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Isolation not easy to maintain when children are ill
Some of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine should start trickling in from manufacturers. Also by now, most of us know someone, are related to someone or are the someone who has had the H1N1 flu.
While we wait for the vaccine, several agencies have issued advice on avoiding the flu or providing home care for people who didn’t. The “Home Care Guide ... Providing Care at Home During Pandemic Flu” booklet issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suggests a combination of preparation and isolation. Preparation is relatively easy. Isolation in a home situation? Not so much.
Thankfully for most of us, H1N1 will be no worse than the seasonal flu that comes around every year, but don’t count on it. These are the steps to follow:
Learn the symptoms — sudden fever, muscle aches or pain, headache, feelings of weakness or exhaustion, cough or sore throat and runny or stuffy nose. Children might have diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
Watch for signs of dehydration — decreased urine production, dry mouth and eyes, dizziness and others.
Plan to care for sick family members at home. Resist the urge to call your doctor or visit the hospital. Instead, bone up on when the flu becomes an emergency and you really do need outside help.
Call the doctor if your infant under 3 months has a fever over 100.4 degrees; if a fever doesn’t respond to fever-reducing medication within six hours; if it lasts more than five days; if it went away for a day or two but came back; if the patient has a chronic disease; if there are signs of dehydration or respiratory problems. The booklet lists several more symptoms that should initiate a call to a physician.
Call 911 when there is severe respiratory distress or depression or the patient stops breathing; has a bluish hue or is weak, limp or unresponsive; has a first-time seizure or any other life-threatening emergency.
Develop good habits — wash hands frequently, keep your hands away from your face and cover all coughs and sneezes.
Sanitize your home regularly, especially shared items such as door knobs, phones and remote controls. The booklet has a formula for a homemade sanitizing solution.
Store up on food and medical supplies — shopping might become difficult so it’s a good idea to keep at least a two-week supply on hand. Don’t forget to store water, too — water delivery could be disrupted.
Necessary medical supplies include fever reducers (no aspirin for anyone under the age of 21), masks, gloves, re-hydration solutions (the booklet has several formulas) and cleaning supplies.
If preventive measures break down — most of us aren’t trained for sickroom-level cleaning, and we’ll probably miss a few doorknobs — and you get sick, stay home and stay away from other family members. If one of them gets sick, keep them home and isolated for 24 hours beyond the duration.
It is this isolation that will be the most difficult for several reasons. One, of course, is that in many families everyone will be exposed at more or less the same time because the disease is contagious at least 24 hours before symptoms appear.
Another reason is that it is difficult to convince small children that they have to stay in their bedrooms and that you are supposed to wear a mask when you take care of them. They not only want but also need to be held and comforted, especially when they’re sick.
The booklet suggests that only one person in the household be in charge of taking care of the sick person. That’s fine but what if you’re the only adult? Who is going to take care of you if you get sick?
If you haven’t already done so, now might be a good time to reach out to neighbors. In any disaster or emergency it’s good to be as self-sufficient as possible, but don’t forget that we are all in this together.
Copies of the state health department booklet are available online at www.cdphe.state.co.us or at your county health department, local city halls, fire and police departments and other outlets.
While we wait for the vaccine, several agencies have issued advice on avoiding the flu or providing home care for people who didn’t. The “Home Care Guide ... Providing Care at Home During Pandemic Flu” booklet issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suggests a combination of preparation and isolation. Preparation is relatively easy. Isolation in a home situation? Not so much.
Thankfully for most of us, H1N1 will be no worse than the seasonal flu that comes around every year, but don’t count on it. These are the steps to follow:
Learn the symptoms — sudden fever, muscle aches or pain, headache, feelings of weakness or exhaustion, cough or sore throat and runny or stuffy nose. Children might have diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
Watch for signs of dehydration — decreased urine production, dry mouth and eyes, dizziness and others.
Plan to care for sick family members at home. Resist the urge to call your doctor or visit the hospital. Instead, bone up on when the flu becomes an emergency and you really do need outside help.
Call the doctor if your infant under 3 months has a fever over 100.4 degrees; if a fever doesn’t respond to fever-reducing medication within six hours; if it lasts more than five days; if it went away for a day or two but came back; if the patient has a chronic disease; if there are signs of dehydration or respiratory problems. The booklet lists several more symptoms that should initiate a call to a physician.
Call 911 when there is severe respiratory distress or depression or the patient stops breathing; has a bluish hue or is weak, limp or unresponsive; has a first-time seizure or any other life-threatening emergency.
Develop good habits — wash hands frequently, keep your hands away from your face and cover all coughs and sneezes.
Sanitize your home regularly, especially shared items such as door knobs, phones and remote controls. The booklet has a formula for a homemade sanitizing solution.
Store up on food and medical supplies — shopping might become difficult so it’s a good idea to keep at least a two-week supply on hand. Don’t forget to store water, too — water delivery could be disrupted.
Necessary medical supplies include fever reducers (no aspirin for anyone under the age of 21), masks, gloves, re-hydration solutions (the booklet has several formulas) and cleaning supplies.
If preventive measures break down — most of us aren’t trained for sickroom-level cleaning, and we’ll probably miss a few doorknobs — and you get sick, stay home and stay away from other family members. If one of them gets sick, keep them home and isolated for 24 hours beyond the duration.
It is this isolation that will be the most difficult for several reasons. One, of course, is that in many families everyone will be exposed at more or less the same time because the disease is contagious at least 24 hours before symptoms appear.
Another reason is that it is difficult to convince small children that they have to stay in their bedrooms and that you are supposed to wear a mask when you take care of them. They not only want but also need to be held and comforted, especially when they’re sick.
The booklet suggests that only one person in the household be in charge of taking care of the sick person. That’s fine but what if you’re the only adult? Who is going to take care of you if you get sick?
If you haven’t already done so, now might be a good time to reach out to neighbors. In any disaster or emergency it’s good to be as self-sufficient as possible, but don’t forget that we are all in this together.
Copies of the state health department booklet are available online at www.cdphe.state.co.us or at your county health department, local city halls, fire and police departments and other outlets.
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