Protecting Your Family from the Flu
If youve been watching the evening news lately, then you know that the lead story for a couple of days has been the epidemic of swine flu thats hit Mexico and is moving into the US.
Although a case of the flu isnt that big a deal for most healthy adults, this disease tends to hit children and the elderly the hardest with over 150 dead in Mexico alone. As a result, many countries are issuing travel restrictions as well as more closely screening people crossing their borders.
With all the fear and confusion creating numerous conflicting stories in the media, its difficult to know which information to trust. However, there are a couple of simple, common-sense things that you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu.
First, understand what youre fighting. What is the flu, or more specifically, the swine flu? Swine flu is the name given to the most recent outbreak of the flu virus. Its a type of flu thats not been seen before. It contains parts of some of the strains of flu that weve dealt with in the past including American Swine and avian, or bird flu.
This strain of flu virus is spread like any other flu virus: primarily from airborne transmission but also from surface transmission as well. In other words, the virus spreads from infected people sneezing or coughing which pumps the virus into the air where healthy people breath it in. It spreads by surface transmission when infected people wipe their runny nose, for example, and then touch a door knob, phone, or other surface. If a healthy person touches the contaminated surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, they become infected also.
The symptoms are those of the common flu: headache, fever, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and muscle aches. In the vast majority of cases, most people recover without any problems. However, special care should be taken for those that are most at risk for complications infants, people with existing respiratory problems, and the elderly.
Second, cleanliness is your best defense. Since the virus spreads through surface transmission, your best defense is to frequently clean common areas at home as well as at the office with a sanitizing cleanser. You should also carry a bunch of pre-moistened wipes or a tube of hand sanitizer and wash your hands often. Make sure your kids get into the habit of frequently washing their hands with soap and/or a hand sanitizer also. This one suggestion is probably the most effective thing you can to do prevent your family from coming down with the flu.
So what about airborne transmission? Is a surgical mask effective? Well, yes and no. The flu is a virus, something so small that a surgical mask isnt going to stop it. However, in most cases, the virus is spread by someone coughing or sneezing so the virus isnt going to be coming out in single units. Theyre going to be in clumps clinging to the droplets of water or mucous thats part of every sneeze. In these cases, the clumps may be large enough to be trapped by the surgical mask.
Youll find conflicting reports about the effectiveness of surgical masks. Theyre probably most effective in preventing infected people from sneezing on you, something thats likely to happen in crowded situations like a subway or sporting event.
Third, keep yourself and your family healthy. This means making sure that you and your family is eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of fluids, getting moderate exercise, and getting plenty of sleep. You want to make sure that your immune system is in peak condition and ready to fight off any attacks. I dont advocate taking mega-doses of vitamin C or anything else but a good multivitamin wouldnt hurt.
Fourth, if all else fails. If all else fails and you or a member of your family gets sick, make them as comfortable as you can. Theres no real cure for the flu but there are all sorts of over-the-counter medications for the symptoms. If you or your family member is part of the high risk group (infants, elderly, or existing respiratory problems), then keep a very close watch and get medical attention if their condition appears to worsen.
If youre the one thats sick, stay home, drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest. Most people recover within 5-7 days. If it lasts longer than this, see your doctor.
Finally, this flu is really no more serious (or any less serious) than the other strains of flu weve experienced so the precautions are pretty much the same. The best advice is to maximize your chances of warding off the disease by keeping common surfaces clean, washing your hands often, and by practicing good health habits (eating right, exercise, staying hydrated, getting plenty of sleep).
Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Technorati Tags: healthy, sneeze, cough, Avian, Bird Flu, Flu, Flu Virus, Runny Nose, Swine Flu, virus
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Wanted to provide a little more information on the issue of surgical face masks. A lot of people are recommending N95 face masks or even HEPA filters, all of which just adds to the confusion.
What’s the difference? Let me start with a HEPA filter, because you see these advertised in everything from vacuum cleaners to HVAC air filters for your home. HEPA stands for “High Efficiency Particulate Air.” By definition (there’s a good article on Wikipedia), a HEPA filter will filter out 99.97% of all particulates that are 0.3 microns or larger.
An N95 filter on the other hand, will filter out 95% of all particulates 0.3 microns or larger. Notice that neither the N95 nor the HEPA filter offer 100% protection. In other words, filtering out 95% of particulates means that 5% goes straight on through.
Also keep in mind the efficiency of the filters totally depends on the type of fit you get between the filter and your mouth/nose area. For example, many N95 filters are “one size fits all” and do not fit snugly against the skin allowing air to leak in with every breath. A HEPA filter on the other hand, is usually part of a face mask with soft silicon seals that provide a much better seal against the skin.
Wearing either an N95 or a HEPA filter as part of your job requires that a “fit test” be performed by a trained safety professional in order to verify that you’re getting a good seal. Also, OSHA requires a physical before wearing these types of filters because they do put a load on your respiratory and cardio systems and can possibly trigger problems with those systems (like a heart attack or an asthma attack). My point in mentioning this is that there’s more to it than just buying a filter at Home Depot and slapping it on.
Lastly, a surgical mask will typically filter out anywhere from 80% to 95% of particulates, depending on the type of mask. Surgical mask construction ranges from a simple cloth, gauze-like material to some of the newer, plastic and paper materials that are much more efficient.
However, having said all of that, here’s the kicker. The flu virus is around 0.1 micron in size. Read that again. All of the specs that I listed for filters mentions that they’re effective for particulates down to 0.3 microns. So from a purely scientific stand point, these types of filters are not effective in protecting you from the flu since the virus is too small to be filtered out.
But that’s not the end of the story! There may be some practical benefits to wearing a surgical mask or other type of filter. One is the benefit I mentioned in the article – the fact that in most cases, an infected person is going to sneeze or cough and the virus is going to be expelled into the air along with water and/or mucus droplets. These in all likelihood are large enough to be trapped by a face mask.
A second benefit is that since the mask covers your nose and mouth, it tends to discourage you from touching these areas with your fingers, which may have picked up the virus from a contaminated surface. This might help prevent you from infecting yourself before you can get around to washing your hands.
So basically, the decision whether to wear or not wear a face mask (or an N95 or HEPA filter) ends up being kind of a moot point. You can protect yourself, and your family, much better by taking the simple steps outlined in the article: wash your hands often, keep common surfaces clean, and keep yourself healthy by making sure you eat right, drink plenty of fluids, and get plenty of rest.
As a final note, keep in mind that this virus is NOT a “super” strain of flu. It’s not more powerful than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet, or anything else. True, it’s a new strain that hasn’t been seen by the medical community before. But as far as you and I are concerned (the people that are likely to get it), it’s just the plain ‘ol flu.
I’m certainly not trying to trivialize this outbreak, but we shouldn’t go crazy over it either.
Hiram