Just when you thought the flu season was coming to an end Swine Flu swept in and has been infecting people all over the world. To date there have been over 90 lab confirmed cases and one death in the United States alone.

Swine Influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A (H1N1) influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get Swine Flu. However, the recent outbreak is a never-before seen combination of human, swine, and avian influenza viruses.

Swine Flu has similar symptoms of regular human flu (fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue) and ranges in severity from mild to severe (diarrhea and vomiting).

No one is exempt from catching the flu but there are steps you can take to avoid it. They’re common, you’ve heard them before, but just in case let’s review.

1. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. Some people wear masks (also referred to as surgical, dental, medical procedure, isolation, and laser masks) or particulate respirators.

2. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. It’s such a simple gesture of common courtesy yet so often forgotten.

4. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. What’s that old saying…while washing your hands sing the “ABCs” or “Happy Birthday” to make sure you’re washing your hands long enough to get rid of the gunk. If you’re on the go, keep some hand sanitizer or handy wipes in your car or bag.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth – germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits – get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

In addition to these six tips keeping a sanitary home and workspace also helps. Thoroughly disinfecting commonly used household and workspace fixtures and electronics (doorknobs, railings, keyboards, telephones, cell phones, remote controls, etc.) with a hand wipe will also help kill germs and bacteria.

Stay safe.

Watch CDC podcast giving instructions on how to put on and take off disposable respirators.

Source: CDC

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Are you one of the 29,000 firefighters from around the world expected in Indianapolis this week for FDIC? Have you taken over the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium?

This year’s Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) is expected to be not only the largest but the most comprehensive and beneficial training opportunity both nationally and internationally for all levels of fire service professionals.

Hosting more than 24 hands-on training evolutions, 34 preconference workshops, more than 160 classroom presentations, and an out of this world exhibit area it’s easy to see why this is such a rewarding conference.

“We like to say that we are training the trainers. Obviously a whole fire department can’t come out to the event because it would cost taxpayers a lot of money. So the trainers go back to their department and take the education the received here and train the hundreds of firefighters that are in their department, therefore saving taxpayers a lot of money and bringing firefighters home to their families at the end of the day,” Eric Schlett, Vice President of the FDIC, said.

This is the 13th year FDIC has been held in Indianapolis and the third largest 2009 convention the city is hosting.

PS
Stop by booth #3634 to talk about the latest in emergency medical equipment with Brad and Chad from EMP

Source: FDIC.com, WISHTV.com

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Class 1 Recall:
ZOLL Medical Corporation, ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator

Date Recall Initiated:
February 12, 2009

Product:
ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator - This product was manufactured from May, 2004 through February, 2009 and distributed from May, 2004 through February 9, 2009.

Use:
This device is used by emergency or medical personnel, by others who have completed CPR AED training courses, or the public at large. It is intended to treat patients having a heart attack (cardiac arrest). The device analyzes an unconscious patient’s heart rhythm and instructs the user to press a button that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm.

Recalling Firm:
ZOLL Medical Corporation
269 Mill Road
Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01824

Reason for Recall:
The AED failed to deliver the defibrillation energy.

Public Contact:
The company may be contacted at 1-978-421-9655.

FDA District:
New England

FDA Comments:
The company sent their distributors and customers an initial recall letter on February 12, 2009 by certified mail. This letter instructed customers to replace their batteries every three years. The company then sent their distributors and customers a follow-up recall letter on March 31, 2009 by certified mail. This letter instructed customers to download new software for their devices and to remove any battery replacement reminder labels.

ZOLL will send an email notice to all customers who included their email address as part of their contact information. ZOLL will also publish information about the recall in industry magazines.

For more information about this recall, please see the company’s website at: http://www.ZOLLAEDPlusbatteryhelp.com.

Class 1 recalls are the most serious type of recall and involve situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of these products will cause serious injury or death.

Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of these products to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by FAX.

Source: FDA

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The economic downturn has resulted in many looking for ways to cut costs. In Columbus, Ohio an economic advisory committee suggested comparing the costs and benefits of returning to a basic emergency medical system as opposed to sticking with the advanced support that has been provided for more than forty years.

Basic Life Support (BLS) primarily consists of patient stabilization before a patient is transferred to a hospital. This includes stabilizing a broken bones or using an automatic external defibrillator (AED) on cardiac-arrest patients.

Advanced Life Support (ALS) allows highly trained paramedics to administer lifesaving drugs, create airways in patients who aren’t able to breathe and shock heart attack patients on the way to the hospital.

In order to support their ideas the economic advisory committee, led by lawyer Robert F. Howarth, refers to a 2005 study (based on previous studies, the majority over a decade old) published in the Journal of Prehospital and Disaster Medics that concluded patients fared about the same whether receiving BLS or ALS.

While most would view going from ALS to BLS as a step backward the economic advisory committee seriously considering taking that step back in time all the way to 1968 (the last time the Columbus Division of Fire provided only BLS).

Jack Reall, president of the Columbus Firefighters Union commented, “I can’t see the citizens of our community changing from an (advanced) system to a (basic) system in order to save 3 percent of the budget.”

This past Wednesday the San Antonio Fire Department incorporated a new program in order to save time and money. It’s a similar concept to the BLS vs. ALS however instead of taking away a whole service they added to it. In addition to the 32 ambulances ready to respond there are six more ambulances called Basic Life Support Ambulances geared towards minor emergency responses.

The 9-1-1 dispatchers (whom are all trained paramedics) will carefully screen calls to determine whether or not an ALS trained paramedics responds to a call.

Chief Charles Hood commented that of the 170 people taken daily to the hospital, about 80 only need basic life support.

What do you think? Is it better to cut corners and save some money since a 2005 study leads readers to conclude that whether a patient receives advanced or basic life support there won’t be much difference in the outcome. Or, would it be better to have both BLS and ALS ambulances and not take a chance on saving someone’s life that really needs ALS?

Sources: Dispatch Politics, WOAI.com

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Noroviruses, also called Norwalk-like viruses and caliciviruses, belong to a family of viruses that cause the stomach flu. The stomach flu may also be referred to as gastroenteritis, food infection, food poisoning, and acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis.

This highly contagious virus may be spread through contaminated water or foods (shellfish and salad ingredients are most often infected with the viruses) and from person to person (touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your hand in your mouth or sharing foods or utensils with an infected person).

Babson College, in Massachusetts, was temporarily shut down due to an outbreak of stomach flu believed to be caused by norovirus. Over a period of six days 131 students had visited the school’s health services clinic complaining of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea—all symptoms associated with norovirus.

The school reopened on Wednesday, April 1, after a thorough cleaning. The school used bleach-based cleansers. Students were also given cleaning supplies to sanitize their rooms and were also encouraged to frequently (and thoroughly) wash their hands.

In Pennsylvania about 200 students stayed home or left Coolbaugh Elementary last Friday complaining of vomiting and diarrhea. Of the 603 students, one out of three suffered from symptoms associated with norovirus. The district sanitized the building and buses over the weekend.

To prevent Norovirus infections follow these tips:

Although these tips seem like just basic common sense when you’re in a hurry or in an emergency situation sometimes you can forget the simplest of things.

If you fall victim, symptoms will begin about 24 to 30 hours after exposure, however some people may not show any symptoms. To avoid dehydration it is extremely important to drink lots of fluids. There is no real treatment for this virus but if you keep yourself well hydrated and sanitize your surroundings it’s likely you’ll feel better within 48 to 72 hours.

Sources: WebMD, Pocono Record, Scientific American

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