“Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy being with family, not to be in bed with the flu,” said Sharon Stanley, chief nurse of the American Red Cross. “You can follow easy tips to try and avoid becoming ill over the upcoming holiday.”

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel periods in the United States. If traveling for the holiday or hosting a family celebration, washing one’s hands as often as possible is important to help ward off illness. The Red Cross offers the following ideas to help halt the spread of the flu virus during the Thanksgiving holiday:

Tips for Travelers

Before traveling…

- If sick, stay home. It’s disappointing to not be able to join in the family celebration, but act responsibly and stay home to avoid spreading the flu.

- It’s possible to spread the flu virus one day before actually showing symptoms. Those who have been in close contact with a sick individual should be extra careful about using good hand hygiene and cough etiquette and very aware of what might be flu symptoms.

While traveling…

- Wash hands with soap and water as often as possible. If soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

- Use sanitizing wipes to disinfect hard surfaces such as airplane tray tables, luggage handles, cell phones, door handles and seat armrests.

- Remember to wash hands or use a hand sanitizer before eating any meals or snacks. It’s important to remember that you are touching a lot of surfaces that others are touching as well. Make sure your hands are clean before you put anything into your mouth.

- Bring personal blankets, pillows and earphones to avoid using something which may have been in contact with the flu virus.

- After washing hands in a public restroom, turn off the faucet with a paper towel. Then use another paper towel to dry hands and open the door when exiting the restroom.

Have a safe celebration

Thanksgiving is all about food, family and friends. Here are some steps that will help keep the celebration happy and healthy:

- Avoid the usual kisses and handshakes when greeting friends and family.

- If hosting the holiday dinner and someone in the household becomes ill, make sure that they can be isolated into a separate area for care, or ask another family member to host dinner to avoid spreading the flu.

- Wash hands frequently, before preparing food, while cooking, and especially before eating.

- Keep plenty of hand soap in the bathroom, preferably in a pump container. Skip the pretty hand towels this year and instead use disposable hand towels or a roll of paper towels.

- Consider putting the glasses away this year and using plastic cups, or provide a way for guests to identify their drinks. Don’t drink out of anyone else’s glass.

- Put serving utensils in every dish, including snacks like nuts, pretzels, etc. This allows people to spoon out their portion instead of reaching in with their hands.

Remember-always cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and clean hands afterwards. If no tissue is available, cough or sneeze into the inside of the elbow or upper arm. Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth to prevent spreading germs. Visit Redcross.org for more information on how to keep safe and prepared for any emergency.

Source
American Red Cross

Currently, physicians are taught to suspect group A streptococcal bacteria as the primary cause of pharyngitis. But according to findings published Dec. 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physicians also should look for the presence of bacteria called Fusobacterium necrophorum when treating sore throat in young adults and adolescents that worsens or is strep-negative.

“F. necrophorum, which only has been recognized as a potential cause of pharyngitis in adolescents and young adults in the past five years, may cause up to 10 percent of sore throat in those 15-24 years of age,” said Robert Centor, M.D., professor of internal medicine, associate dean of medicine at UAB and the paper’s lead author. “More important, F. necrophorum is associated with a rare but life-threatening complication called Lemierre syndrome.”

Lemierre syndrome mostly affects adolescents and young adults and rarely is seen in pre-adolescents. It begins with a sore throat, followed by an infected jugular vein after four to five days. Abscesses in other parts of the body may occur. Approximately 5 percent of people who get Lemierre syndrome die.

Group A strep also is associated with a serious complication rheumatic fever but the incidence rate of Lemierre syndrome following exposure to F. necrophorum is much higher and associated with greater morbidity and mortality.

“The risk of Lemierre syndrome exceeds the risk of acute rheumatic fever, which is the classic reason that physicians worry about sore throats,” said Centor.

Centor said clinicians should expand their diagnostic process for adolescents and young adults with sore throat to consider F. necrophorum, especially if the sore throat does not improve within three to five days. Centor said physicians need to be aware of the red flags that might indicate Lemierre syndrome, including unilateral neck swelling, rigors, night sweats or high fevers. There is not a routine test for F. necrophorum pharyngitis and a CT scan is required to detect Lemierre syndrome.

Aggressive treatment with antibiotics such as a combination of penicillin and metronidazole or with clindamycin alone is appropriate. Centor said he hopes this analysis will lead to better diagnostic tests for the presence of F. necrophorum.

About the UAB Health System

The UAB Health System includes all of the University of Alabama at Birmingham patient-care activities, including UAB Hospital, the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic. UAB is the state of Alabama’s largest employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic health center; its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs consistently are ranked among the nation’s top 50.

Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham