by Christopher Cornue

During the past several weeks, I was one of the folks who thought we were overreacting to this strain of flu. Its symptoms were similar to other flu strains, it didn't seem as virulent as others, and we had identified a drug that could combat it (until it developed a resistance to it).

However, I actively participated in efforts to ensure my hospital, as well as regional and county organizations, were well prepared for the potential outbreak we could have experienced--one can never be too prepared, and we did take these actions very seriously. It was the education and preparation for a potential outbreak that I believe was either a direct (or possibly indirect) outcome of what we've experienced that past few weeks.

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Everything we were told to do (and we told others to do) was grounded in basic common sense: 1) Properly wash your hands; 2) stay home if you are sick; 3) be aware of those around you who may be sick, etc. I believe it was a great exercise in reminding the public about what they can do to keep healthy and stop the spread, not only H1N1, but of most other common flu strains, colds, etc. Just imagine if everyone heeded this advice and took responsibility for keeping themselves healthy with these very simple actions. In healthcare, we are actually regulated (through the State, Feds and accrediting bodies like the Joint Commission) for ensuring we are doing this, and are then penalized if we don't demonstrate these actions. As much as I thought we might be overreacting to the H1N1 strain, the end result of further education and awareness has been great...and in many ways we are better prepared now than we were last month.

Who knows where this flu strain will go...perhaps it will continue the next few months, or re-emerge in the Fall. Regardless of its path, I'd love to see our public remain focused on the simple actions that can help to keep folks healthy and remain at this elevated level of awareness.

Unfortunately, it's probably more likely that this heightened awareness will go down a similar path as the swine flu...that it will become less and less obvious as time goes by. We'll see.