Your guide to getting through this flu season unscathed
(USA Today) — The only thing experts can say for sure about this flu season is that it will be unlike any other, with multiple flu viruses circulating, one of which most people are defenseless against. “This year we are in uncharted territory,” says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden. “What will happen in the coming weeks and months will only become clear in the weeks and months ahead.” Here is a handy guide to prepare for flu season by USA TODAY’s Steve Sternberg, compiled from information provided by the CDC and other sources.
What is Novel H1N1 (swine flu)?
It is an influenza virus that has never been seen in humans before and is spreading around the world. On June 11, the World Health Organization issued its highest form of global public health alert when it labeled the disease a pandemic.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Many people also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Most people recover without hospitalization, but some people get so sick they need intensive care, and some of those don’t survive.
Can I protect myself from getting sick?
Get vaccinated. Vaccine for H1N1 flu is due in October, although certain groups are asked to move toward the head of the line. Vaccine for seasonal flu is available now. Public health experts advise adults and children to get both vaccines, because seasonal flu, by itself, kills 36,000 people a year and causes 200,000 hospitalizations. Jon McCullers of St. Jude’s Children’s Research also recommends that children get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia, which has been a major cause of deaths in previous flu epidemics.
Who should get vaccine?
• The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends swine flu vaccination for pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old, health care workers, young people ages 6 months to 24 years and people 25 to 64 with chronic medical conditions or weakened immunity. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has urged health workers and people who care for infants to get vaccinated, because they so often come in contact with those who are most vulnerable to severe flu complications. “The best way to protect babies is to protect those who come in close contact with them,” she says.
• Seasonal vaccine is recommended for infants and young people 6 months to 19 years old; people caring for infants up to 6 months old; pregnant women, people 50 and older, people with chronic disease, health care workers and others who want to reduce their risk of getting sick.
Is vaccine the only option?
No, it’s the most reliable option. But the CDC recommends these common-sense approaches:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Throw out dirty tissues immediately.
• Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing. Alcohol hand sanitizers are effective.
• Keep hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.
• If you’re sick with flulike illness, keep away from others to keep from making them sick.
• Avoid close contact with sick people, if possible.
A washable keyboard and mice are another great way to help protect yourself from the flu. Cleanable keyboards from WETKEYS, can be easily sanitized and cleaned with virtually and cleaning solution, or even just soap and water. Keeping your washable keyboard clean can really help strengthen your hand-washing efforts.
Tips For Staying Healthy This Flu Season
Some helpful tips for staying healthy this flu season are:
- Wash your hands often
- Carry hand sanitizer with you at all times
- Regularly disinfect surfaces
- Avoid contact with people who are infected with the flu
- Get vaccinated
- Purchase a washable keyboard and keep it clean
These are just a few tips to help you remain healthy. The CDC is reporting that this flu season is potentially devestating. Protect your parents and children from typical influenza and Swine Flu. Go to Wetkeys.com today for more healthy tips! At Wetkeys, you can purchase sanitary keyboards that are heavy duty keyboards and waterproof keyboards that are easily kept clean.
Preparing For Flu Season
By Fred Cicetti
September 17, 2009
Flu season in the northern hemisphere can range from as early as November to as late as May. The peak month usually is February.
However, this coming season is expected to be unpredictable because of the emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus or swine flu. The H1N1 has caused the first global outbreak—pandemic—of influenza in more than four decades.
There is concern that the 2009 H1N1 virus may make the season worse than a regular flu season. It is feared that there will be many more hospitalizations and fatalities this season. The 2009 H1N1 virus caused illness in the U.S. during the summer months when influenza is very uncommon.
The 2009-10 flu vaccine protects against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. The seasonal vaccine is not expected to protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus. A vaccine for 2009 H1N1 is being produced and may be ready for the public in the fall.
The 2009-10 vaccine can be administered anytime during flu season. However, the best time to get inoculated is between October and November. The protection provided by the vaccine lasts about a year. Adults over 50 are prime candidates for the vaccine because the flu can be fatal for people in this age group.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 20 percent of the population gets the flu each year.
The CDC reports vaccination rates are better for those over 65. About 7 in 10 seniors get their flu shots. You can get the flu vaccine from your doctor, at public health centers, senior centers, pharmacies and supermarkets.
For more than four decades, the flu vaccine has been strongly recommended for older people, but now some scientists say the vaccine probably doesn’t work well for those over 70. About 75 percent of flu deaths happen to people in this age group.
Flu is a contagious illness of the respiratory system caused by the influenza virus. Flu can lead to pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, ear problems and dehydration.
Droplets from coughing and sneezing spread the flu. An adult with flu can infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five days after becoming sick. Children may spread flu for more than seven days.
The best way to combat the bug is to get the flu vaccine. You have to get inoculated annually because new vaccines are prepared every year to combat new versions of the virus. When you battle the flu, you develop antibodies to the invading virus, but those antibodies don’t work on new strains. The vaccine does not prevent flu in all people; it works better in younger recipients than older ones.
Contrary to rumor, you can’t catch the flu from the vaccine. The flu vaccine is not made from a live virus.
The recovery time for the flu is about one to two weeks. However, in seniors, weakness may persist for a longer time.
The common scenario for flu is a sudden onset of symptoms, which include chills, fatigue, fever, cough, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, muscle aches and appetite loss.
While nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can be related to the flu, these are rarely the primary flu symptoms. The flu is not a stomach or intestinal disease. The term stomach flu is inaccurate.
When symptoms strike, get to a doctor as soon as possible; the faster the better. There are prescription antiviral drugs to treat flu. Over-the-counter medicines can help relieve symptoms of the flu. You should also drink liquids to prevent dehydration, and sleep to bolster your immune system.
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Along with this important information on staying healthy during this flu season, buy you and your family washable keyboards. These heavy duty keyboards are ideal for keeping a clean home, espeically with kids around. These are waterproof keyboards, sanitary keyboards, and silicon keyboards. Get yours at Wetkeys.com today!
New York, L.A., Boston Set Up Swine Flu Vaccination Centers
Bloomberg: New York, Los Angeles and Boston are setting up swine flu centers to administer vaccinations as part of a plan to slow the spread of the virus that U.S. health officials have said may infect half the nation’s population.
New York will offer free immunizations at elementary schools and distribute the vaccine through about 100 health clinics, according to plans released today by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office. Los Angeles will give out shots at its fair grounds, Boston is letting city employees leave work for two hours to get vaccinated and Chicago’s schools plan to track real-time attendance for the first time to identify hotspots, spokesmen for those municipalities said.
Cities nationwide are completing plans to distribute the H1N1 vaccine, which the U.S. will provide for free. The shots are being tested and will be available in mid-October, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients will still have to pay to have the vaccine administered unless states and cities agree to cover those costs, as New York has.
Fastest-Moving Pandemic
Swine flu has become the world’s fastest-moving influenza pandemic, sweeping across 177 countries in the four months since it was first identified, the CDC said. Lab tests have confirmed H1N1 in 2,185 deaths and more than 209,000 infections, though most infected patients aren’t tested, according to the Geneva- based World Health Organization.
H1N1 may infect 30 to 50 percent of the U.S. population, according to planning scenario released by outside advisers to the White House on Aug. 24.
The U.S. is already undergoing the highest flu rates for this time of year since the 1968 Hong Kong flu, said Joe Quimby, a CDC spokesman, in an Aug. 30 telephone interview. While the U.S. flu season normally runs from November to March, swine flu continued to circulate during the summer with outbreaks seen in at least 80 summer camps, the CDC said.
Distributing the Vaccine
The U.S. government is paying for shots, nasal sprays and related supplies. It’s up to states to decide how to distribute the vaccine and who should pay for the doctor visits, according to the CDC.
Stay healthy. WETKEYS.com has launched a pre-emptive disease control initiative that includes drastically reduced pricing on its washable and sanitary computer keyboard and mouse products that help computer users protect health and safety.
Americans are getting serious about swine flu
USA Today - Americans are taking swine flu more seriously now than they did last spring, when the emerging pandemic began causing widespread illness and shuttering schools in several states, the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.
The poll of 1,007 adults Wednesday found that one in three people believe they or a family member probably will contract H1NI flu, up from one in five in May. Seventeen percent say they worried yesterday that they would get flu, up from 8% in June. Sixty-one percent now accept the government’s reckoning of swine flu’s risks, up 5% since May. A majority of people, 55%, say for the first time that they will get vaccinated, up 9%.
The risk groups for swine and seasonal influenza differ, research shows; more swine flu cases are concentrated among children and young people.
A Chicago Department of Public Health study of 1,557 cases of swine flu released Thursday by the CDC shows that children ages 5 to 14 had 14 times the infection rate of adults 60 and older.
The number of flu cases continues to increase - stay protected against the flu. Wash your keyboard along with your hands. Washable keyboards can tolerate being fully submerged in cleaning solution, or simply being sprayed with disinfectant. Get a sanitary keyboard to strengthen your hand washing efforts and help eliminate germs this flu season. WETKEYS has a great selection of washable keyboards and mice for any computer user.
Swine Flu Spreads Similarly To Other Influenza Viruses
Center for Disease Control–May 4th 2009
Transmission
Transmission of novel influenza A (H1N1) is being studied as part of the ongoing outbreak investigation, but limited data available indicate that this virus is transmitted in ways similar to other influenza viruses. Seasonal human influenza viruses are thought to spread from person to person primarily through large-particle respiratory droplet transmission (e.g., when an infected person coughs or sneezes near a susceptible person). Transmission via large-particle droplets requires close contact between source and recipient persons because droplets do not remain suspended in the air and generally travel only a short distance (< 6 feet). Contact with contaminated surfaces is another possible source of transmission and transmission via droplet nuclei (also called “airborne” transmission). Because data on the transmission of novel H1N1 viruses are limited, the potential for ocular, conjunctival, or gastrointestinal infection is unknown. Since this is a novel influenza A virus in humans, transmission from infected persons to close contacts might be common. All respiratory secretions and bodily fluids (diarrheal stool) of novel influenza A (H1N1) cases should be considered potentially infectious.
Incubation period
The estimated incubation period is unknown and could range from 1-7 days, and more likely 1-4 days.
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Considering the above information, purchasing washable keyboards and mice for your home and business is a healthy idea. Keyboards easily become filthy and are typically difficult to clean. However, with this waterproof durable silicon keyboard and heavy duty keyboard that is also a sanitary keyboard that can be purchased at Wetkeys.com, you’ll feel as though your family and employees are safer.
11 Tips On Being Environmentally Friendly When Going Back To School
Livescience Staff– 21 August 2007 12:59 pm ET
4) Look for the FSC label on pencils and paper. Many paper products are made from trees specifically grown and harvested for papermaking, thus sparing delicate rainforest ecosystems. The Forest Stewardship Council certifies that wood and paper products are grown and managed responsibly.
5) Purchase supplies with minimal packaging. Packaging makes up about a third of the garbage that piles up in landfills. Also, less processing and packaging means less energy goes into production, and less global warming pollution is created.
6) Brown bag meals and avoid plastic. Pack school lunches in brown, unbleached, recycled paper bags whenever possible. And if your child has a favorite superhero, there’s a good chance the character is printed on a re-usable lunchbox.
7) Prepare lunches using local produce. Be aware of the distance food travels and the emissions necessary to ship and truck it there. Although broccoli is grown at nearby farms, the ones that shoppers pick up at the supermarket traverse an average distance of 1,800 miles.
Refill water bottles. Don’t throw them away. One and a half million tons of plastic are used to bottle water every year. Such large-scale manufacturing and disposal of water bottles can release toxic chemicals into the environment.
9) Look for laptops made by companies working to reduce their global emissions. The ENERGY STAR sticker is a good tip-off that a product is compliant with EPA guidelines. Some backpacks even have built-in solar panels to provide an eco-friendly way to power laptops. Also, turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
10) Walk or bike to school, not only to get exercise but also to benefit the environment. By burning calories walking, you and your child don’t burn a vehicle’s gasoline and thus do your part to help reduce global warming. Surely, the PE instructor will approve.
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As a green consumer, I’d like to add one more tip to this list:
11) Purchase a low cost, high quality waterproof, washable keyboard and mouse from Man & Machine at Wetkeys.com. Not only are these sanitary keyboards, but they won’t destroy the environment. They are durable keyboards and heavy duty keyboards.
Pregnant and Worried About Swine Flu? Stay Protected
A recent post by Directgov suggests pregnant women who contract Swine Flu may experience high-rish pregnancies. To avoid this, I am taking all the precautions available to me.
Among these, one of the most significant is my Unotron washable keyboard and mouse. With this cleanable keyboard and sanitary keyboard, I don’t have to worry about encountering germs left by my children and their friends after they use our home computers. I just disinfect it before I use it. It gives me great peace-of-mind. I purchased my washable keyboard and mouse from the Wetkeys.com team, where they stay on top of pathogen-related issues.
Parents and Educators Need to Work Together to Avoid a Swine Flu Outbreak Among Children
According to Brisbane News protecting our children agianst Swine Flu requires a team effort.
Parents and teachers need to work together to avoid an increase in swine flu cases as children go back to school, NSW Health says. “Schools play an important role in reinforcing good hygiene practices and helping parents and children understand how to minimise the spread of infection,” Dr Chant said. “It is important parents keep their children away from school if they develop influenza-like symptoms and we ask families, friends and the wider community to work together to make this happen wherever possible.”
One big way that schools and parents can work together is by installing washable keyboards at home and around schools. These cleanable keyboards are sanitary keyboards and also heavy duty keyboard, a durable keyboard, and a waterproof keyboard. You can wipe them down with antibacterial soap. I purchased mine at Wetkeys.com.
Cool, Healthy Gadgets for Kid’s Back-to-School Shopping
School is just around the corner and so is flu season. A great gift idea for kids is a washable keyboard. It’s a heavy duty keyboard that’s a cleanable keyboard and sanitary keyboard. Your kids can be rough with it and sneeze on it and spill drinks and food on it and, not only does it not harm the keyboard, it wipes right off.
Kids love to share their gadgets and at least you know with this one, they won’t be sharing their germs along with it. I purchased them for my kids at wetkeys.com.
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