SWINE FLU OUTBREAK DECLARED
A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate this investigation.

SYMPTOMS OF SWINE FLU:
Fever (greater than 100 F or 37.8 C), sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache and body aches, and fatigue. If you have these symptoms, CALL your physician for instructions. Because swine influenza is contagious, they may have instructions on where you should go for testing. If you do go to the doctor's office or hospital, you will be asked to wear a mask. This keeps you from spreading influenza to others.

TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

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 hands cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Clean places you have frequent contact with, such as doorknobs and light switches, as well as your desk or work area at work.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.


Guidance for Clinicians & Public Health Professionals

Click This Link for Information from CDC

MORE LINKS FOR INFORMATION

CDC web page on Swine Flu. This site is kept updated with recent facts and status on Swin Flu. There is a link on the page to the facts and figures about the current investigation.

Click Here

For those of you who follow events on social media sites, CDC has a Twitter feed that contains updates on the Swine Flu:
Click Here

You can also add the following RSS feed on Swine Flu to your feed reader to get regular updates:
Click Here

Information updates from World Health Organization

From NYC Health Dept - Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine flu

If you are interested in the view from overseas: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control