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- check with their health care provider about any special care they might need if they are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD, or emphysema
- check with their health care provider about whether they should take antiviral medications
- stay home until you have been fever-free for 24 hours
- get plenty of rest
- drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated
- cover coughs and sneezes. Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often and especially after using tissues and after coughing or sneezing into hands.
- avoid close contact with others – do not go to work or school while ill
- be watchful for emergency warning signs (see above adults/kids hyperlink) which might indicate you need to seek medical attention
When providing care to a household member who is sick with influenza, the most important ways to protect yourself and others who are not sick are to:
- keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible (see below “Placement of the sick person”)
- remind the sick person to cover their cough, and clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.
- have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub
- ask your healthcare provider if household contacts of the sick person—particularly those contacts who may have chronic health conditions—should take antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) to prevent the flu.
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