The Flu has Entered our Home

Poor Jenna awoke this morning feeling terrible. Apparently, the flu has already begun going around in her school. She has a headache, her body aches and she has a temperature of 102.7. It is most likely she has early stages of the flu. All I can do is try and keep her comfortable, feed her lots of fluids and give her ibuprofen in order to reduce the fever.Best things for her to do are stay in bed, get plenty of rest, and drink lots of fluids. Hopefully it won't get worse and most importantly I don't want her to infect Maureen and I. In an effort to keep the flu isolated it's probably best that we quarantine her to her room.
Here are steps to help reduce the spread of the flu in your home:

• keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible (see “placement of the sick person”) especially others who are at high risk for complications from influenza
• remind the sick person to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing
• have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. Children may need reminders or help keeping their hands clean.
• Keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the house. Keep the sickroom door closed.
• Have the sick person wear a facemask – if available and tolerable – if they need to be in a common area of the house near other persons.
• If possible, sick persons should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned daily with household disinfectant