Preparing For Flu Season
We are starting to see cases of flu-like illness in the Idaho Falls School District, and there have been some confirmed cases of H1N1 in eastern Idaho. The CDC and Eastern Idaho Public Health District are currently treating H1N1 like a seasonal flu. Flu Facts
The best ways to protect against H1N1 or the seasonal flu are everyday precautions:*
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue away.
- 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 are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
* CDC recommendations
Based on Health District recommendations, the Idaho Falls School District will send home students who exhibit flu-like symptoms. Symptoms include a fever, body aches, lack of energy, lack of appetite, headache, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, chills, fatigue, and coughing, and, in some cases of H1N1, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. |
