Seasonal Flu and H1N1 Swine Flu  Tags: influenza pandemic  

Need a Vaccination?

• Maxim Healthcare Services offers seasonal flu vaccine at many locations in Montgomery County.  See Maxim's Find a Flu Shot.

• Passport Health provides vaccinations for children and adults 6 months of age and older.  Or call 301-408-4544.

• Adventist Healthcare provides vaccinations for adults 18 years of age and older.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Current information about the outbreak of swine flu in the U.S.

Things you can do

Plan and prepare

For travelers

Montgomery County Public Schools has information about flu for parents and students.

Ebsco's Evidence-Based Influenza Portal for clinicans, nurses, and patients.

Beginning Thursday, October 1, 2009, residents with questions about seasonal flu and the H1N1 (swine) flu can call the Flu Hotline at 240-777-4200.  The line, staffed by County employees and volunteers, will answer calls from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday. Because the line is staffed by non-medical personnel, residents with specific medical questions about their personal health and the H1N1 vaccine should contact their physicians.

County health officials urge residents to take some simple steps to help prevent the spread of influenza:

• Get vaccinated.  Seasonal flu vaccinations are available now and H1N1 vaccinations will be available later this fall.
• Don’t spread influenza.  Wash hands frequently, cover coughs and stay home if you are sick.
• Stay informed.  Get up-to-date information on H1N1 and seasonal flu, including flu vaccination clinics, at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/h1n1flu

According to Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Ulder Tillman, residents should take the following precautions to stay well:

• Always cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue—and throw the tissue away. Or cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow. Don’t send your sneeze or cough into the air. This is good advice always, even when there is no swine flu.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze and before you eat. Alcohol hand sanitizer (minimum 60% alcohol) will do if soap and water are unavailable.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. These are places germs can enter your body very easily.

• Try to keep at least six feet away from sick people. This is called social distancing. Swine flu, like all flu, is spread through the air so keeping some distance will give the virus space to drop to the ground if someone is coughing or sneezing. 

• Monitor yourself and your family for symptoms of fever, chills, headache, sore throat, cough, body aches, and vomiting or diarrhea. If you are sick, stay home from work, school or other public places until you are feeling well. Persons who have difficulty breathing or believed to be severely ill should seek medical attention. For information about preparing for emergencies, see this Stay-at-Home Toolkit for Influenza.

Key Facts about Swine Influenza (CDC) Spanish

Swine Flu Health Advisory (CDC) English Arabic Burmese Kirundi Somali Vietnamese

Swine Flu FAQs (WHO) English French Spanish Chinese Arabic Russian

Cover your Cough (NYC DHMH) available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Creole, English, French, Hebrew, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Yiddish