Health Lowdown

The Black Spot

2006-11-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

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Sue’s 11 Tips for Surviving the Cold and Flu Season (and even pandemic!): a "TO DO" list :)

2006-10-31T11:42:00.000-08:00

While you’re healthy:

1. Wash your hands!
Ok I’m aware that I may be preaching to the choir on this one. But next time you’re in a public washroom take a second and observe other people’s hand washing habits. You’ll have a whole variety of people ranging from the people who claim that washing your hands in the public washroom actually puts you more at risk of getting some kind of vile disease, to the “water washers” – the people who believe for some reason that simply running a little water over their hands will scare all of the bad little germs away. My point? The public washroom behaviour alone is an indication that society has a huge issue with people who think they’re too clean to come down with a disease and therefore seem to exempt themselves from needing to wash their hands.
I know I’ve already said this but it’s worth saying again: good hand hygiene is one of the best things you can do to prevent getting colds, flu and even an influenza pandemic - Couple of things: 1) One study showed that respiratory infections (i.e. colds and flu) were to blame for 60 to 80% of absenteeism in schools and 30 to 50% in occupational settings.3 2) The flu is contagious for up to 3 days even before you know you’re sick. Proper hand hygiene is key. Check out our link for how to do it properly. And for the record - you’re not a good hand-washer unless you’re doing it with soap for at least 15 seconds, or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Get your flu shot.
Both Ottawa Public Health and Health Canada strongly recommend it. Although it doesn’t offer any direct protection against influenza pandemic, it does help prevent against any viral mixing. Plus getting your flu shot will not only help give you some individual protection against the flu that comes every year, but will also help protect the population as a whole by decreasing the number of different strains of flu circulating around. Now I know this can be a problem…particularly if you’re secretly squeamish about needles for some reason or another. But, I can assure you that when you’re lying sick in bed wishing there was someone there to take care of you, that little needle prick looks a lot less scary. You can find out more about the closest flu shot clinic at ottawa.ca/health or at your campus’s health services centre. Hey- you might even get a Winnie the Pooh band-aid. Won’t you be lucky!

3. Have an action plan, especially if you live away from home.
It's always a good idea to sort out these kinds of details with your family before you actually need to use them. If a pandemic comes you guys are going to need an action plan for who takes care of you if you’re sick and can’t go home and who would take care of them if they were sick and you couldn’t get to them. It also might be a good time to establish “procedure” for what would happen in case of any other emergency. You’re also going to need alternate emergency contacts in case it happens to take a little longer to reach your parents. This brings me to my next point:

4. You might want to consider getting yourself a buddy.
Remember the buddy system they used to use at summer camp? Your buddy is someone who you can call if you’re sick, and who’ll do things for you like pick you up a couple of groceries if you’re too below par to do it yourself. Your buddy is also the person you’ll have as your “Ottawa ICE (In Case of Emergency)” person. It’s nice to have your parents on as your #1 contacts, but they can’t always get here within 20 minutes of your crisis. It’s therefore a good idea to have someone who’ll come lend some moral support while you’re waiting for your parents. You should put all of your emergency numbers into your cell (or wallet if you’re “sans” cellular) and label them “ICE 1, ICE 2” etc. This system has been proven to be very useful in emergency medical situations when the person in distress is otherwise not able to give this information him/herself. Newsflash: this is something you should have in place even if we’re not in a pandemic phase.

5. Speaking of groceries, it might be an idea to start buying one extra can of non-perishable, ready-to-eat food each time you do your groceries for a little while. Reason? You never know what’s around the corner. There’s always the possibility that grocery stores will close during any kind of emergency. If the grocery stores are closed, there’s a good possibility the restaurants will be closed sooner or later as well. I’m well aware that storage can be an issue, but this is food we’re talking about – there’s always room for a little extra chow. Plus it’s always a good idea to have some extra food kicking around the house that isn’t going to go bad, not just last night’s take-out.

TO DO: (if you get the flu)

2006-10-31T11:39:00.000-08:00

6. Stay home.
Although you and I both agree that you’re incredibly important, I promise the world will survive without you while you’re sick. Seriously, you won’t be doing anyone else any favours by dragging your sorry butt to school.

7. If you must cough, please do so into your upper arm or sleeve, NOT IN YOUR HANDS!
This is important. We can all take a moment to thank ourselves for being so diligent about coughing into our hands. Until now, we didn’t know any better. However, it is a tad naïve on our part to think that germs magically disappear from our hands after we’re done coughing. Think about it – how many times have you seen people running off to the loo to wash their hands once they’ve used them as a cough receptacle? Can’t remember? Didn’t think so. At least if you cough into your upper arm you’re less likely to go open a door or hold your pen with it right after. Remember that viruses can live for up to 5 minutes on your hands and 48 hours on hard surfaces. You can do a lot in 5 minutes. Good coughing and hand hygiene is key. Write that down.

8. One word: FLUIDS.
They’re good for you anyway, but when your body is otherwise occupied by fending off whatever’s ailing you they’re invaluable. I personally like to opt for orange juice when I’m feeling under the weather, but other beverages like tea, soup and even good ol’ H20 also do the trick. Whatever floats your boat.

9. Here’s a little coping trick from me to you. A hot water bottle is a miracle worker when you’re sick. When it comes to the flu it can be especially helpful in relieving discomfort from any chest congestion, but it’ll also make you feel a little better all around. Remember if you’re sick, you’ll likely already feel a bit whiny and pathetic. A hot water bottle will only make you look more pathetic, thus further helping your sympathy-getting crusade. They’re only about 5 dollars from the pharmacy – they’re a must-have.

10. Get some sleeeeeeeeeeep.
As students we’re always napping and grabbing some extra shut-eye, but now you’ll actually have an excuse to do it all day. So park yourself in bed or on the couch, make sure the remote is within reach, your hot water bottle is filled and hot, and you’ve got your favourite comfort food and fluids right next to you. Now stay there. Hey – you’re sick! You deserve a little R&R. Milk it!

TO DO: (after you're better)

2006-10-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

11. Make sure to over-exaggerate how sick you were when you explain your trials and tribulations of the flu to your friends.
I’m not gonna lie - being whiny and pathetic for a couple of days does put you at risk for the teasing that is inevitably your friends’ right (particularly if they bought your cries for sympathy and took care of you when you were sick). Exaggerating your story will not only help you defend yourself, but will also make you feel fabulous when you see your other friends’ reaction when they find out you fought off the dreaded (and in your words “deathly, agonizing, and beyond horrible”) flu. You’ll be like a hero for a day. Note that I said a day – that’s all you get. So take care of yourselves, guys. Oh -and don’t forget to wash your hands.

the real flu

2006-10-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

“It’s the flu…big deal.”

So let’s get one thing straight. We use the word “flu” to describe every single ailment that causes us the least bit of discomfort. But, when health professionals refer to a “flu”, or influenza, they’re referring to something a little different. They’re not talking about the bug that has you porcelain hugging and miserable for 24 hours. Nor is it the sniffles that make you just sick enough to warrant a little extra sympathy from your significant other for a few days. The flu that everyone worries about each year is actually a respiratory disease.
The real flu has you flat on your back, usually with body aches and pains, and a high fever. Sometimes you can also suffer from an extremely sore throat and a cough that makes you mistakable for a barking seal. In short you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus. You’re reduced to a diet of fluids because it hurts too much to swallow anything that’s even somewhat solid. You don’t want to move because your muscles have suddenly decided they want to cause you as much pain as muscle-y possible. Oh – and that disgustingly flavoured cough medicine that you previously had too much self-respect to ingest suddenly looks like the Holy Grail. It’s not pretty. The kicker? An influenza pandemic could be worse and way easier to get. It could also kill you.

what's up with the pandemic business

2006-10-31T11:33:00.000-08:00

So here’s the deal:

History tells us that a pandemic comes every 25 to 30 years. A pandemic occurs when a new virus develops and spreads worldwide. We would have no immunity to this virus and with no treatment (vaccine) there could be significant impacts. At this point there is cause for concern because it has been 38 years since the last pandemic. Experts are now saying that it’s not a matter of “if” a pandemic comes, but “when”.

Here’s the thing, we now have a new virus that’s freaking everyone out: the H5N1 virus, A.K.A. avian or bird flu. H5N1 currently affects larger migratory birds, however, we have seen some human cases. Actually we’ve seen over 200 human cases, with over half of them being fatal1, but if it’s been a few days since this was updated these figures have probably increased. The cases were all in Southeast Asia, parts of Africa and the Middle East, and mainly in those that had frequent, close contact with poultry. In order for H5N1 to cause a pandemic, it would have to undergo a mutation that would make it easily transmissible between humans. Now I agree that’s pretty spooky, but the important thing to remember is although H5N1 is definitely giving us reason to worry, in reality it could be any number of other viruses that actually cause the next pandemic. It’s just that H5N1 is one of the lead contenders, and as such is being monitored extremely closely by the World Health Organization.

It has been estimated that if a pandemic were to hit Ottawa, approximately 30,000 people could get sick each week. Pandemics tend to come in 2 to 3 waves, each wave lasting for 6 to 8 weeks. This means that between 180,000 and 240,000 people could get sick each wave. Between 99,000 and 132,000 people will need medical assessment, 2100 to 2800 of these people will require intensive care in a hospital setting, and between 480 and 640 people will die each wave2. This could be a problem because having this many people sick will inevitably have a few economic impacts. Think about it. A lot of businesses need employees to keep them going. It’s quite possible that our schools, favourite restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores will be significantly affected. One more thing: I’m well aware that these stats show a big difference between the number of people getting sick and the people who die. But, all of the major economic problems that could possibly happen are way more likely to result from all the people who are sick, not just the amount of people who die.

lucky us...

2006-10-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

“I’m young and healthy, there’s no way I’ll be one of the people who become seriously sick.”

That’s nice. Look, the truth is I, too, believe I am immortal simply by virtue of only being 20 years old. However pandemic is one rotten situation where our age and student status could actually work against us.
Let me explain. First of all a lot of us are living away from home, meaning that we’re either living in rez or some other communal accommodation which may or may not be sanitary 100% of the time. We also have lifestyles that make us extremely susceptible to getting sick. Our bodies aren’t always that thankful for our “work hard, play hard” attitudes, and as a result makes us pay for it by not being able to put up as good a fight against diseases. On top of that, we all attend classes with anywhere from 50 to 400 other people, some of whom don’t have the good judgment to stay home when they’re contagious. All of these things piled together work against us when it comes to protecting ourselves from respiratory infections.
So, as if we didn’t already have the non-desirable end of the stick, history shows that some influenza pandemic viruses actually attacked and killed young healthy adults, not the typical people you’d expect (the young, the old, the pregnant, the already sick). We’ve had some indication that H5N1 might behave in the same way as those viruses. That’s not to say that once a virus mutates into a pandemic-causing one that it will target us; the point is, as young adults leading the lifestyles we lead, we’re all high-risk.

the good news about pandemic (yes, there's actually good news:P)

2006-10-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

This sucks. However, the good news is we’re dealing with a respiratory illness that can be prevented in the same ways we prevent the seasonal flu and the common cold. Although the concept of a pandemic is a tough one to stomach, it’s actually pretty simple to protect yourself from the miserable consequence of getting sick. So here’s the million-dollar secret: the flu (pandemic flu included) is droplet-spread. This is actually excellent news because it means there’s really only two ways for you to get sick: by having some twit cough directly in your face (or by kissing them, sharing a drink, etc…you get the picture), or by having your hands come in contact with the virus, and then having your eyes, ears, nose or mouth come in contact with your hands.
(Since you’re a brilliant individual, you probably already know where I’m going with this.)
Given that there are only two ways for you to get sick, it’s pretty easy to deduce the two obvious solutions to keep you well. Stay the heck away from anyone who’s hacking up a lung (we like to say you need one metre distance between you and them), and secondly, go back to the hand washing rules you learned in kindergarten: wash or sanitize your hands for at least 15 seconds before you eat, after you use the washroom, and before you bring your hands to your face. Viruses can live for up to 5 minutes on your hands and 48 hours on hard surfaces. Because of that, it’ll probably be a good idea to sanitize your hands after touching “communal surfaces” (bus bars, railings, telephones, elevator buttons, doorknobs etc.) and to wipe down the surfaces in your house with a disinfectant on a regular basis.

So that’s a very generalized low down on what’s going on with respect to pandemic. If you’d like to get more information about influenza pandemic or health in general, you can call the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744 or visit the website at ottawa.ca/health. For your reading pleasure I’ve also taken the liberty of thinking up a few other tips to help keep you and people around you healthy before and during a pandemic (or any other normal flu season for that matter): (see my 11 tips) :)

Sources:
1. World Health Organization. Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_08_14/en/index.html. August, 2006.

2. Ottawa Public Health. Are You Ready Influenza Pandemic Passport. Ottawa, 2006

3. Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. The Kindergarten Program. Toronto, 1998.