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November 7, 2005
Flu Season
You can hardly open a newspaper or magazine or turn on the radio or TV without reading or hearing about the flu. Don’t panic—at least not before you read these suggestions.
Try to avoid getting the flu by following these Flu Prevention Basics.
A flu shot might help. Both the DuPage County Health Department and the Cook County Department of Public Health are holding clinics for flu and pneumonia vaccination. Or try the Flu Clinic Locator Site from the American Lung Association. It’s a good idea to phone first; at this writing, Walgreen’s has canceled its flu shot clinics due to a shortage of vaccine.
What is the flu, exactly, and what should you do if you get it? Here’s advice from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
Is it a cold or is it the flu? Take this quiz from the Mayo Clinic to find out how well you can tell the difference.
If you prefer an alternative or integrative approach, take a look at Dr. Weil’s recommendations for preventing and treating colds and flu . Or try Holistic online.com's Cold/Flu Infocenter for Conventional, Alternative, Complementary, and Integrative Approaches to Treating Colds and Flu (Influenza).
WebMD has facts, news, Q&A, and resources about bird flu.
The official U.S. government Web site for information on pandemic flu and avian influenza gathers information from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and other government agencies about influenza and pandemics in general and bird flu in particular. The sites discuss prevention, transmission, outbreaks, vaccines, advice for travelers, research, and government planning and preparedness.
Could another pandemic happen? The library owns these accounts of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and assessments of whether an infectious disease could overwhelm our public health system today.
The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu, by Mike Davis
Beasts of the Earth: Animals, Humans, and Disease, by E. Fuller Torrey
The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, by John M. Barry
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It, by Gina Kolata
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Posted by hinsdalereference at November 7, 2005 11:32 AM