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Infection Prevention advice for managing Flu

January 2, 2018

It is flu season so think about flu in anyone with a respiratory illness, especially if they have one or more of:

  • Fever > 38°C
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Muscle & joint pain
  • Cough

People are infectious while they are symptomatic so isolate anyone in whom flu is suspected or confirmed, where clinically appropriate your first course of action should be to send people home:

  • In a silver side room (or if in a bronze side room they must have their own designated commode)
  • Hand hygiene: Wash hands with soap & water.
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)- wear gloves & aprons, fluid repellent surgical mask when working in close contact (approx 1 m)
    • FFP3 masks should be worn (by staff who have undergone fit testing) during aerosol generating procedures e.g. intubation, NIV
  • The patient should wear a surgical mask until isolated
  • Advise on coughing & sneezing hygiene – dispose of tissues as clinical waste

Take throat swabs for PCR testing from suspected cases

Treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is only effective if started within 48h of symptoms

Patient contacts of confirmed cases should be offered prophylaxis but should NOT be swabbed unless symptomatic

Further information is available on the intranet
https://connect2.swbh.nhs.uk/infection-prevention-control/key-organisms/influenza/