Medical

The H1N1 virus (or swine flu) may no longer be front-page news, but new people continue to be infected, and while rare, deaths continue to occur.

The best way to prevent the flu, or any con crud, is to wash your hands, with any kind of soap and water, as often as you can. Don't touch your face and mouth if you haven't just washed your hands. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer only when you can't wash your hands with soap and water, and dry your hands thoroughly, no matter how you sanitize.

If you are sick, please stay home. If you are pre-registered, we will either transfer membership to next year's AWA, or refund your money after October 2010. Just contact us at info@awa-con.com. Or at the very least, go to your primary care doctor or the local emergency room for a firm diagnosis and treatment. But don't share the flu!

From http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/public_gatherings.htm Persons with influenza-like illness (ILI) (i.e., fever with either cough or sore throat) should be advised to stay home for 7 days after the onset of illness or at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer.

Persons who are at high risk of complications from novel influenza A (H1N1) infection (for example, persons with certain chronic medical conditions, children less than 5 years, persons 65 or older, and pregnant women) should consider their risk of exposure to novel influenza if they attend public gatherings in communities where novel influenza A virus is circulating. In communities with several reported cases of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, persons who are at risk of complications from influenza should consider staying away from public gatherings.

All persons should be reminded to use appropriate respiratory and hand hygiene precautions. Based on currently available information, for non-healthcare settings where frequent exposures to persons with novel influenza A (H1N1) are unlikely, masks and respirators are not recommended.