The Rhode Island Department of Health is looking for licensed medical professionals to volunteer at clinics across Rhode Island. Visit RI Responds to register.
Serve Rhode Island is looking for volunteers in the case of a swine flu outbreak. To find out more, click here.
Health care providers who want to provide swine flu shots at their offices must register with the H1N1 Vaccination Program.
Swine influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. Like the seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe.
• Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread person to person; however, at this time, it is unclear how quickly the virus spreads among humans.
• You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products.
• To help prevent the transmission of swine flu, good health and hygiene practices are essential. These include: Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If water is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used; Cough and sneeze into your elbow; Stay home from work, school or day care if you are sick; Do not share drinking cups or food.
• Staff and students that have recently traveled to an area with confirmed cases of swine flu and do not have any symptoms do not need to be excluded from school or the childcare.
Have A Question?
Do you have any questions about swine flu? How does it spread, what are the symptoms, or how can you protect yourself? E-mail your questions to NBC 10 News.
The Rhode Island Department of Health has set up a hotline from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to take your questions. Call the health department at 401-222-8022.
Warning Signs
In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Blue-like skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash
In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
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