Doing anything special to prevent H5N1?

Harleyhead · Sep 2, 2009

stopped kissing pigs.

mindlor · Sep 2, 2009

Try that :)

Larry77, RN · Sep 2, 2009

Isn't that the bird flu? Hasn't passed from human to human yet as I understand. Only from infected birds to human and bird to bird...but if it mutates to pass from human to human it will make H1N1 look like a vacation.

nminodob · Sep 2, 2009

To Harleyhead:

That was the most laughter I've gotten out of reading a 3-word post in a long time!! (Despite the fact that the OP has avian flu confused with swine flu)

Katnip, RN · Sep 2, 2009

I think you mean H1N1. H5N1 is avian influenza. And by the way, Swine flu is a misnomer because at the start of this outbreak there was no pig source.

As far as what to do, yes, wear a mask. Your hospital's infection control department should be all over this with education on what to do.

Our hospital is requiring that any employee who has symptoms must stay home for 7 days. And yes, we track it.

And btw, if you work in a hospital, especially ER you're potentially exposed to lethal diseases every day and may never know it.

rddsnurse · Sep 6, 2009

Washing my hands!!!!

F.E.R.N., BSN, RN · Sep 6, 2009

Our ER (don't know about the other units) is requiring we ask people who present with flu-like symptoms (which is currently amounting to any fever with a cough) to wear a mask. Staff aren't masking themselves...it would be a long shift and tends to freak out the patients. There is talk about having a separate area for flu complaints (kind of a flu clinic), but we haven't figured out where or how to staff it. Families often come in to have the whole crew screened if one is sick, so we're seeing them together in one room.

We've already had numerous flu cases at our ER and the pedi docs are reporting even bigger numbers. Locally, we're only testing if you have type A or B, only looking for H1N1 if you are (a) admitted or (b) immuno compromised. Don't know if any have been confirmed as swine at this point. Either way, it's really early for us to see any positive flu...school just started last week.

I admit that I am probably much more conscious of hand washing/sanitizing. I have been using a separate pen for my patients to sign papers with or otherwise touch (silly, I know, but makes me *feel* better) and trying hard not to let too many of them cough directly on me We aren't sure yet how long we will allow/require sick staff to stay home, or if they will be required to go be seen by anyone or encouraged to get Tamiflu. We have not received our SEASONAL flu shots yet and NO word on the swine vacs, so since we're already seeing flu cases, my personal prediction is lots of call-ins this winter. I just hope if they let us stay home as needed and get better, but not ridiculously long, and not make us drag our sick butts up to the clinic to spread it around waiting on Tamiflu. If you want me to take it, call it in.

Fribblet · Sep 6, 2011

Isn't that the bird flu? Hasn't passed from human to human yet as I understand. Only from infected birds to human and bird to bird...but if it mutates to pass from human to human it will make H1N1 look like a vacation.

There's been about 560 cases of H5N1 in humans so far; none in the US that I know of.

To the OP:

No matter which flu you intended to discuss, I plan on doing what I always do, and what I did last year:

Not spaz out and go ape-s*** like the rest of the country. Wash your hands, use your brain, and get the vaccine.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Sep 6, 2011

Isn't that the bird flu? Hasn't passed from human to human yet as I understand. Only from infected birds to human and bird to bird...but if it mutates to pass from human to human it will make H1N1 look like a vacation.

Hey, H1N1 was a vacation for me! I'm a school nurse and my district shut down for a week after the initial outbreak, lol. But I agree, if/when H5N1 starts spreading between humans, it is going to be bad.