Dealing with worries about swine flu: Some questions and answers
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/04/2009 (6008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
TORONTO – Some answers to questions that many people are asking about the new swine flu:
Q: What can I do to prevent myself from getting the flu?
A: Focus on simple prevention techniques, such as washing your hands and coughing in your sleeve. “If you don’t have access to soap and water, use an alcohol gel,” advises Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Q: What should I do if I’ve travelled to an area with swine flu, and now have coughs, aches and fatigue?
A: “If people have had a travel history to an affected area and they’re sick, stay at home,” says Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief public health officer. “Stay at home; phone your doctor.”
Q: Should I just show up at a clinic or doctor’s office?
A: “Notify them in advance as a courtesy to the physician … so they can take proper precautions to protect themselves and their patients,” says Dr. Danuta Skowronski, a physician epidemiologist with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Q: Is there anything that helps patients with swine flu get better?
A: The virus is vulnerable to Tamiflu and Relenza, the two anti-viral drugs that Canada has stockpiled.
Q: Is it safe to eat fruits and vegetables from Mexico?
A: Yes. “In terms of influenza viruses and swine flu, it is 100 per cent safe,” says Dr. Andrew Simor, infectious disease specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. “The virus is not found in food and it’s not transmitted by ingestion of food.”
Q: Can you get this swine flu from handling or eating pork products?
A: No. “It is perfectly safe to eat pork because that’s not a means of getting swine flu,” Simor says. “Pigs and swine often are infected with influenza virus and yet people ingest pork products all the time. They don’t get sick from it.”
Q: Should I get a seasonal flu shot, and if so why?
A: The seasonal flu shot will not protect against swine flu. “However, there are still other strains of influenza virus circulating in our community,” Simor says. “And from that perspective, it may not be too late to get the current vaccine to protect against current seasonal flu strains.”
Q: Where can I go for more information?
A: Call the Public Health Agency of Canada at 1-800-454-8302 or visit the website at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca.