Swine Flu Alert

From: Tristin Mock
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:23 AM
To: Public Health
Subject: H1N1 Screening
Importance: High

Here’s the screening procedure that’s recommended by the state. Basically if someone has cold symptoms with a fever over 100°F and within the last 10 days has traveled to an area with confirmed cases or, has been in close contact with a confirmed case of H1N1 (human or swine), they should be screened.

Here is the information from http://www.flu.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/acd/provider.shtml:

If you are seeing a patient with febrile respiratory illness:

• Consider Swine Flu in the Differential Diagnosis Case Definition: A person with an acute respiratory illness (cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea or nasal congestion) and fever of > 37.8°C (>100°F)
• Who has traveled to an area where there are confirmed cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) within 7 days of suspect case's illness onset or
• Who was a close contact to a confirmed case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection while the case was ill or
  Who has a history of recent contact with an animal with confirmed or suspected swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.
• Use protective equipment when attending suspected swine flu cases
• Surgical mask
• Gloves
• Gown
• Laboratory testing
• For people who meet the case definition, obtain 2 swabs for testing. Preferred swab is a flocked or Dacron tipped nasopharyngeal swab on a non-wooden shaft. See ww.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/phl/docs/stock3.pdf for information on ordering sampling kits
• Do initial testing in your regular lab to determine if strain is influenza A. If the patient tests positive for influenza A, send the second refrigerated swab in viral transport medium to the State Public Health Lab. Label these “RULE OUT SWINE FLU.” These samples will be processed at NO COST. Also please complete and send a Virology/Immunology Request Form, available at: www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/phl/forms.shtml and fill in “rule out swine flu” under “other” in the “virus isolation” section.
• Treatment - If treatment is considered, the swine flu strain is sensitive to both zanamivir and olseltamivir, but resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Guidance is on the CDC swine flu website. Patients with suspected swine flu should be encouraged to stay home for 7 days after symptom onset. Close contacts who develop symptoms consistent with the above case definition should be encouraged to seek evaluation
• Prophylaxis - Guidance on prophylaxis in selected situations on the CDC swine flu web site. Universal prophylaxis of household contacts is not indicated. For more information, call Public Health Epidemiology at 971-673-1111.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

So here is my take on this:

This IS a big deal, but it is not a reason to freak out or cry Armageddon...

Influenza has killed a lot of people in the past and, as all infections, the worst time for a new and virulent strain is in times of high stress. This is a time of high stress, the economic state of the world is in question, terror is on most peoples minds, the environment is having a lot of trouble and population is skyrocketing. These stressors have the effect of lowering peoples immunity and. therefore, increasing their susceptibility to illness. The "perfect storm" is here and, like the 1918 flu outbreak, the social and political stressors may contribute to the severity of this outbreak.

The best way to avoid the flu is: follow good hygiene techniques, wash your hands, avoid people who are sick, get enough sleep, etc. This is true for 2009 H1N1 flu as well as the common cold.

Stay healthy, lower your stress, eat well, get enough exercise and rest and you will live a long and healthy life.

Balance

Falls are a real threat to our elders, especially when their motor functions start to wane. Tai Chi (also spelled taiji) practice helps to prevent falls, provides a source for regular meditation, and can generally improve the function and vitality of elderly people.

The benefits of a taiji practice stem from two sources and the combination of these leads to the great benefits for all people, especially the elderly.

First, taiji is exercise. As a form of exercise, taiji is very adaptable to both time and space requirements as well as skill level. Regular movement helps the body in a myriad of ways and is vital to moving the lymph and body fluids, assisting the cardiovascular system, maintaining immunity and neurological functions, and reducing physical degeneration. Taiji is an extremely low impact activity (next to swimming) and still challenges the muscles enough to build strength.

Second, taiji is a meditative practice. Regular meditation has been shown to benefit immunity, reduce stress, and improve the outcome of most medical conditions. Meditation serves the body in many ways: "grounding" the nervous system, relieving stress, quieting the mind, resting the organs, and lowering the metabolism. Meditation generally improves the effects of aging by balancing the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems, allowing them to rest and rejuvenate.

The combination of these two sources makes taiji an outstanding form of exercise that can greatly reduce the complications of aging. the movements are simple but allow for as much skill as even masters of martial arts possess, they are challenging to all without being impossible to any.

Even disabled people can benefit from taiji, although specialized instruction is required.

There are few other practices that are so profoundly beneficial to aging and yet so easily attainable as taij.

Article Article Article Article Article