Tillamook Bay Community College

Flu Information Updates

Flu updates

Seasonal Flu or Swine Flu?

The symptoms of Swine Flu (H1N1) are similar to regular/seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Swine flu symptoms may include diarrhea and vomiting. In both cases, the flu is spread mainly by person-to-person contact through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

Prevention Tips:

Cover your cough with a clean tissue or your sleeve.
Wash your hands OFTEN with warm water and soap, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
Stay home when you're sick and keep sick children home.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Individuals with influenza-like illness should remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100°F or greater) without the use of fever-reducing medications.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth - germs are spread that way.
Get vaccinations against both the seasonal flu and the Swine/H1N1 flu.

How to Care for Someone with the Flu:

Most people who are ill can be cared for at home.
Care consists of keeping the person as comfortable as possible.
Drink lots of fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, and electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated.
Get plenty of rest.
Use ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever, sore throat and muscle aches, if no allergies to these medications.
Do not use aspirin for children.
Sponge with tepid (wrist-temperature) water. Do not sponge with alcohol.
Make sure all members of the household wash their hands frequently.
Keep other family members and visitors away from a sick person.
Check with the sick persons health care provider about any special care they might need if they are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema.
A person with flu should stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine), except to seek medical care.
A person with flu should wear a facemask - if available and tolerable - when sharing common spaces with other household members. This helps prevent spreading the virus to others.

Has difficulty breathing or chest pain
Has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
Is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
Has signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when crying
Is less responsive than normal or becomes confused, or has seizures or convulsions

For additional information:

Check out these web site links:
Flu Facts: Flu Facts
Oregon Dept. of Human Services: Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention
Federal Pandemic H1N1: Federal Pandemic H1N1
Breaking News About Swine Flu: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

We continue to communicate with the public health officials in our service area. If things change regarding this flu, we will post the information on our Web site.
Please be assured that TBCC staff are in close contact with local public health officials and are constantly reviewing their guidance. At this point, health officials believe the most important precautions we can take to prevent the spread of illness are strong personal hygiene habits.
Finally, a reminder about personal hygiene:
1. Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or the crook of your elbow, not your hand;
2. Wash your hands regularly;
3. If you feel sick, stay home;
4. And only go to the hospital in the case of emergencies.

As we learn more, we'll share the news with you.

Ron Ellison, Dean
Administrative Services

Flu Facts

Cold or Flu: How to Tell the Difference:

Colds and Flus are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different types of viruses. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations, however the flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Symptom	Cold	Flu
Fever	rare	usually. 80% of flu cases include fever, normally higher than 100° for 3-4 days
Aches	can be slight body aches and pains	severe aches and pains are common
Chills	uncommon	fairly common. 60% of flu cases include chills, and possibly shivering
Tiredness	fairly mild	can be moderate to severe
Sudden Symptoms	symptoms are not sudden and develop over a few days	rapid onset within 3-6 hours, can hit hard and sudden
Coughing	often present is a hacking and productive (mucus producing) cough	a non-productive cough is usual. dry cough is present in 80% of flu cases
Sneezing	common	not common
Stuffy nose	usually, resolves within a week	not common
Sore throat	common, pain and inflammation	not common
Chest discomfort	mild to moderate	often severe, pain and abnormal sensations felt between the neck and upper abdomen
Headache	fairly uncommon	very common - 80% of flu cases include headache

Q&A about Flu Vaccination:

Should I get a flu vaccination?
Only you can answer that question. However, it is important to look at both the risks and benefits. It is highly recommended that you get the flu shot because it will protect you, your family, and the people you serve from getting the flu. Flu is a serious disease that kills about 450 Oregonians a year. Most people recover but it frequently makes you sick for a week to 10 days, with the cough and fatigue lasting longer.

Do I have to get a shot to be vaccinated?
No, there are two forms of the vaccine: a shot and a nasal spray. The shot is made from a killed virus, while the nasal spray is made from a live, attenuated virus (meaning that the virus has been changed and is no longer capable of giving you the flu). People over 50 years old, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions and young children under the age of 2 are not eligible for the nasal spray. Talk to either your doctor or the person providing the vaccine about which one is better for you.

Is the H1N1 shot safe?
The H1N1 shot should be as safe as the common seasonal flu shot. Each year three different strains are chosen to be included in the seasonal flu shot. This year when those three were chosen, H1N1 was not known. The H1N1 shot is just an additional fourth flu strain. H1N1 vaccine is made in the same way as the regular annual flu vaccine. In addition, the testing has not shown any unusual side-effects.

Can I get the flu from the shot?
No, the shot has pieces of the killed virus. The shot doesn't include any live virus. You may have a sore arm and feel somewhat crummy after the shot but that is caused by your immune system being "turned on" so it can fight the flu virus if you come into contact with it. You could mistake your body's reaction as a mild case of the flu.
The nasal spray (FluMist) does contain live virus but it has been changed so that it also can't cause a flu infection.

I have had the flu vaccine and still got the flu. Why is that?
First off, you may have been confused by other infections. The flu vaccine only prevents influenza, an illness with cough, sore throat, usually fever, body aches, and for some diarrhea and vomiting. Influenza is not the 24-hour illness of vomiting and diarrhea that our mothers called the "stomach flu". The vaccination also won't prevent colds and other viruses.
It is also possible to catch a strain of flu that wasn't chosen for the vaccine. Every year health officials make their best guess of what flu will circulate next year. Some years their guess wasn't the best. It is also possible to have been exposed to the flu, get the shot, and not have had enough time for your body to develop immunity from the shot.

Who shouldn't get the flu shot?
There are very small numbers of people who should not get the flu shot. Everyone should talk to their doctor or the nurse who gives the vaccination. Basically people who are allergic to eggs and those who have had a bad reaction to a previous flu shot should not get the standard flu shot. There will be limited flu vaccine available that was not grown in eggs. Those who can get the nasal spray are more limited. Again, talk to your health care provider.

Can getting the regular flu shot make the H1N1 illness worse or can getting the H1N1 vaccination make the seasonal flu worse?
No, getting one vaccination will not prevent the other type of flu and it won't make it worse.

Can I get both shots at once?
Both can be given at once if both vaccines are available at the same time. However, since the vaccines are distributed in a different manner and paid for differently, both may not be available together. It's recommended that the nasal pandemic H1N1 vaccine, and the nasal seasonal vaccine not be given at the same time.

Will it cost me anything to get the H1N1 vaccine?
The US government has purchased all of the H1N1 vaccine that will be used in the country. Because it is funded by taxpayers, there is no charge for the vaccine itself. However, there may be an administration fee (usually $15 or less), depending upon where you get the vaccination.

Welcome to TBCC

Section Links

Flu Information Updates

Seasonal Flu or Swine Flu?

Prevention Tips:

How to Care for Someone with the Flu:

For additional information:

Flu Facts

Q&A about Flu Vaccination: