With the soaring number of cases in Asia -- being led sadly by our dear homeland the Philippines -- the swine flu scare is causing widespread panic and concern, especially infants and pregnant women who are said to be more susceptible to illnesses.
With this in mind, now would be a great time to remind ourselves of the things we can do to stop the spread of the virus. Here's some ways, though do not limit yourself to these:
Wear facemask. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Best way to treat the flu? Not having it in the first place! It not only helps people from getting virus, but also helps infected people from spreading it to others.
Use hand soap, hand sanitizers, alcohol, and/or disinfectants. Cleanliness is next to godliness. So just make sure you use these. Washing with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds kills whatever germs you have on your hands. If not available, having a handy alcohol or hand sanitizer should suffice. be sure to use them, especially when you use your hands to handle things which might have been passed on from one person to another... which brings me to...
Don't touch anything! Or rather, mind what you touch. Are you in the habit of holding onto handrails, escalators, door handles? Things or places that other people have handled? Better not hold those if you can help it. If it cannot be avoided -- example, you have to hold onto handrails because your balance is just way off the higher you get like yours truly -- be sure you disinfect your hands asap -- see previous item. In addition...
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. CDC (Center for Disease Control) experts state that this is how one gets infected. If your hands touch something contaminated by the virus and then you touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you introduce the virus inside your body.
Eat healthy foods. Studies show that the A(H1N1) strain in the Philippines is not as strong as the other flu strains in other countries such as US -- hopefully that's true for the cases in Singapore as well. You can easily beat it if you have strong resistance. So first step to building resistance is always eating the right food. This is where your "glow" foods come in -- in case you forgot your Health Education 101, your food groups are "Go" (energy), "Grow" (well, grow), and "Glow" (body resistance).
Load up on vitamins. Better consult your doctor to make sure you're getting the right kibnds of vitamins. Normally for fevers, flu, and the like, vitamin C is the first thing to consider. You get it from citrus fruits (e.g. oranges) or in capsules, tablets or pills.
Lots of sleep. Can't stress this enough. Your body needs sufficient rest to function properly. Ensuring you get at least eight hours of sleep is a good way to start.
Mind your distance from people. Observe your personal space. The closer you allow yourself to other people, the higher the risk of you picking up viruses. Sure, you may be seen as a snob. But hell, are they going to pay for your medical expenses if you get sick because of them? No? Then what the hell... :))
Stay home. Unless your home is stinkin' rat's nest, its the safest place to be. Try not to frequently go out, especially hangout places where there is sooo much human traffic. Similarly...
Limit your flights. That's primarily how the virus spreads from one country to another. We've made an observation: whenever I fly somewhere, an hour or so after getting out of the plane, I almost always start to cough or sneeze or have a runny nose. Not surprising. It's not like the flight crew actually replace the seats and disinfect each and every one of them between flights. Take note!
Check your temperature. Keep tabs on how you feel. Not feeling well? Having chills? Sore burning eyes or ears? Check your temperature. Having 37.5 C or higher temperature indicates a fever or flu.
See your doctor at the first sign of trouble. Don't wait until you're not able to walk. You know your body. The moment you sense something is wrong, have it checked out. In the first AH1N1 death in the Philippines, the victim might have been saved if only she was treated a lot sooner.
On infants and pregnant women...
Thankfully, some flu drugs are promising to be relatively safe for pregnant mothers and infants. A recent publication from the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that the well-known anti-flu drugs TamiFlu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir). You can check out this article from the Canadian Press here dated June 15th for more information. This is not a definitive answer, but at least this is an option.
Still, it is best to consult your doctor. If you have doubts, get a second opinion. Might be expensive though.
I suggest keeping tabs on the news about the virus to be abreast of the latest information. Checking the CDC website on swine flu guarantees that you are up to date. Check this CDC link for pregnant women.
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that this pandemic dies out sooner than later.
So, it all comes down to personal hygiene and personal health. Be mindful of these, and you should be just fine. More importantly, be aware of yourself and surroundings. At the first sign of trouble, go to the doctor.
Good luck and stay safe!
No comments:
Post a Comment