The Flu: A Short n Snappy Self Serve Inservice: 3D Gallery

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Welcome to our short n snappy inservice on Influenza. Please click on the right hand foot print to navigate the inservice. Once the picture has shifted, click on the picture title to read the contents.

What is the Flu?

The word Flu is short for Influenza. Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. The most common complication is
pneumonia. While many people recover, many also still die. These people are mainly very young, very old, or have poor immune systems.

Isn't the Flu fairly harmless? NO!

Approximately 6,000 Canadians die every year when
infected with influenza. While not as severe as the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918-1920, this is still a significant
impact. The Spanish flu was an epidemic that began in the final months of World War One. It lasted two years, from 1918 to 1920. The flu strain was Influenza A, subtype H1N1. It was called the Spanish flu because Spain was a neutral nation during the war and able to report freely their illness rates. Approximately 500 million people, one-third of the world's
population at the time, became infected with the Flu. 20-50 million of these people died, mainly from pneumonia.

The flu epidemic cont'd

During this epidemic there were no medications
available. Treatment consisted of bedrest and fluids. Isolation
precautions were also applied, but they were primitive in nature and not very effective. Today, our isolation practices have improved greatly. The patients would be placed on droplet, preferably in a private room (do not move patient though if in a shared). Droplet precautions and good hand hygiene practices are the most effective methods to prevent both contracting and transmitting the flu.

Influenza Symptoms

Flu symptoms include:

Fever
Cough
Sore throat
Runny nose
Muscle aches
Headache
Chills
Fatigue

Passing it on

Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less
often, a person might get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes.

When is a person contagious?

People with the flu are most contagious in the first 3-4 days, after developing symptoms while others can be contagious for the duration of their symptoms. Some healthy people may be contagious the day before symptoms.

Incubation Period

The time from when a person is exposed and infected with flu to when symptoms begin is about 2 days, but can range from about 1 to 4 days.

Treating Ifluenza

Studies show that flu antiviral drugs work best for
treatment when they are started within two days of getting sick. However, starting them later can still be beneficial, especially if the sick person is at high risk of serious flu complications or is in the hospital with more severe illness. These medications are usually prescribed to be take twice daily for 5 days, although people hospitalized with the flu may need antiviral treatment for longer than 5 days. Generic oseltamivir and Tamiflu® are the most common medications we use for treating the flu.

Questions?

Feel free to ask the ICP a question or two!

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The Flu: A Short n Snappy Self Serve Inservice