Loading ...5 Ways to Prepare for Seasonal Influenza This Fall
John Soloman at In Case of Emergency Blog, sent me a note asking for my ideas on how citizens could prepare for a second round of H1N1 influenza this fall. Given the lessons of the past few weeks, I believe that there are five things people can do to prepare today. But first, let’s talk about this fall.
Seasonal Influenza this Fall
It takes about six months to develop a vaccine for influenza. Drug companies around the world are busy developing serum for distribution later this year. Unfortunately, the vaccine that will be used this fall is already in production. This means that if drug makers can produce an H1N1 vaccine by the fall, it will not be part of the trivalent vaccine most people will take at their doctor’s office or local clinic. You will have to take two flu shots this year, if you want to protect yourself against influenza.
I expect that the media will drive demand for flu vaccines through the roof this year. Starting in August, we will be seeing and reading reports about the lack of a quadrivalent vaccine. People will learn about the second vaccine. Politicians will criticize various things. Third-World countries will be out of luck unless there is enough to go around. The CDC already has a 25-page guideline on the allocation of pandemic influenza vaccine. But enough doom and gloom.
Here are five things people can do to prepare.
1. Think Health First
From eating a balanced diet to properly disinfecting surfaces in your home and workspace, you can’t go wrong by forming health habits. The CDC has an entire section on Individual and Family Planning with respect to Pandemic Influenza. But their suggestions are great for the common cold or warding off “cooties,” if that was a real problem.
2. Have a Plan if Your School Closes
Besides the fact that schools risked losing federal funding when they closed at the onset of H1N1 influenza, there was a major problem with the CDC’s guidelines on school closings: parents found themselves in a hard place of an unscheduled seven day vacation.
Taking your kids to the movies, the mall, or letting little Suzie spend time at Cathy’s house, isn’t what the CDC had in mind when schools closed. They wanted to isolate sick children from healthy ones.
I expect that the idea of taking sick children out of school for 7-10 days will be the guideline this fall, allowing schools to remain open. But what many parents don’t realize is that schools that see major spikes in absenteeism because of H1N1 can be closed still.
So what will you do if your school closes this fall? Plan now.
3. Emergency Supplies
Nearly every home has a stash of band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, and the like; but this summer is the time to put together (or replenish) you home healthcare drawer. The CDC has a great list here.
This isn’t about preparing for a nuclear attack, just a simple reserve for the unexpected.
Cash crunch? Purchase these items over several weeks. Seasonal flu shouldn’t hit until the fall.
4. Have a Reliable Source of Information
Many people keep up with news and information by using an RSS reader such as Google Reader or News Gator. Regardless of which one you use, there are several good feeds you should include in your feed list when it comes to following seasonal influenza.
5. Relax and Enjoy the Summer
For all of the hype around H1N1 influenza, people stayed calm. The media may have hyperventilated, but there were no riots in the streets, fist-fights over masks, and the like.
This novel strain of influenza hasn’t proven itself to be very virulent. In fact, most of the deaths—even in Mexico—were intertwined with other health issues in the patients. There is no reason to be anxious about the coming flu season. There also is no reason why should shouldn’t be prepared either.
Next week, I will put together ideas for professional communicators on what we can do to prepare for H1N1 Round II—if it comes at all.
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