Call Before You Go...
If you become ill and experience any of the warning signs, contact your healthcare provider but first, "call before you go"  to a clinic or hospital, except for life-threatening symptoms!   Call first to see if you need to actually see your provider in person. If you do need to see your provider, steps can be taken to avoid exposing other patients to the flu.

How do I know if I have the flu?
You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

• fever *

• cough

• sore throat

• runny or stuffy nose

• body aches

• headache

• chills

• fatigue

• sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

What should I do if I get sick?
If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms this season.

Do I need to go the emergency room if I am only a little sick?
No. The emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. You should not go to the emergency room if you are only mildly ill. If you have the emergency warning signs of flu sickness, you should go to the emergency room. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, call your health care provider for advice. If you go to the emergency room and you are not sick with the flu, you may catch it from people who do have it

How long should I stay home if I’m sick?
CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol®.) You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.

What should I do while I’m sick?
Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. And wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others. CDC has information on “Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home”

December 14, 2009: The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announces today that public health departments and private health care providers have been notified that they may start vaccinating members of the general public.  However, DHS has instructed all health care providers to continue efforts to reach out to and vaccinate those in the CDC target groups.

Get Your flu Shots!!!
Vaccines are the best tool we have to prevent influenza.  The Polk County Health Department and local healthcare providers hope that people will start to go out and get vaccinated against seasonal influenza as soon as vaccines become available at their doctor’s offices and in their communities.  The seasonal flu vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against novel H1N1 influenza.  However a novel H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and may be ready for the public in the fall. The novel H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine – it is intended to be used along-side seasonal flu vaccine.  This means that individuals will need to get both a seasonal influenza and H1N1 influenza vaccination. 

General Information About 2009 H1N1 Vaccines  (External Link to CDC website) 

Protect Yourself
Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.