EMS Alert: H1N1 (Swine) Flu
The swine flu began as a flu bug transmitted only among pigs but has recently begun to spread with human to human transmission. Because of this fairly easy human to human transmission, many public health officials are concerned about the possibility of rapid, wide spread infection. A similar swine flu popped up in the ‘80’s and many people were vaccinated against that, but this is a new strain so that vaccination won’t help with this one.
Emergency Response
EMS is likely to receive many calls for help from people who either are truly infected or think they might be infected. So far there is no indication this flu is any more lethal than any other flu. See the CDC recommendations about keeping your distance, using PPE properly, etc. The consistent advice is to cover a cough, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your nose and mouth. There are links below to the CDC documents.
Protecting Ourselves
Should we be wearing a mask? Do I need a vaccine? Information is developing and changing very rapidly. The best suggestions for EMS, other pre-hospital personnel and healthcare workers in general come from the CDC. To provide you with the best, most recent information, we are supplying the following links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC information is considered reliable and up to the minute. To protect yourself from infection by swine flu (and any other illness), check these links often to stay informed and above the panic…