What is influenza A H1N1?

What is influenza A H1N1?

Influenza A H1N1 is a disease that is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system.

Can I get influenza A from eating or preparing pork?

No! Influenza A viruses are not spread by food. There is no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

How does influenza A spread?

Influenza A spreads mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people infected. People may also get infected from contamination i.e. by touching something that carries the viruses and then touching their mouth or nose. Wash your hands frequently to reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

Influenza H1N1 Brochure

For how long is influenza A a risk?

Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 days or more after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What are the signs and symptoms of influenza A?

The signs and symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with influenza A. If you see these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

    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 ore mouth.
    Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
    Avoid shaking hands

What can I do to prevent spreading Influenza A to others?

      Seek treatment immediately if signs and symptoms occur.
      Stay at home and limit contact with others as much as possible.
      Cover your mouth with a piece of cloth or tissue paper when sneezing or coughing; used tissue should be properly disposed of while the cloth should be washed with soap.
      If tehre is no tissue paper or cloth, sneeze or cough into elbow, and not into hands which can contaminate surfaces or things that may be tocuhed or held.
      Wash hands with soap and water especially after sneezing or coughing.
      Wear a mask when in contact with others.

How dangerous is influenza A?

It's not known at this time how sever this virus will be in the general population. In seasonal flu, there are certain people that are at higher risk of serious flu-related complications. This includes people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women and people of any age with chronic medical conditions.

Is there treatment for influenza A?

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against influenza A. Antiviral drugs keep flu viruses from reproducing and can make your illness milder, and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious complications. Seek medical attention if you develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

H1N1 vaccine side effects

Though the H1N1 vaccine is just a recipe change from flu shots of the past several decades, government organizations are taking steps to monitor recipients for side effects.