# 3472
Imagine for a minute that it is late December, not mid-July, and that the H1N1 virus has ramped up to the point where 10% of the country has the flu. That’s 30 million people.
Most will probably have relatively mild flu symptoms.
And to be clear, that simply means that their illness won’t be severe enough to require hospitalization. It doesn’t mean they won’t be sick, miserable, and in need of tending.
Since there are fewer than 1 million hospital beds in the United States - and at any given time between 85% and 90% are usually occupied with non-flu cases – our medical surge capacity is fairly limited.
An extra 200,000 hospital cases all at the same time would very difficult to handle, particularly since HCW’s (Health Care Workers) are likely to be out sick with the flu as well.
Which means that somewhere on the order of 98% of all flu cases are going to need to be treated at home.
Over the course of this winter, 1/3rd of the population (or more) could eventually fall ill. That means that few households will be spared. That, by the way, would be triple the number of flu cases we normally see in a flu season.
As you might imagine, certain supplies may be hard to come by during the height of the outbreak. Fever reducers, expectorants, pedialyte or other rehydration solutions, and especially facemasks could be in very short supply.
Now is the time to be checking your medicine cabinet and stocking up – while stores are well stocked – on a reasonable quantity of these supplies. There is no need to buy more than you, and your family, can use.
If you have young children, you should speak to their pediatrician and ask what medications would be most appropriate for them. Many over-the-counter flu medications are not appropriate for (or even shown to help) young children.
Warning! Do not give aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) to children or teenagers who have the flu; this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. For more information about Reye’s syndrome, visit the National Institute of Health website.
In addition to over-the-counter medicines, you may wish to invest in a quantity of facemasks and respirators for use when caring for a flu victim in your home.
N-95 Respirator Surgical Facemask
The CDC now recommends for other NON-CAREGIVING members of the household:
- If you are in a high risk group for complications from influenza, you should attempt to avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with household members who are sick with influenza.
- If close contact with a sick individual is unavoidable, consider wearing a facemask or respirator, if available and tolerable. For more information, see the Interim Recommendations for Facemask and Respirator Use.
- Avoid having pregnant women care for the sick person. (Pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications and immunity can be suppressed during pregnancy).
For the patient, the CDC recommends:
- If persons with the flu need to leave the home (for example, for medical care), they should wear a facemask, if available and tolerable, and cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
- Have the sick person wear a facemask – if available and tolerable – if they need to be in a common area of the house near other persons.
For CAREGIVERS the CDC recommends:
- If you are at high risk of influenza associated complications, you should not be the designated caretaker, if possible.
- If you are in a high risk group for complications from influenza, you should attempt to avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with household members who are sick with influenza. Designate a person who is not at high risk of flu associated complications as the primary caretaker of household members who are sick with influenza, if at all possible. If close contact with a sick individual is unavoidable, consider wearing a facemask or respirator, if available and tolerable. For more information, see the Interim Recommendations for Facemask and Respirator Use
If you sense a theme, it is that facemasks and respirators may come in very handy if, and when, you are confronted with caring for a flu victim in your home.
And by this winter, they are probably going to be about as hard to find as an honest lawyer.
If we all wait until fall to start buying these supplies, we are all but guaranteed to create shortages. Besides . . .who in their right mind wants to go shopping at the last minute in the dead of winter during a flu pandemic?
We aren’t talking a huge investment here.
For the price of a couple of delivery pizzas, you can probably lay in the basic caregiver supplies for a family of four. But having them when you need them will be invaluable.
For more information on what you should be stocking, download Dr. Grattan Woodson’s excellent (and free) booklet on caring for influenza at home.
The smart money says, do it now. Avoid the Christmas rush.
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