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Wash your hands often and well. Be sure to scrub your hands and wrists for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. Keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer handy for times when soap and water aren't available.
Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue. (Use your upper sleeve if you don't have a tissue – not your hands.) Put the used tissue in a wastebasket. Then wash your hands well. Stay at least 3 feet away from others if you're coughing and sneezing.
If you get sick, act responsibly. If you think you might have caught a flu virus, call your health-care provider, a clinic or a local flu hotline.
Get any available flu shots. The yearly shot helps prevent the seasonal flu.
Check the news. Authorities will announce a pandemic and provide information and instructions. Also find out if your local or state health department has a flu hotline or Web site.
Travel wisely. Find out what steps to take if you need to travel to, from or within an area with a flu outbreak. See www.cdc.gov/travel.
Thoroughly cook meat, poultry and eggs. Carefully clean any surface – including hands and utensils – after contact with raw products. This helps kill flu or other germs that might be present.
Support "common good" efforts. Authorities have developed strategies to help stop or slow a flu pandemic, should one occur. These may include:
- shutting down mass transit or preventing travel into or out of certain areas
- restricting gatherings (school, movies, sports events, etc.)
- asking everyone to stay home
- separating people who have or may have pandemic flu from others.
Create an emergency kit. Store enough bottled water, two weeks supply of prescription medicines, food and other supplies to last at least 2 weeks. (This will help if utilities falter or you're stuck at home for any reason.)
Should you have a question about the pandemic flu, the City of Virginia Beach is prepared to answer any questions. You may call 3-1-1 from any land line phone and 385-3111 from any cellular phone. For detailed information on the pandemic flu, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ pandemic flu Web site at www.pandemicflu.gov .
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