I heard an insider’s view of the swine flu last week from one of our valley leaders. Ok, he called it H1N1, but names are hard to change, especially abbreviations with no connection to the real world.
Dr. Muntu Davis, the Deputy Health Officer & director of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention for the Alameda County Health Department revealed new steps that we all can understand. His message transcends the Swine Flu and asks you to start changing your reaction to all communicable diseases.
Many communicable diseases have lifelong consequences. We even lost a favorite “son” of Danville last week to just such a communicable disease: Mike Shimansky, a 20-year councilman, 30-year friend, mentor, coach and community leader, succumbed to meningococcal meningitis. It could have been you, as Dr. Mantu made it clear that most such cases are never traced to a cause or human carrier.
In the face of such ferocious bacteria, what can you do to prepare for such “unforgiving, invisible invaders?” It demands a change in culture. Yes, you should get a vaccination, but you can do so much more.
Don’t go to work sick. What does that mean? Well, with ordinary flu, most people stay home two or three days. If you have a fever of 102 degrees, you are definitely communicable. Sleep at home, or work at home (if you must work).
While you might stay home two to three days, you may actually be sick five to seven days! That is, your coworker may return to work when he is still “shedding virus” with every sniffle or cough or sneeze. So change your response to your co-workers. Try to keep six feet away. Wash your hands much more frequently-before eating, after eating, before preparing food, after preparing food, after your stop in the restroom, after you cough. You cannot wash your hands too often because most people inadvertently touch their hands to their eyes, nose, or mouth. In doing so, you just carried the disease inside your body!
Wash is not the same as “sprinkle.” Dr. Mantu recomments 20 seconds of hand scrubbing to wash those viruses away. When I volunteered at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, we had signs everywhere telling us to wash for time periods up to a minute. It’s not difficult, but it is a cultural change!
By the way, “Purell” and other disinfectants are fine only if soap and water are not available. Overuse, can affect your body’s natural build up of immunities against disease.
How fatal is Swine Flu? The children who contracted it and subsequently died also suffered neural or muscular problems (such as cerebral palsy). For those born healthy, their bodies should be able to fight off this new flu. Inexplicably, this new flu occurs during the flu “off-season” and hits those between two and 49 the hardest. That makes symptoms harder to recognize quickly.
Who should get vaccinated? In priority order: ages two to 26, those age 25 and over who have chronic medical conditions, and health care providers with direct contact to patients.
What kind of shot should you get? Nasal sprays are live virus and shots are not. So it is currently recommended that you get two shots (one for this season’s flue and one for Swine Flu), or get one shot and one nasal spray—not two live viral nasal applications.
If you are an employer, lead by example. Stay at home. Add extra waste containers, Kleenex dispensers, Purell, etc.
Mike may have appeared to have the flu. So how can you differentiate? How do you decide to “treat yourself” or run to the emergency room? It can be difficult to know. Certainly if you also
have shortness of breath, when crying does not generate tears, or when a headache is more severe than normal, play it safe and see your doctor.
Concerns? Please contact me at 925-275-2412.
The views of the column represent the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the council.
ABOUT DANVILLE
KAREN STEPPER, Councilmember of Town of Danville