What To Do If You Have Flu-Like Symptoms

Flu Information
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Differences Between Cold, Seasonal Flu & H1N1 Symptoms

Frequently Asked Questions About H1N1

What To Do If You Have Flu-Like Symptoms

Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home

Flu Season and Your Baby: What Parents Should Know

Flu Information from Clarian Health

H1N1 CDC Web site

The novel H1N1 (2009 H1N1) flu virus is causing illness in infected persons in the United States and countries around the world. As a result, you or people around you may become ill. If so, you need to recognize the symptoms and know what to do.

Symptoms

Symptoms of 2009 H1N1 in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with 2009 H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. The high risk groups for 2009 H1N1 flu are not known at this time, but it's possible that they may be the same as for seasonal influenza. People at higher risk of serious complications from seasonal flu include people age 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years old, pregnant women, people of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease), and people who are immunosuppressed (e.g., taking immunosuppressive medications, infected with HIV).

What to Do If You are Sick

Avoid Contact with Others

If you are sick, you may be ill for a week or longer. You should stay home and stay away from others as much as possible - including avoiding travel and not going to work or school for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. (Fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.)

If you leave the house to seek medical care, wear a facemask, if available and tolerable, and cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. In general, you should avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness, especially people at increased risk of severe illness from the flu. With seasonal flu, people may be contagious from 1 day before they develop symptoms to up to 7 days after they get sick.

Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods. People infected with 2009 H1N1 are likely to have similar patterns of infectiousness as with seasonal flu.

Emergency Warning Signs

Seek emergency medical care if you or someone in your home experience any of the following warning signs:

In children:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and more severe cough

In adults:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and more severe cough

This fact sheet is provided by Clarian Health and was adapted from the CDC's "What to Do If You Get Flu-Like Symptoms." For more information on the H1N1 virus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site.