I've been away from the blog for too long. Moving can be brutal, but unpacking and organizing is a bear!
At any rate, the old N1H1 (aka swine flu) is still out there and apparently not getting better. I recently read in a Time Magazine article online that the vaccine will be available mid-October 2009. Okay, so if you're not going to get the vaccine, let me just remind everyone of some basic common sense rules to follow. These will keep you healthy, wealthy, and wise. Well, maybe not the wealthy part, but certainly healthy!
1) Wash your hands frequently. Wash your hands especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, before and after working out, and anytime your hands touch something that everyone else touches also. This may sound neurotic, but a little neurosis is healthy at this point, don't you think? I can't tell you how many times I see males use public washrooms, but fail to wash their hands after doing their business. Jeez. Is it *that* difficult to wash up afterwards. For everyones sake, clean up please.
2) Re-read #1 and take it to heart.
3) Go back to #2
4) This is the difficult one, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, and take a daily vitamin. Do this when you are healthy! Do this daily. Don't wait until you're sick to do this, then it's too late you're already sick.
When the vaccine is available mid-October, the CDC recommends the following people be first in line:
Pregnant women.
Those in households with babies 6 months old or younger.
Health-care workers.
Everyone from 6 months to 24 years old.
People ages 25 to 64 with conditions like asthma.
If you get the flu and don't know whether it is "the" flu or not, stay home. Do not go to work or school. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
Treatments
Tamiflu - Works and is most effective in the first 48 hours of illness, the drug works against symptoms of the new H1N1, but seasonal flu is resistant to it.
Relenza - Not for young children but effective against both seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu
For more information and my sources for this post, please visit:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1924276,00.html
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
Reality check:
It is everywhere now. Be safe. Be smart.
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