H1N1. But you can help by staying home from work if you get the symptoms. Don't send kids to school sick. Avoid public places until your fever is gone for 24 hours without anti-fever medication.
6. You have a responsibility to be informed and follow guidelines.
7. No medical official would withhold treatment or vaccination willingly if adequate supplies are available. In a shortage, the supply will be rationed to provide the greatest good for the greatest number. This means treating healthcare workers first (so they can remain healthy to take care of you).
8. Decisions surrounding the closure and disinfection of public places, like schools, should be based on the public threat and empiric laboratory evidence, not speculation and conjecture or public hysteria.
9. Get vaccinated, and maintain good hygiene, seek medical care when appropriate. Follow Public Health Department guidelines and recommendations. You have a right to be informed. Ask questions and read everything you can from credible, reliable scientific sources, such as the official sites of the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization.
10. The best thing about a pandemic is it is self-limiting. It will end. You have my word. But the severity of the pandemic will depend on the public response, the virility of the virus and the ability of the virus to mutate.
Be Well.
2. The severity so far is rated moderate, which means most people recover without the need for hospitalization or medical care. But make no mistake, it can be fatal.
3. This is a relatively weak virus in the open. It only survives for a few hours when outside the body.
4. Most household cleaners will kill this virus -- soap and water, bleach, alcohol, Lysol, etc.
5. Healthcare workers and public health officials are working closely to limit the spread of H1N1. But you can help by staying home from work if you get the symptoms. Don't send kids to school sick. Avoid public places until your fever is gone for 24 hours without anti-fever medication.
6. You have a responsibility to be informed and follow guidelines.
7. No medical official would withhold treatment or vaccination willingly if adequate supplies are available. In a shortage, the supply will be rationed to provide the greatest good for the greatest number. This means treating healthcare workers first (so they can remain healthy to take care of you).
8. Decisions surrounding the closure and disinfection of public places, like schools, should be based on the public threat and empiric laboratory evidence, not speculation and conjecture or public hysteria.
9. Get vaccinated, and maintain good hygiene, seek medical care when appropriate. Follow Public Health Department guidelines and recommendations. You have a right to be informed. Ask questions and read everything you can from credible, reliable scientific sources, such as the official sites of the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization.
10. The best thing about a pandemic is it is self-limiting. It will end. You have my word. But the severity of the pandemic will depend on the public response, the virility of the virus and the ability of the virus to mutate.
Be Well.