reneew10

Straight from the CDC website (basic flu prevention methods): * 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. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. *Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way. *If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick. *Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs * (for when soap and water are not available), tissues and other related items could help you to avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious. There were many students at my school who had H1N1 and by taking these measures I was able to avoid getting sick.

My gripe is that in my opinion, it isn’t fair for someone to risk termination because they refuse to get a vaccine. Being home sick with the flu and staying home, has nothing to do with refusing a vaccine. If you were sick with H1N1, why would you want to risk getting your co-workers sick? There are ways to prevent the flu that does not include vaccination. Again, I’m not opposed to vaccination; I just don’t believe that it should be mandated.

I work with healthcare, law enforcement and the military with improving policies and procedures to improve workplace safety. I think its important to share ideas on ways that we protect ourselves, so that we can protect others.

I'm not opposed to getting the vaccine, I just don't think that it is fair that in order to keep your job that you have to get it. People have personal and even religious reasons for being opposed to vaccines in general, and in those cases other alternatives should be looked into.

EMS workers routinely treat patients that carry infections. There is no way of predicting what germs you may encounter when treating a patient or what illness they will have. What precautions are you taking to protect yourself from the unknowns of your everyday job?

Over the past few weeks, experts have begun to search for ways to overcome the weaknesses in the response to the outbreak of h1n1. These weaknesses include poor communication, coping with new strains of the flu, understanding the symptoms, and proper treatment. The CDC has discovered that rapid tests used by hospitals to determine if a patient has the h1n1 are proving to fail over half the time in detecting h1n1. They have since begun to research rapid tests with higher sensitivity. There have also been inadequacies with the protocols and equipment used to protect healthcare workers from acquiring the virus while on the job. With an outbreak underway, what are you doing to protect you, your family, and your department?

Hello all. I’m Angie and I am a student at the UC. I’m excited to read your stories, thoughts, and opinions as well as contributing my own. Any questions, feel free to ask!