PANDEMIC INFLUENZA HOME CARE GUIDE

1
PANDEMIC INFLUENZA HOME CARE GUIDE

• FAIR LAWN DEPARTMENT
• OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• 2008

2
HOME CARE DURING AN INFLUENZA PANDEMIC

• You will need to know
• How to isolate (keep separate) sick persons
• How to treat their symptoms
• How to control the spread of disease in your home
• When to call for help

3
FLU SYMPTOMS

• Sudden fever higher than 100.4 degrees
• Chills
• Muscle aches or pain
• Headache
• Feeling of weakness and/or
  exhaustion
• Cough or sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Signs of dehydration
• Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain

4
IS IT A COLD OR THE FLU?
5
INFECTION CONTROL STRATEGIES

• Hand Hygiene Basics
• Wash your hands with soap water
• Sanitize your hands with an alcohol
  based product
• Cough And Sneeze Etiquette
• Keep Your Hands Away From Your Face
• START TO CHANGE YOUR HABITS NOW!

6
WASH YOUR HANDS

• Use soap and water
• Rub your hands vigorously
• Completely wash all surfaces of your hands and
  wrists
• Lather your hands for 20 seconds

• Rinse all soap off completely - leave the water
  running
• Dry your hands with a paper towel - never use a
  cloth towel in a public restroom
• Use the paper towel to turn off the faucet
• Use the paper towel to open the bathroom door

7
COUGH SNEEZE ETIQUETTE

• Sneeze and cough into your sleeve or the crook of
  your arm
• Turn your head away from people when you cough or
  sneeze
• Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when
  you cough or sneeze
• You may be asked to wear a mask if you are
  coughing or sneezing
• If you must use your hand to cover a cough or
  sneeze, immediately wash your hands or use an
  alcohol based sanitizer

8
KEEP YOUR HANDSAWAY FROM YOUR FACE!

• Even with good hand washing habits, our hands
  carry many germs and we can easily infect
  ourselves by touching the moist
  mucus membranes of our eyes, nose, and
  mouth.

9
IS THIS YOUR DESK?
10
ISOLATION, QUARANTINE and SOCIAL DISTANCING

• No vaccine for the first 6-9 months of the
  pandemic
• Antiviral drugs will be of limited use or
  unavailable
• We will need to rely on community-based and
  non-drug strategies
• Effective strategies that we CAN use to slow
  and reduce the spread of influenza

11
ISOLATION

• The separation of sick people
• from healthy people so they cant spread their
  disease

12
ISOLATION AT HOME

• Isolate the sick person within your home
• Reduce person-to-person contact with the sick
  person
• Make one person in the household the main
  caregiver
• Use a protective mask and gloves
• Clean and disinfect common areas

13
QUARANTINE

• The separation of people who are not sick but
  have been exposed to an infectious disease from
  healthy people
• These people may be contagious and spread the
  disease before they have any symptoms
• Quarantined people may or may not become sick
• Quarantine is usually voluntary, but officials
  have the authority to enforce mandatory
  quarantine in a public health emergency

14
SOCIAL DISTANCING

• Prevent the gathering of groups
• Closing schools, community centers, malls,
  theaters, houses of worship
• Canceling sporting events, concerts, parades,
  festivals
• Limiting use of mass transit
• Encourage personal behaviors
• Keeping 4-6 feet away from others in public
  settings
• Turning your head away from someone who coughs or
  sneezes
• Walking away if you are standing near someone who
  coughs or sneezes

15
CLEANING ANDDISINFECTING GUIDELINES

• Use an EPA-registered disinfectant or homemade
  bleach solution
• Read the instructions on cleaners for safe use
• Disinfect shared surfaces and items dishes,
  eating utensils, doornobs, counter tops,
  keyboards, telephones, bathroom fixtures, etc
• Remember to disinfect cleaning supplies
  and equipment
• DO NOT use environmental cleaners
  and disinfectants on skin wounds or
  infections

16
HOMEMADEDISINFECTING SOLUTION

• Mix ¼ cup of household bleach in 1 gallon of
  water
• Make a new batch of solution each day
• Do not mix bleach with
  other ammonia-containing cleaning
  products

17
IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR AT HOME SICK CARE

• Taking a Temperature
• Reducing a Fever
• Treating Dehydration
• Monitoring Breathing

18
TAKING A TEMPERATURE

• Taking a Temperature
• Rectal Temperature
• Oral Temperature
• Oral Temperature with a pacifier thermometer

19
REDUCING A FEVER

• Drink lots of fluids
• Remove Extra Clothing
• Use Fever Reducing Medicines
• Give a sponge bath for comfort

20
SIGNS OF DEHYRATION

• Little or no urine
• Dark and concentrated urine
• Dry mouth with decreased saliva
• Sunken or dry eyes with little or no tear
  production
• Weakness and/or tiredness
• Headache
• Loss of skin elasticity (doughy or loose skin)
• Dizziness when standing or sitting up

21
GIVING LIQUIDS

• Begin to give liquids at the first sign of the
  flu to maintain hydration
• Continue to offer liquids even if the person who
  is sick does not feel thirsty or want to drink
  liquids

22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
MONITORING BREATHING
25
WHEN TO CALL FOR HELP

• Persistent fever
• Severe dehydration
• Respiratory distress
• Seizure(s)
• Children - any of the above and
• Severe ear or muscle pain
• Change in mental status
• Vomiting for more than an hour

26
CALL 911

• If you cannot reach your medical care provider
  about any of the previous problems
• Skin is dusky or bluish in color
• Very stiff neck
• Extreme dizziness or weakness
• No urination in 12 or more hours
• Unable to move an arm or leg
• Seizure(s)

27
KEEP YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM STRONG

• Eat foods that boost your immune system (fruits
  vegetables)
• Stay hydrated
• Exercise
• Get enough rest
• Control stress
• Wash sanitize your hands
• Keep immunizations up-to-date

28
COMMON STRESS REACTIONSDURING EMERGENCIES
29
TIPS FOR COPING

• Stay connected
• Take care of yourself
• Limit exposure to the media
• Find time for activities you enjoy
• Take one thing at a time
• Do something positive
• Avoid drugs and excessive drinking
• Ask for help
• Respond to a mental health crisis

30
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

• New Jersey Mental Health Cares
• (866) 202-HELP (4357)
• www.njmentalhealthcares.org
• Mental Health America
• (800) 273-TALK (8255)
• www.mentalhealthamerica.net
• Bergen County PESS (Psychiatric Emergency
  Screening Services) 24 hour crisis services at
• (201) 262-HELP (4357)

31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
RESOURCES

• Websites
• Centers for Disease Control Prevention
• www.cdc.gov
• NJ Department of Health Senior Services
• www.njflupandemic.gov
• Red Cross
• www.redcross.org
• US Department of Health Human Services
• www.pandemicflu.gov
• US Department of Homeland Security
• www.ready.gov

35
RESOURCES

• Books and Manuals
• One
• Two
• Three
• Four
• Contact your local health department for a
  complete copy of the PANDEMIC INFLUENZA HOME CARE
  GUIDE

36
PANDEMIC INFLENZAHOME CARE GUIDE

• Prepared by
• Suzanne Rose, Health Educator
• For the
• FAIR LAWN
• Health Department
• [phone]
• www.FAIRLAWN.ORG