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Last Visited: 10/11/2009
“It’s understandable why many people are on edge about the H1N1 flu,” said Debbie Smith, RN, Infection Control Coordinator at Hendersonville Medical Center.
“It’s a new strain of flu and we don’t have a lot of information to predict how it will behave this flu season, plus it has more of an effect on a different segment of the population – young people – than the seasonal flu.”
Specific organized measures can make great strides against the spread of any type of flu, Smith said.
These measures include frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth and using disinfectants on surfaces.
Smith also encouraged all people to get a seasonal flu shot.
Flu shots are currently available at retail pharmacies and in physicians’ offices.
“These tips are very simple, but it’s astonishing how this can stop the spread of the flu or any communicable disease,” Smith added.
While many people automatically assume any autumn bug is the flu, even in mild flu seasons, it usually isn’t, according to Smith.
Severe colds, allergies and sinus infections are often mistaken for the flu.