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I live in MD and we have not had any school closings in our district. However, I am a bit worried that even though this bout of flu may be light, our upcoming winter may be worse. The media is already talking about 3 different immunizations for this fall, and I am worried because I take care of two elderly women in my household (one of which is a heart patient), in addition to my two teens and my husband and myself. Has any more been heard about expectations of a worse than usual winter flu season? I am very interested to know.
thanks

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I’m dealing with this as I would any infectious disease. No one in my family or circle of friends and acquaintances are affected and should that happen, we’ll treat it as any other flu – as that’s how it appears to be behaving.

We use paper cups or use the steam-dry setting on the dishwasher to help destroy any germs that could get passed on from one person to the next; frequent hand-washing; wiping down hard surfaces often with a bleach solution (Wal-Mart’s All-Purpose Cleaner with Bleach is great and less than $1.50 a bottle!)and taking vitamins such a Vitamin C that boost your immune system. It may not be fail-proof, but we’ve pretty much adopted this years ago…so far, so good!

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I was leaving for Taiwan last Friday when I got a call from my sisters there. They told me not to come because they were concern about the swanie flu spreading in the States. I dropped all my luggages and called my daughter not to come to take me to the airport. I have planed for this trip for over a year, and now,…I am waiting for the flu to die off so I can make the trip.

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In our area, they closed a whole school district because one kid was confirmed to have swine flu and two other kids were suspected. But, people didn’t stay home. The movie theatres had record attendance and the community center did too.

I think its been way overblown. For a flu that seems pretty mild, there has been a lot of overreaction. Egypt killed all their pigs and they didn’t even have a case of swine flu.

We have a lot of fear and venues are closing, but 36,000 Americans die fromt he regular flu every year and we don’t close schools for that. I think its a lot of media hype.

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Pamela A. would you elaborate on how you use Thieves Oil? I read on the manufactures webpage about the product, and couldn’t find any recommendation for direct use of the oil as you described putting it under your eyes and nose. One of their recommendations was for 2 drops orally each day, but you implied you did this each time you were about to enter a public space or were in a group. Are you using just the oil or other products designed for this type of use by this manufacturer? They also sell mouthwash, toothpaste, hand soap, room sprays, lozenges, etc. http://www.secretofthieves.com/

Thanks. I am interested to learn ways to protect myself and my family members.

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No flu impacts me directly. I use “Thieves” essential oil under my eyes, nose and mouth which is where the Flu enters the human body.
I use it before I go into any public place or whenever I will be ina group.

I’m also concerned about the press this flu is getting. I recall the Avian flu which caused a great fuss and had no impact.

Washing of hands, sneezing or coughing into the crook of an elbow are the way to keep any flu or cold from spreading.

Thank you for asking.

Pamela Anderegg
Auburn, New York 13021-3949

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The very most important thing you can do to protect yourself is washing your hands frequently. Washing your hands at least 5 times a day cuts your risk of respiratory infection by almost 50%. This is based on one of the few studies that isn’t just focused on healthcare workers.

It’s also really vital to make sure that any kids you may have are washing their hands frequently, as well. Children seem to be much better than adults at transmitting the flu.

Keeping your hands away from your face (eyes, nose and mouth, just like Pamela said) is also a great way to reduce your chances of getting infected. I don’t know as much about swine flu, per se, but lot of infections with hard-to-catch versions of avian flu tend to cause conjunctivitis (an eye infection), which implies that the eyes might be a particularly important route of entry.

Disinfecting the surfaces in your home and work areas can also make a real difference. Pay special attention to anyplace you’re likely to put your hands (doorknobs, counters, faucet taps, etc.) and use something labeled “antibacterial.” The flu is a virus, not a bacteria, but bacteria are harder to kill so anything that will protect you from them should do the job against the flu virus, too.

Masks, gloves, goggles and gowns have been shown to protect healthcare workers who are dealing with sick patients, but it’s unclear how much good they’ll do for people in more normal environments. That said, since I’ll probably be volunteering to help out with the pandemic response (and therefore possibly coming into contact with sick individuals), I’ve gone ahead and purchased a few masks, safety goggles and gloves.

Staying away from sick people in the first place is probably the safer way to go, of course.

And if YOU are sick at all, staying home and using good cough and sneeze etiquette as Pamela suggested will help make sure you don’t spread whatever you’ve got.

I don’t know anything at all about Thieves essential oil.

For more on how to protect yourself, you can visit my blog at: http://www.panfluwatch.blogspot.com or the US Government’s one-stop shop for pandemic flu-related information at http://www.pandemicflu.gov. They have a wealth of useful advice, and it’s worth spending the time it takes looking around their site to find it all.

Best of luck to you all.

PS: Moms Rising did a terrific thing for public health AND for parents (I’m not a mom, but I’m married to a great one!) by using this outbreak to illustrate the need for paid sick days. I hope Congress moves on this immediately. Thank you.

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