H1N1 Flu Resources

Frequently Asked Questions – General Public (Revised 10/19/2009)

Source: Department of State Health Services

Q: What is the difference between seasonal flu and this new strain of H1N1?
A: Seasonal flu viruses have been circulating in human populations for several seasons, allowing people to build up immunities to them. People do not yet have immunity to the new strain of H1N1 flu. A vaccine is available to prevent seasonal flu, but a vaccine has not been developed for the H1N1 flu.

Q: What is a flu pandemic?
A: The World Health Organization classifies a new strain of influenza as pandemic when it can be easily transmitted from person to person and it has caused widespread human infection in at least three countries and at least two WHO regions. A pandemic disease can range from mild to severe and does not necessarily have a high mortality rate. The H1N1 influenza virus that emerged in spring 2009 has been designated a pandemic.

Q: What can the public do to get prepared in case there is a flu pandemic?
A: It’s important to be prepared for emergencies – including flu pandemics – that may disrupt commercial and community activities. Everyone should have an emergency plan and a disaster supplies kit with enough food and water to last for several days or up to two weeks. For information on emergency planning for families, visit http://www.TexasPrepares.org (English and En Español) .

Q: What is novel H1N1 Flu (swine flu) and how is it transmitted?
A: The respiratory virus that is currently circulating in the United States is passed from person to person without contact with pigs. The name now being used is H1N1 flu. H1N1 flu is a respiratory illness thought to spread in the same way that seasonal flu is spread, which is through people infected with the virus who are coughing or sneezing. It can be spread by touching something with flu viruses on it, such as a tissue or a door knob, and then touching your mouth, eyes, or nose.

Q: How can I avoid getting infected?
A: You can protect yourself from the H1N1 flu by washing your hands frequently with soap and warm water. You also can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You should also avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Stay away from people who are sick (especially if they have fever, cough and a sore throat). Get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious foods.

Q: What are the symptoms of H1N1 flu?
A: Almost all people in Texas with confirmed H1N1 flu have had a sudden onset of fever (half having a temperature greater than 102.5oF) and cough. Most have had a sore throat. Almost everyone with H1N1 flu has been taken care of at home and recovered in a few days. Illnesses with a lot of nasal congestion and mild fever are probably not H1N1 flu. Illnesses with diarrhea and vomiting are probably not H1N1 flu, although some with a confirmed case of H1N1 have had such symptoms.

Other symptoms may include runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. People may have only one or two symptoms besides the fever, or they may have many. People can infect others with the H1N1 flu even before they show symptoms, and they remain contagious for seven or more days after they become sick.

Q: What do I do if I have these symptoms?
A: Stay home if you get sick. Stay home from work, school, errands, and limit close contact with others to keep from infecting them. In most cases people with H1N1 flu will get better without medical attention. If you have been diagnosed with H1N1, stay home while you have symptoms. Wait to be around people until your fever has been gone for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medications.

If you are at risk for complications of influenza, call your health care provider. Follow your provider’s advice. Most people with nasal congestion and mild fever don’t have H1N1 flu.

If you have mild symptoms, do not call your health care provider or visit the hospital emergency room. Get plenty of rest, drink fluids, take fever reducing medications if needed. WARNING: DO NOT give aspirin or aspirin-containing medications to children and youth 18 years and younger.

Q: Who is at risk of complications of flu?
A: The following groups of people are at greater risk of complications from H1N1 flu:

• Adults and children with certain chronic medical conditions including chronic lung problems such as asthma, heart, liver, blood, nervous system, muscular, or metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
• Pregnant women.
• Children younger than 5 years old (under 12 months are especially vulnerable).
• Adults and children who have immunodeficiency or immuno-suppression, including that caused by medications such as corticosteroids and chemotherapy, or diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
• Children ages 6 months to 18 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection.
• Persons 50 years old or older, particularly 65 years or older.
• People who live in settings such as nursing homes, residential schools, and jails.

Q: How dangerous is the H1N1 flu virus? Should I be worried?
A:

• Illness with the 2009 H1N1 influenza, also called the swine flu, ranges from mild to severe. The virus is new and people have little immunity to it. Most people who have been sick have recovered without needing medical treatment. However, as with seasonal flu in years past, hospitalizations and deaths from infection with this virus have occurred. Although most of the individuals with severe complications have had an underlying medical condition, there has been an increased amount of death and severe illness in previously healthy younger people. Overall, the 2009 H1N1 virus has caused greater disease burden in people younger than 25 years of age than in older people. At this time, there are few cases and few deaths reported in people older than 64 years old, which is unusual when compared with seasonal flu.
• Pregnancy and other medical conditions previously recognized as increasing the risk of complications from seasonal influenza also appear to be associated with increased risk of complications from the H1N1 virus in those 25 to 64 years old. In addition to pregnancy, these underlying conditions include asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune system, heart disease, kidney disease, and neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders.
• There is the possibility that the H1N1 virus could mutate and cause more widespread serious illness than we’ve seen thus far. Local, state, national and international health authorities are closely monitoring the virus to discover such mutations as soon as possible.
• Because even the seasonal flu can cause serious illness each year, everyone should take simple precautions such as washing their hands frequently and covering their mouths when they cough. Other precautions and advice can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/, provided courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Q: Who is most at risk for complications from the flu?
A: The CDC lists the following groups as having a higher risk of having complications from either seasonal or H1N1 flu:

• Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2
• Adults age 65 years and older
• Pregnant women
• People who have:
  • Cancer
  • Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)
  • Chronic lung disease, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Kidney disorders
  • Liver disorders
  • Neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain or spinal cord injuries, moderate to profound intellectual disability (mental retardation), or developmental delay
  • Neuromuscular disorders, such as muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis
  • Weakened immune systems, such as people with HIV or AIDS or who are on medications that weaken the immune system

Q: Is the H1N1 flu already at UTEP?
A: Yes, UTEP students and staff have been diagnosed with influenza. Since the prevalent type of influenza in the U.S. at the present time is the H1N1 strain, the cases among students and staff can reasonably be assumed to be H1N1 cases. While some may have been tested for H1N1, such testing is not generally necessary or recommended except for hospitalized patients. We expect to see more people getting sick with H1N1 as we move deeper into the flu season. The flu is already widespread throughout the US, Texas and even the El Paso region. This is why we are encouraging all in the UTEP community to consider getting vaccinated for the H1N1 flu virus, once the vaccine is available. Until then, all of us are at risk of contracting the flu since influenza is widespread in our area.

VACCINE AVAILABILITY

Q: I want to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Where can I get a flu shot this year?
A: If you want to get vaccinated as soon as possible you should contact your personal physician, or visit one of the pharmacies and grocery stores that are offering flu vaccines to the community. While the University is anticipating offering vaccinations for H1N1 when the supplies are made available to us, we are uncertain how soon the supplies will be made available.

Q: Will UTEP be getting a supply of H1N1 flu vaccine?
A: Yes, although we do not know exactly when our first shipment will arrive or how much vaccine we will receive in that shipment. It’s important to note that the CDC does not expect a general shortage of H1N1 vaccine, but the full supply will not be available at once.

Q: What can you tell me about flu shots this year?
A: There are two types of flu vaccine being offered this year—one for seasonal flu and one for H1N1 flu. Each vaccine comes in two formulations: the traditional injectable form and a nasal spray.

Seasonal Flu Vaccine

The supply of seasonal flu vaccine is limited across the nation this year due to increased demand, and UTEP is feeling the effects of the shortage.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine

H1N1 vaccine is being produced in much greater quantity than the seasonal flu vaccine, but its availability will come over time, and the timing is unpredictable. Therefore, providers will have to focus any vaccination efforts on high risk, high priority individuals first. The groups considered high-priority for H1N1 vaccinations are a little different from those for seasonal flu (see chart below).

A Word about Vaccine Types and their Availability

As mentioned, the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines each come in two formulations. The traditional flu shot contains inactivated virus, while the nasal spray contains live but weakened (attenuated) virus. Due to age or other health factors, certain groups cannot be given one or the other type of vaccine. Screening is taking place to determine which vaccine formulation will be most needed here based on these factors.

Q: Who’s considered to be a high priority for receiving either the seasonal or the H1N1 flu?
A: Based on medical evidence thus far, the high-priority groups for the H1N1 vaccine differ somewhat from the high-priority groups for the seasonal flu vaccine. The chart below outlines major priority groups for each vaccine, but if you have any question about your individual situation, consult your physician.

Note: Although adults age 65 and over can develop complications as a result of the flu and are a priority for seasonal vaccine, they have not been as heavily affected by H1N1 as younger adults and children. Therefore, at this time they are not considered a high-priority group for the initial supplies of H1N1 vaccine.

Q: Will I need one or two doses of the H1N1 vaccine?
A: Based on the early data, the vaccine was licensed for one dose in adults. The information for children is less certain, but the data at present indicate that only one dose may be needed for children 10 and older. By the time a second dose would be due for younger children, there should be more data available to guide clinical decisions.

Q: How is the H1N1 vaccine being supplied?
A: The vaccine is being provided by the federal government. There will be two types of vaccine available: the injectable form and the nasal spray.

Q: What records will be reported?
A: Providers must report to the CDC and to the state the doses administered each week. The state will record who has received the vaccine in the Texas immunization registry, ImmTrac, which will store the information for at least five years.

VACCINE SAFETY

Q: Is the vaccine for H1N1 flu considered experimental?
A: The new vaccine has been licensed by the FDA and should be available in October. It is not considered experimental.

Q: What do we know about safety of the new H1N1 vaccine?
A: The H1N1 vaccine is made the same way that the seasonal flu vaccine is made. Each year the seasonal flu vaccine is normally made of three mini-vaccines that are combined into one shot or nasal spray. The H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as one of the mini-vaccines, but it is being given alone since the regular vaccine for this flu season was already formulated by the time the spread of H1N1 became apparent. The early data from studies done by manufacturers and those sponsored by science agencies in the international community indicate that the side effects of the H1N1 vaccine are similar to those of the seasonal flu vaccine. National vaccination efforts will continue to be monitored to reveal any additional or unusual side effects that may occur as more doses are administered or more time elapses.

Q: What about Guillain-Barre Syndrome and the previous swine flu vaccine?
A: Every year people in the U.S. develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) at the rate of about 1 in 100,000, unrelated to any vaccine (this is called the background rate). The cause of GBS is not known, but it is thought that the immune system in some way damages nervous system tissue. It is known that GBS can follow some bacterial or viral infections, including Campylobacter, influenza, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and others. The swine flu vaccine administered in 1976 was associated with a rate of about 1 additional case of GBS in 100,000, which is slightly higher than the background rate. That rate has not been seen before or since after administration of flu vaccines. A number of studies have not shown any association between the 1976 swine flu vaccine and GBS, although two studies have suggested there may have been an additional 1 person per 1 million people vaccinated who may have been at additional risk for GBS. We know that the 1976 swine flu vaccine was for a completely different virus and does not offer any protection against H1N1, so the antibodies that are being developed to protect from infection this year are not related to those seen in 1976.

THE FLU @ WORK OR SCHOOL

Q: What should I do if I think I’ve got the flu?
A: We all have a responsibility to limit the spread of flu in our community. The best thing you can do if you are ill with flu symptoms is stay home and not run the risk of infecting your classmates or coworkers. You can find more information at: http://admin.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=58217.

Q: What if I miss work because of the flu? How is that time off going to be counted?
A: UTEP’s Human Resources department has developed guidelines for employees and supervisors. You can read them at UTEP Guidelines for Addressing Employee H1N1 Issues

Q: If I am well but have a sick family member or roommate, must I stay away from work or school?
A: No, you are not expected to stay away from the University unless you yourself are ill. However, it is understood that you may have obligations to provide care for an immediate family member who is ill. If you stay away from work or school to attend to a sick family member you should alert your supervisor or faculty to your situation so that they may accurately document and account for your absence as excused.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

There is much information—and misinformation—circulating about the flu and related vaccines. The following web sites offer valid information on protecting yourself and those around you from the flu.

• http://www.flu.gov
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
• www.dshs.state.tx.us/txflu
• http://www.staywellcustomweb.com/swineflu/
• http://www.utep.edu/healthupdate