Health Chats
Swine Flu: A Cause for Panic?
Wednesday Apr 29, 2009, 01:00PM - 02:00PM (EST)
Enoch Choi, MD
Do you have swine flu? Dr. Enoch Choi, MD, an Urgent Care provider in the San Francisco Peninsula, will help answer questions on how to tell swine flu from a cold, and from seasonal influenza. Swine flu has not yet been proven to be a serious enough virus to declare this to be a pandemic, but nations around the globe are discouraging travel to USA and Mexico. Just how dangerous is this virus? How can you protect yourself? How can you stay healthy? Come ask these questions and more from a physician on the front lines, treating folks coming back from Mexico with upper respiratory illnesses that match the CDC's protocols for treating suspected swine flu patients.

   Missed Dr. Choi's first chat? Due to the demand, we have scheduled a second Swine Flu Health Chat    Visit the Swine Flu community to continue the discussion and exchange information about swine flu.    Learn more about Swine Flu from Dr. Enoch Choi's blog post Do I have Swine Flu?
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Dr. Enoch Choi:
a flu shot will help VERY WELL against this past season's influenza.  It will not help against swine flu.
61Mary61:
My husband and I got home last night from a three-week trip to southern Utah's national parks. While we were gone my husband had all of the symptoms of the swine flu, but was surprisingly still somewhat functional. Now he is throwing up and achy.
Dr. Enoch Choi:
glad he's somewhat functional, i wouldn't be.  when i had the flu i was in bed thinking i was going to die i was so achy.  if he gets a fever >=100 and has been to mexico or an adjoining US state, call your doctor
cflores4:
I am scheduled to fly from Baltimore to Phoenix on June 7, 2009 to spend the week in Phoenix providing training.  I am a bit concerned about being in Arizona that borders Mexico as well as the return flight back that could have passengers who have traveled over the border.
Dr. Enoch Choi:
follow http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/ before you go.  AZ looks ok today.  who knows about a month from now
reedstone:
Why are young people easier to be infected by the swine flu virus?
Dr. Enoch Choi:
young people hang out with more groups of young people.  that's why Mexico has closed schools, theaters, cafes, bars, clubs, in Mexico city.  they're more social i guess.  What i'm worried about is how young adults have died in greater numbers, possibly from their stronger immune response
marycdelarosa:
How long does the virus stay alive in the air?
Med Help:
This is the final question for today as we are out of time.
Dr. Enoch Choi:
depends on humidity of air, if it's humid it'll drop onto a surface that you can touch then touch your own mouth, face, eyes, nose.  conversely, in drier air it stays airborne longer and you could breathe it in.   You have to be close (in distance) to someone to catch it.  You have to be exposed to enough viral particles to mount an infection.  Great to hear from you all!  come join me next wednesday at the same time, register at :
http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/register/18
Dr. Enoch Choi:
follow me at http://www.twitter.com/enochchoi or here at medhelp!
Med Help:
Dr. Choi has graciously accepted an invitation to do another Swine Flu Health Chat next week. Sign up for it now: http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/register/18 and also check out the upcoming Lasik Health Chat and Pregnancy Health Chat. http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/list_upcoming
Med Help:
Dr. Choi will also answer some of your questions post-chat. If your question is answered, you'll receive an email letting you know. Many of the questions today were duplicates of the questions Dr. Choi already answered, so please check out the archive of the chat. Thanks, everyone for joining us today and we'll see you next week.
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