The Virginia Department of Health is playing a key role in alerting the community about the swine flu national health crisis, and OEMS want to ensure that all EMS providers are aware and know what to look for in a patient who may be infected and how they can protect themselves and their crew.
The swine flu is similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu which include, cough, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea. Additional symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, headache, chills, fatigue, dyspnea, pneumonia and respiratory failure. Persons with swine flu are contagious for up to seven days after the onset of illness and possibly longer if symptomatic.
In patients with some of these symptoms and you suspect it is the flu, we recommend the following:
· Immediately place mask on patient, wear personal protective equipment during contact with the patient (i.e. gloves and mask if you cannot mask the patient)
· Notify the receiving hospital, so that the masked patient may be directed immediately to a waiting exam room
· Create negative pressure in the ambulance by opening windows
· Use infection control protocols when cleaning the ambulance or any vehicle the patient may have been transported in
We recommend checking the CDC Web site at www.cdc.gov and the VDH Web site at www.vdh.virginia.gov for updates and more information about the swine flu situation in the United States.
Be aware and be safe!
