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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Swine Flu Spreading - But Don't Panic


With the swine flu school closings occurring today, you might think that some might be jumping the gun and being just a bit too quick to slide right into panic mode, but it's always better to err on the side of caution in this case.
Now that the number of countries reporting infected persons has increased, and also, the number of states in the US with confirmed cases has risen from 5 to 10, everyone needs to really start taking it a bit more seriously.

Here are some basic preventative measures and all around good habits you can follow to cut down on the risk of contracting this bug, as listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:

1 - Avoid close contact.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

2 - Stay home when you are sick.

If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3 - Cover your mouth and nose.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4 - Clean your hands.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

5 - Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6 - Practice other good health habits.

Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

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These sound like great habits to have even when there isn't any threat of contracting a humanly transmitted illness.

Hopefully this thing will soon pass, and there won't end up being many more deaths from it. Do your best to stay safe, and also to help cut down the risk of catching this flu.


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18 comments:

Health Advocate said...

It is really scary and it is spreading quite badly.Please follow the instructions that are listed here to be safe and healthy.

Wilson Pon said...

To be honest, Diva. I didn't expect that the Swine Flu spreading speed can be so fast, as the WHO has already raise the pandemic alert level, from phase four to phase five!

No matter what, it's better prevent than cure. In this period, it's wise not to eat too much of pork.

Shelia said...

You know, between the internet, too many network and cable news sources and even print media, this 24 hour obsession of each one trying to get attention by hyping any slightly worthy news story just inflames everything.

This flu certainly demands reporting and that we pay attention to what's going on, but you'd swear that the bubonic plague is back if you didn't know better.

KY's Commonwealth Eye Surgery said...

Well I have started following basic rules of hygiene strictly.And while cleaning my house so that no dust could accumulate I always cover my face and hands.Recently I cleaned lot of garbage from my house too.


Anyway thanks
Cathy

Strongblkwmn said...

It's a scary situation. I was watching the news and on my way out the door I heard part of a story about all the pigs in Egypt being slaughtered because of this outbreak. I have to find out if I heard what I think I heard.

Sadie said...

I think people are really over-reacting about this. Yeah, it's bad, but it's not that horrible. The only people who've died were in Mexico where they don't have as good of health care as we have here. I mean, yeah, people need to be careful like you said (great tips, by the way!), but I think people also need to keep things in perspective and not panic.

Manohara Odelia Pinot said...

This pendemic has made every country getting more aware. Do you think it's not going to spread like what happened in 1918?

BK said...

I couldn't have said it better than you - don't panic. We need to stay alert and stay vigilant but not panic and worry. A better thing to do is to take proactive measures like boosting our immune systems and practicing good personal hygiene as what you have highlighted.

melissa said...

Already I've been seeing parents panic if their child has the sniffles and they are bringing their kids to the doctor in droves. Better safe than sorry, but the swine flu scare seems over the top right now and causing needless panic. Yes, we should be careful, but we should always be careful about spreading germs.

Apollo said...

Most people still think that eating pork can transmit swine flu which is not true (unless you like to eat it raw).

Egypt ordered to slaughter all 350,000 pigs they have in the country which seems a step taken out of proportion.

Most will recover without anti-viral medicine and while there has been an approximate death rate of 4% it is not as bad as it sounds if you take everything into context.

chris said...

Great suggestions for us all to follow. Thanks

The Fitness Diva said...

Health Ad, although people in Mexico have died from it, it only seems to manifest itself as a mild flu in other countries. Hopefully that trend will continue

Wilson, they say it doesn't come from eating pork. I guess we all need to look more into what really caused it.

LOL, Sheila! You're right! I can't even count how many blog posts (including mine) and news stories I've read on this thing.
Until it dies out, I'm guessing it's just gonna continue.

Tammy, the slaughter of all those pigs is just ridiculous! They just wasted a ton of good meat! ;)

The Fitness Diva said...

Sadie, yeah, people need to just calm down. Follow the rules of good hygiene as listed, and we shouldn't have a problem. People need to be a whole lot cleaner anyway! ;)

Manohara, I'm not thinking it will get THAT bad! This one is not killing people left and right. Let's just hope it doesn't get worse.

BK, as I stated before, people in general just really could be a whole lot cleaner and more germ conscious than they are. I always cover my nose and mouth when I sneeze and cough. Why do some grown people still need to be told to do that? A man sat next to me on the train yesterday and just openly and unrestrainedly coughed right on me! (he was slightly turned towards me in his seat). I wanted to whop him one! I just got up and moved. Yes, practice good hygiene and manners!

Melissa, I can see a parent panicking a little simply because kids seems to get a much more severe effect of such a thing. However, the general public does need to just step back and take a breath.... ;)

The Fitness Diva said...

Apollo, the killing of all those pigs was just a damn waste, and crazy, to boot. Just goes to show you what lengths an uneducated public can go to when they're in panic mode.

Hopefully they will come up with the vaccine soon enough. In the meantime, people just need to use common sense.

Chris, thanks, and thanks for stopping by! :)

e-homoeopathy.blogspot.com said...

Dear Fitness diva ,
It is really crucial matter ,but not as notoroius as hype is created.It can be easily managed by homoeopathy.
You can refer this site for further details and also pass on this link to others for their benefit.

Here swine flu has been explained in very simple language and all its signs and symptoms along with preventive measures and treatment has been explained in very short and sweet manner,

Management of Epidemics by homoeopathy: Swine Fluhope this article is helpful to you and community,

thanks for sharring in advance

e-homoeopathy.blogspot.com admin

Gail Grannum said...

Diva, both schools and businesses are now preparing for the fall flu season. The preparation now is on less school closures and isolation, keeping sick children and workers home. Because of that, the business now expect more workers to need a plan to tele-commute for a few days. I have listed a few helpful proactive tips at the site below. We hope that the season will be less severe.
http://www.healthbeautyandfitness.com/blog/nine-healthy-proactive-ways-to-prepare-for-a-mega-flu-season.html
Good luck to all this season,
Gail

domuz gribinin belirtileri said...

thanks for nice info.

Custom Labels said...

I find few things more annoying than when people brag about how they are so dedicated to their jobs they work even when they are sick. What about the rest of us who are forced to breathe in your germs? Definitely stay home from work or school if you're sick!

 
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