Twin Cities Community Hospital has been closely monitoring the swine flu outbreak in the United States, as we take the health and safety of our community, patients and employees very seriously. Currently, our hospital has no confirmed cases of swine flu.
In the event that our hospital confirms a case of swine flu, we have stringent processes in place to manage and contain the situation. If you would like more information about swine flu, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/. The CDC’s site includes key facts, number and location of confirmed cases and symptoms. The CDC also lists recommended everyday actions to help people stay healthy:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, contact your primary doctor or seek emergency medical care. In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- 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 worse cough
- Fever with a rash
In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Sudden dizziness
- Severe or persistent vomiting
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For more information from the California Department of Public Health, please visit www.2cdph.ca.gov