Advice on home care

If you experience only mild symptoms and do not belong to any of the at-risk groups, you may not need to get a laboratory confirmation. Instead, you can stay home until you are well. However, you will need to observe your health closely, as some symptoms do require immediate medical attention.

When to seek medical care
A(H1N1)v and instructions for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers
Who is most at risk?

When you become ill

When you yourself become ill, avoid close contact with others and stay at home for as long as you have flu-like symptoms. Flu usually clears up after a week or so.

It is important to get plenty of rest and drink fluids. You can also relieve the symptoms with over-the-counter medicines.

Monitor yourself for flu symptoms and contact your local health centre if your symptoms get more severe. If you have to leave home for a doctor’s appointment, cover your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue or wear a face mask, if available.

Caring for someone with swine flu

When a person infected with influenza is being cared for at home, the persons providing the care and others in the household can reduce the spread of the disease by avoiding close contact with the patient and washing their hands regularly with soap and water.

Children may need reminders about keeping their hands clean. Washing your hands is particularly important after you have touched or been in the same room with infected people. Also make sure to wash your hands after handling their tissues or dirty laundry.

The risk of infection can also be reduced by these steps:

• If possible, only one adult should care for the patient. A person belonging to an at-risk group for influenza should not be the principal carer.
• If you belong to an at-risk group but cannot avoid close contact with the patient, consider wearing a face mask, if available.
• Avoid inviting guests over during the illness.
• Maintain good ventilation in shared household areas (e.g. open the windows in the kitchen and in toilets and bathrooms).
• If possible, keep the person with flu in a separate ‘sick room’, away from other members of the household.

Monitor the patient for flu symptoms and contact your local health centre if necessary.

Caring for a child with swine flu

If possible, only one adult should care for the child. A person belonging to an at-risk group for influenza should not be the principal carer.

Make sure that the child gets enough fluids. If the child is not eating well, for example due to a sore throat, they can get energy from sugary drinks. When holding sick children, place their chin on your shoulder so they will not cough in your face.

Children should stay away from day care until their fever has gone and other symptoms are improving. They should also avoid contact with people outside their immediate family.

Monitor the child's condition and contact your local health care provider if necessary.

Cleaning, washing up and waste disposal

• Throw used tissues and other disposable products in a bin as soon as possible. Wash your hands right after touching used tissues, handkerchiefs, etc.
• Wipe down tables and contact surfaces daily, for example with ordinary household cleaners.
• Bed linen and tableware used by infected persons need not be washed separately.
• Wash the linen as you would normally. After handling dirty laundry, wash your hands carefully with soap and water or alcoholic hand rub.