Not time to panic, doctor says treat like regular flu
St. Charles Parish still has no confirmed cases of swine flu, and two samples in the area that were sent to the state lab for testing came back negative, according to Parish President V.J. St. Pierre. Both samples were gathered by private doctors in the area, Senior Emergency Coordinator Jason Tastet said.
Residents shouldn’t panic. Dr. C. Jayakrishnan, of St. Charles Parish Hospital, said that swine flu should be treated just like the regular flu.
“If anyone has the symptoms of flu, they should wait 24 hours and see if the symptoms get better,” Jayakrishnan said. “If the symptoms do not get better, then the person needs to go to a doctor, especially if the person comes into contact with someone who has been to Mexico recently or may have swine flu.”
The symptoms of swine flu are quite similar to those of the regular flu. Influenza ordinarily is a respiratory illness with fever, headache, sore throat, nasal stuffiness and a cough. Body aches are also common. The only difference seems to be that swine flu may also cause diarrhea or vomiting.
“To alleviate symptoms, persons should drink lots of fluids and take Tylenol or Advil for pain,” Jayakrishnan said.
What makes the flu spread so easily is that an infected person can pass the virus on before they even develop symptoms. The incubation period for most flu viruses is three to five days, but the period for swine flu has been disputed, since it has been reported to be anywhere from two to seven days. That means that everyone needs to take precautions.
“To prevent spreading or contracting swine flu, a person should wash hands frequently and cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing,” Jayakrishnan said. “If someone has flu symptoms, they need to avoid public places and work.”
That’s the same message being spread by St. Charles Parish Public Schools, which sent out a form on protective measures last Friday, and another one on Monday that was filled with information on the swine flu.
“We are being proactive and we just want to let everyone know that they need to take a common sense approach when it comes to avoiding the flu,” Rochelle Cancienne-Touchard, the director of public information for the school system, said. “The most important thing is that if someone is feeling bad, they need to stay home.”
The first form that was sent home with students, which is called Healthy Habits for Wellness, also tells them to get plenty of sleep, be physically active, eat nutritious food, and of course, wash hands and avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth.
And if a person does contract swine flu, there are plenty of antiviral medications available to help treat the disease. Two of the most popular antivirals, Tamiflu and Relenza, are being stockpiled by the state.
“Louisiana has an available stockpile of 377,443 doses of Tamiflu, 94,360 doses of Relenza and 64,160 doses of Pediatric for a total state cache of 535,963 doses,” Sallie Herrle, St. Charles Parish Hospital’s director of quality management, said.
Tamiflu and Relenza work by interfering with the flu’s viral reproduction, and in turn makes the virus less severe and allows those with the flu to get better quicker.
So far, the swine flu has been relatively mild, with most being able to get over it at home on their own. Though the end of the flu season could mean that the initial outbreak could be mild, the World Health Organization has said that the virus could come back with a vengeance in the fall – which is what happened in 1918.
An estimated 40 to 50 million people died that year from the flu, but it was before modern antibiotics.
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