Has Fear of H1N1 (Swine Flu) Changed Your Routine?

[jeff black]

Has Fear of H1N1 (Swine Flu) Changed Your Routine?

I wash my hands more than I used to. However, since people seem to be catching it fairly easily, and working in a school... I'm just being as safe as I can.

 

[Principessa]

Been frontline with SARS, Bird Flu and now Swine Flu. I'll be fucked when they get Sheep Flu.

After all those trips to Greece and New Zealand, I'd think you would be immune to the sheep flu by now. :wink:

 

[nudeyorker]

No I have not changed much, I have been OCD about germs for most of my adult life.(the invention of Purell was a big deal for me) I am a titch more apprehensive about airline travel, but as someone else said I was in Asia when SARS broke out so I'm not loosing sleep worrying about it just taking the usual precautions.

 

[prepstudinsc]

My church has stopped doing the "passing of the peace" where you turn and greet those around you because of the flu factor. There are bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere an the pastor announces to make sure you wash your hands after the service. When we have communion (on the first Sunday of each month) we use those little disposable clear plastic cups, too, so there's no chance of getting the flu unless one of the deacons didn't wash his or her hands while preparing the trays.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte has also stopped doing the peace and has told people to not have communion from a common chalice. I'm not sure what Orthodox churches are doing, since they serve communion from a long handled spoon and it gets put in a person's mouth.

 

[Principessa]

I wash my hands more than I used to. However, since people seem to be catching it fairly easily, and working in a school... I'm just being as safe as I can.

Children are snot nosed, huggy, little germ factories. :biggrin1:

My church has stopped doing the "passing of the peace" where you turn and greet those around you because of the flu factor. There are bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere an the pastor announces to make sure you wash your hands after the service. When we have communion (on the first Sunday of each month) we use those little disposable clear plastic cups, too, so there's no chance of getting the flu unless one of the deacons didn't wash his or her hands while preparing the trays.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte has also stopped doing the peace and has told people to not have communion from a common chalice. I'm not sure what Orthodox churches are doing, since they serve communion from a long handled spoon and it gets put in a person's mouth.

What is the religous significance of the common chalice? I've always loathed this because of the germs. Plus, there is always some 90 year old lady, with a hacking cough reminiscent of pleurisy, who grabs the chalice with both hands and chugs it like she's at a frat party. :yuck:

 

[MercyfulFate]

Hell no, it's the damn flu.

 

[mitchymo]

At about the age of 21 i woke up one morning and was so sick with headache and stomachache and muscleache that i started crying after deciding that a little milk might help at least to settle my stomach but was unable to get out of bed because the movement was so nauseating. I was alone and unable to get help, i had nothing to do but rest and within 24 hours on the next waking up i felt fit as a fiddle.
I never had medical attention, whatever it was, my immune system dealt with it.

I am not going to take swine flu too seriously at the moment, don't plan on changing my routine, i respect the authorities taking every precaution though because obviously it would be them that gets the blame if this pandemic explodes into something more extreme and dangerous.

 

[cdarro]

Do you even have germs in the frozen tundra that is Canada? :lmao: :biggrin1:

Actually the climate in Calgary AB is about the same as in Denver CO. I live about 90 min. from Calgary, the temp here yesterday was 24 C/75 F. Today, 15C/59F. Not always cold, but lots of extremes, year round.

To answer the OP, no changes whatsover. Flu shots for H1N1 will be available through public health units next month and I'll get one, but no changes planned.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

Has Fear of H1N1 (Swine Flu) Changed Your Routine?

No more than the color coded terrorism threat levels (remember those?)ever changed my routine.

In other words, not much.

btw, wb, njqt.

 

[DGirl]

I just wanta THANK you!!!
This thread made me remember to get my pack of hand wipes out to take to work.." I forgot them last time I went..
We have this dreaded stuff at work that eats/ drys your skin to cracking!!
But, I work at a darn grocery store and those ASS HOLES cough right in your face...!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been LUCKY........yes LUCKY to have not caught a flu..
But, this is the ONLY place ( we are Navy folk in Hawaii) that I have been sick so many damn times!
I usually get a cold once a year, not three to four times a year!!! Like I have here!!!

 

[Principessa]

I just wanta THANK you!!!
This thread made me remember to get my pack of hand wipes out to take to work.." I forgot them last time I went..
We have this dreaded stuff at work that eats/ drys your skin to cracking!!
But, I work at a darn grocery store and those ASS HOLES cough right in your face...!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been LUCKY........yes LUCKY to have not caught a flu..
But, this is the ONLY place that I have been sick so many damn times!
I usually get a cold once a year, not three to four times a year!!! Like I have here!!!

It's the climate. It never gets cold enough there to kill off the pollen and ragweed. So what starts out as a simple allergy to stuff that grows, becomes sinusitis, and then bronchitis if not treated. :frown1:

I know because I had the same problem when I travelled 20 weeks out of the year for work. I was always being exposed to a new allergen and sent someplace that didn't have a proper winter. I would get bronchitis 3-6 times a year. It was dreadful! I was constantly on antibiotics which led to yeast infections. :yuck: It's amazing I lasted four years onthat job now that I think of it.

I read somewhere that the state of Georgia needs 42 days of 32F weather or less to kill or stagnate all the allergens and also for the fruit trees. They need to go completely dormant in order to come back full force in the spring and summer. In addition this kills off al the flys, mosquitoes etc. If it doesn't get cold enough then you see insects and arachnids all winter and then you get a bumper crop of them in the spring.

 

[CUBE]

I have had one student with it and there have been several cases at school. I don't think the school even gets how huge it could be. The population is so relaxed about coughing, sneezing, spitting. I have really changed my routine. I do not touch any door on campus. I spray the desks twice a day and wash my hands constantly. I have had my regular flu shot and want the other one asap. Also at the grocery store I wipe the carry shopping cart with there wipes and disenfect may hands in the car after paying etc. This includes whiping down the door handle, car interior touch spots once a day.

 

[B_Monster]

Nothings change for me,I think its been overblown but dont tell Indy that. People in his situation have to be very carefull along with pregnant women and children, health care workers.

 

[b.c.]

If you mean do I not touch handles on doors if I can help it, give wide berth to people coughing or sneezing, use a hell of a lot of hand sanitizer, and have gotten a flu shot... yep.

And all of that hasn't done a fuckin' bit of good in keeping me from catching the flu.

 

[JustAsking]

Yes, I hate that Common Cup communion thing. My church gives you a choice between that and those little shot glasses. I go for the shot glasses.

 

[deleted213967]

If you mean do I not touch handles on doors if I can help it, give wide berth to people coughing or sneezing, use a hell of a lot of hand sanitizer, and have gotten a flu shot... yep.

And all of that hasn't done a fuckin' bit of good in keeping me from catching the flu.

No prevention method is full-proof.

All the wise precautions you've been observing are good at cutting the risk of infection. If everybody did what you are doing, infection rates would be dramatically lower.

The key is to assume that your hands are always contaminated and that your eyes, nose and mouth are off-limit (unless you're using clean paper tissue or have thoroughly washed your hands with soap for at least 15 seconds immediately before).

 

[b.c.]

Well actually I was doing fine and dandy until after I got the flu shot.

 

[D_Landrocke DeLonguepiece III]

Since you work in the medical world, have you heard about getting one flu, and then the other flu comes along and makes a SUPER flu? Because someone tried to sell me on that a few days ago.

Nope. Haven't heard of that one yet. But the fear mongers are inventing new things every day

 

[D_Landrocke DeLonguepiece III]

Well actually I was doing fine and dandy until after I got the flu shot.

That is not uncommon. That is ONE of the reasons why I have NEVER had a flu shot. I worked with a guy last Wednesday and he said he just got the flu shot 2 days before, and hasn't felt right since.

 

[Rubenesque]

One of my colleagues had the flu jab at the end of last week and has felt REALLY rotten every since. But she's advised to have it because she's asthmatic.