Medical News

A great resource for current, generally accurate medical news is www.MedicalNewsToday.com.

Also check back periodically to get Dr. Cluff’s take on certain medical topics, which may or may not be current, such as:

The H1N1 Influenza virus, A.K.A. “The Swine Flu”

We know what it is, we know how it acts, we know how to treat it, and we know how to prevent it.  As such, mass hysteria is not advised.  The Swine Flu is generally not as severe as and does not last as long as the regular flu (seasonal influenza) – in fact, some 36,000 people die each year of the regular flu.  So far, it looks like the Swine Flu will fall far short of that number.  The most important things to remember about the Swine Flu are:

• Get vaccinated if possible.
• Do all you can not to catch it (see my www.NoHandCoughs.com website).
• If you do get flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, body aches, cold symptoms), seek medical care immediately, as treatment with antivirals must be started within 48 hours of onset of symptoms (however, it may not be necessary to treat generally healthy individuals, as they usually recover without incident).
• It is not advisable to treat close contacts unless they get symptoms or have some underlying chronic condition or their immune system is otherwise suppressed.
• The virus can shed for up to a week or so after you feel better, so you must continue strict contagion precautions both while you are sick and for a week afterwards.
• If you get a new fever or other concerning symptom after you start feeling better, seek medical attention immediately, as this is likely a sign of a secondary bacterial infection that can be dangerous if not treated.

See www.flu.gov for more information.
Updated October 7, 2009