Naval hospitals stress flu prevention

This article is from Navy Times.  It is Pertinent info and I want to get it out to “EVERYONE”.  Folks this is the “REAL DEAL”.  Please take measures to protect you and your family.  Understand though, there have been no casualties here in the States as of yet.  The best treatment for this type of illness is “PREVENTION”.

Please do not go to work, (Call in) if you have the symptoms related to Swine Flu, I.e Fever, General Malaise, Coughing, Sneezing, body aches, diarrhea, etc.  Do not and I repeat “DO NOT” bring it into the work place.  If your kids are sick, Keep them out of school, call the clinic or hospital and get advice from a professional.  Things you can do to prevent this and boost your immune system:

• Eat right, Fruits and vegetables

• Drink plenty of Fluids (Remember “H2O is best!)

• Get plenty of rest, if your tired, your immune system can be compromised.

• “WASH YOUR HANDS” remember 9 times out of 10 when someone contracts the flu it is from simple hand to mouth!

• If you cough or sneeze, do it into the “Crook” of your arm so as not to blow out to everyone or into your hands.  If you forget to wash your hands then shake with someone, you just passed it around.

Last but not least watch the local media.  Don’t go by drudge report or the wacko’s on the talkshows etc.. Get the straight skinny from the media (I.e  real news) and the CDC.

Here’s the article from NavyTimes.com

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The region’s naval medical hospitals and clinics are distributing more fliers and posters reminding military service members and their families about preventing the spread of the flu amid international concerns about “swine flu.”

California state health officials on Monday announced that four cases of swine flu have been confirmed in San Diego County, along with four other cases of the influenza A (H1N1) virus. As of Monday afternoon, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they have identified a total of 40 cases in five states.

Little information has been released about the people who have come down with swine flu or any possible military connection.

The swine flu “has been confirmed in a small number of people from the San Diego area. All persons had only a mild illness and are all doing well,” Navy officials said in a statement posted over the weekend on the local naval hospitals’ Web sites. “However, because there remains a risk of being exposed to this virus, there are things you can do to keep from getting sick and to prevent the spread of flu illnesses.”

Sonja Hanson, a spokeswoman for Naval Medical Center-San Diego, cited patient privacy and referred questions about the San Diego County cases to the CDC. Hanson said officials at the medical center, which includes Balboa Hospital, and other military health facilities in Southern California are asking people to heed precautions to prevent the spread of the flu. “We are promoting healthy preventative medicine techniques,” she added.

The U.S. Northern Command, in an advisory message issued Saturday, asked military hospitals and clinics to be on the lookout for potential swine flu cases and directed reviews of local pandemic influenza response plans and infection control practices.

Officials at the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital, which also oversees clinics at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., distributed more posters over the weekend noting steps people can take to guard themselves against the flu, including washing hands often and covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, said Douglas Allen, a hospital spokesman. “We’re putting them up at all of our clinics, at the hospital and around the base, generally just to remind people,” he said.

The San Diego and Camp Pendleton naval hospitals also established telephone hotlines for people to call for more information about the flu.

For more information, check out the CDC Website.

If you have any questions, email them to me here or in the forums. Think smart and take the precautions to protect you and your family.