Recognizing National Influenza Vaccination Week, Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Damon T. Arnold encourages African Americans to get vaccinated.
What should African Americans know about H1N1?
We don’t have a natural immunity for H1N1. It has an impact on you personally — it can make you sick, cause you to be hospitalized and even cause death. It also can impact your family, your community and your [work life].
What are some steps we can follow to avoid H1N1?
Remember the 3 Cs — Clean, Cover and Contain.
1. Clean – Practice correct hygienic practices. Washing your hands with soap and water is best; you can also use a liquid gel. Be careful about where you place your hands — like banisters on staircases and escalators to stabilize yourself, and environmental surfaces because the [virus can survive there] for extended periods of time.
2. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, which is the most appropriate thing to do, and dispose of it properly. You don’t want others to touch it while on your desk at work or on a [countertop] at home. Use a sleeve if you don’t have [tissue] available to make sure you don’t spread the liquids that have ejected from your body.
3. Contain – [Get treated and avoid unnecessary contact — especially if you are ill.] A person can have the flu for 1–3 days as an adult and 7–10 days as a child with no symptoms. The flu virus is in your body and it can spread during this incubation period. … For example, a child visits his grandparents during the holidays or on weekends; you know the grandparents are going to grab and kiss him and this will cause the transmission of the flu virus to the grandparents.
Why is it important to be vaccinated?
Thirty-six thousand people, which is a conservative estimate, die every year from seasonal flu in this country. Over 200,000 people are hospitalized from it. An investment in immunization is a small price to pay, or you run the risk of opening yourself up to having to go into intensive care and missing days at work. … It doesn’t pay to not get vaccinated.
*The H1N1 vaccine is now available to everyone and should be requested when you get your seasonal flu shot.
–yvette caslin
