Preparing for Flu Season – The Resources You NEED!

Introduction

Every year flu season presents new challenges to the general population and to those in the healthcare field. New strains of the flu evolve regularly, and as such, inoculation against one year’s viruses can be ineffective the following year. Patients in post-acute care environments can be particularly vulnerable to an influenza outbreak, as they may already be more frail.  Weaknesses related to age and other conditions or illnesses may already have compromised the immune system of someone in the post-acute care system, and they may not have the stamina to fight off a bad case of flu or repeated exposures. For these reasons, healthcare staff at every level in a long-term care facility must take the appropriate precautions to prevent, contain, and treat an influenza outbreak.

 Understanding the origins, virology, symptoms, and treatment of seasonal flu, novel H1N1 flu, and the H5N1 avian flu is required of those involved in preparing for an outbreak or in minimizing the effects of such an outbreak.   Performing the roles and responsibilities for a flu pandemic and engaging in key activities will reduce or hold steady the morbidity and mortality rates in the U.S. and lessen its impact on the economy.1

Fortunately, there are a number of excellent resources you can study to help you prepare for the next flu season – even the next pandemic (which is largely a matter not of “if,” but “when”).

Of course, your workplace may already have a detailed plan in place – and it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with it for the protection of both employees and patients (or residents).  But to help you brush up on the basics and keep up with the latest as flu season begins, the following resources can help you save search-time and develop and execute a plan for both personal protection and the protection of those in your care.

Resources

http://www.flu.gov/  is a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. You’ll find information from (and links to) sources across the entire U.S. government – including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID); the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); the Food and Drug Administration (FDA);the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID); the National Institute of General Medical Services (NIGMS); and the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), among others. In addition, the site provides free flyers, brochures and posters you can download to help you share information about flu and how people can protect themselves. The site is so comprehensive it’s almost redundant to list others, but because sometimes you might want to review the guidelines of a particular agency or read its latest reports without linking to them externally, we’ll list a few more.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ breaks Influenza into six topics: Flu Basics, Prevention, Treatment/Antiviral Drugs, Health Professionals, Free Resources, and What’s New & Updated. Each topic is explained further in its dedicated section, and you’ll also find a Flu Activity & Surveillance map, and International Flu Update map, a link that covers the facts and status of Vaccinations (Vaccine Supply Update, Key Facts, 2010-11 Flu Season, Who should be vaccinated) and linls to other flu websites.
There’s also a section dedicated to Info for Specific Groups, such as People at High Risk; People Age 65 and Over, and Health Care Workers.
Think washing your hands is the single most important step you can take to protect against getting (and spreading) the flu? You may be right… take the Flu IQ quiz (which you can add as a widget on your web site, portal, home page or blog).

http://www.osha.gov ( OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has a number of excellent papers that address ways healthcare providers can  prepare for influenza outbreaks. Among them are Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance for Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Employers (http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA_pandemic_health.pdf); a fact sheet for healthcare workers at high risk for a pandemic virus that details important practices for reducing the risk of infection (Healthcare Workplaces Classified as Very High or High Exposure Risk for Pandemic Influenza, http://www.osha.gov/Publications/exposure-risk-classification-factsheet.html); and Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic, (http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3327pandemic.pdf), which was
developed with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and provides guidance for all types of workplaces. The paper describes the differences between seasonal, avian and pandemic influenza types; discusses the nature of a potential pandemic, and explains how the virus is likely to spread and how exposure is likely to occur.

Conclusion

Big as the Internet is, with just the three links above you’ll be able to stay abreast of new developments as flu season progresses; have multiple sources for ready-made, free materials that will help inform your workers and residents, and have the tools you need for understanding and executing a preparedness plan at your fingertips. It’s still early in the season (flu season generally peaks in February), so if you get started now you’ll be ahead of the game!