Then again, it's only Tuesday. Anything could happen later this week. People tend to ask nurses strange questions; they trust us to just know the right information at the right time, especially about any of the latest health issues popping up. The latest one is the swine flu that's hit Mexico with a death toll of over 100 and now has come to America.
Per the Centers for Disease Control, it's now a "Pandemic Level 4", which means Verified Human-to-Human transmission of a virus or bacteria. There are currently 64 verified cases of swine flu in the United States right now. No deaths have been confirmed, but given that 36,000 people die yearly of the "regular" flu, this swine flu could very well turn deadly. People are muttering and worrying about the 1918 flu epidemic that killed 40 million people worldwide (including members of my own family in rural Kansas), but as nurses, let's focus on anyone who happens to look sick right now, shall we?
Normally, those who have the highest flu risk or risk of catching it are the elderly, the very young and the immunocompromized, but the reports coming out of Mexico have the deaths hitting the 20-40 age group. Symptoms are described as being similar to a typical influenza virus: fever, chills, fatigue, swollen glands, nausea, cough, vomiting and diarrhea in some cases.
According to the CDC website, if you have a patient in your clinic or hospital that you suspect may have swine flu and/or has recently travelled to Mexico or another area where there has been an outbreak:
- Isolate that patient in a private space or room.
- Wear protective gear: a mask, gown and gloves. Notify your hospital or clinic's chain of command for isolation protocol.
- Obtain sputum or nose swab samples per the CDC guidelines for culture to send for testing.
- Follow all other recommendations of the CDC or your local authorities. If you don't know, ask!
- Maintain patient privacy and dignity at all times.
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