H1N1 swine flu updates available on Public Health Web site

Vancouver, WA – The best way to avoid any kind of flu and many other illnesses is to frequently wash your hands, according to public health information posted on the county’s new H1N1 swine flu Web site. Clark County Public Health Director John Wiesman provides H1N1 swine flu information and demonstrates effective handwashing techniques in videos available on the site at http://www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/diseases/swineflu.html.

The new Web site features a comprehensive list of questions and answers about H1N1 swine flu, including symptoms, prevention, and treatment information. Public Health updates about the flu will be posted there as they become available.

The site includes call center numbers to call (in Clark County (360) 397-8021; outside Clark County 877-510-2772), as well as links to several relevant health Web sites, including:

• Washington Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu/default.htm
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
• World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/

The site also includes reminders about the important things people can do to help stay healthy and keep others safe, including:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or into your elbow or upper arm.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers work too.
• When ill, stay home. Seek medical care if that is what you would normally do.