A little over 24 hours ago we received our first positive confirmation of the swine flu. The patient had been in the emergency room about 3 days ago. So, it's official. Swine flu has hit right in my own backyard....The symptoms of H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. The child's symptoms weren't anything out of the ordinary....fever, cough and runny nose. He was treated and discharged home.
The test to determine the presence of this particular strain of the H1N1 flu is not done at our facility. The specimen's collected must be sent to an outside laboratory - once results are final...the off site lab faxes the results back to the ordering facility. In cases such as this the facility and the state department of health are notified of the results.
As the "flu" season begins to swing into high gear (usually October thru late February), I'm sure the fear and uneasiness will also kick into overdrive. For the first time that I can remember...the ER waiting room now has surgical masks (adult and child size) available for the patients to use while waiting.
The CDC website even has provided some general information to keep everyone as informed as possible about this potentially deadly H1N1 virus - including symptoms, prevention, etc.
One of the best defenses against swine flu is one of the simplest things you could ever do.....WASH YOUR HANDS...WASH YOUR HANDS...and...WASH YOUR HANDS.
Let's pray we have a better outcome than what many are predicting.
