Información General Sobre La Influenza H1N1
Information for Health Care Providers & Clinicians
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The Michigan Department of Community Health is currently asking local healthcare providers to send two types of influenza reports to their local health department: Hospital Clinicians Report ALL suspect, probable and laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated
hospitalizations and laboratory-confirmed deaths as soon as possible to your
local health department: All Other Healthcare Providers and Laboratories |
If you have a specific question for the Ottawa County Health Department about a suspected case, testing procedure or other topic that is not answered on this page, please call the Ottawa County Health Department at 616-396-5266 and state you are a health care provider with a specific question about novel H1N1 . You may also click here to email your question. Due to the volume of calls we are receiving, we kindly ask that you review this page prior to calling. Because the treatment and testing guidelines for novel H1N1 are evolving, the H1N1 Links menu to the left to the Centers for Disease Control and the Michigan Department of Community Health will provide also a great deal of clinician guidance.
Seasonal Flu Vaccination
Currently, you should be vaccinating any person (without contraindications) age six months and older who wishes to reduce their chances of contracting seasonal influenza. People highly recommended for vaccination based on their risk of complications from influenza or because they are in close contact with someone at higher risk of influenza complications include: children aged 6 months until their 5th birthday, pregnant women, people 50 years of age and older, people of any age with certain chronic health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, household contacts of person at high risk for complications from influenza, household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age, and health care workers.
People who should NOT be vaccinated include those: who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs, who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination, who have developed Guillian-Barré syndrome within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine, children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and who have a moderate to severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated). For more information see Seasonal Flu Vaccine Guidance.
Novel H1N1 Flu Vaccination
At this time, plans for the distribution of novel influenza A (H1N1) vaccine are being made. More information is forthcoming from the Ottawa County Health Department.
Influenza Prevention to Keep Your Patients Well
Free, downloadable materials are available on this website for your offices. These materials offer common sense advice to keep your patients well. These materials can be used in a variety of settings and can be adapted to suit your needs.
Which patients should be tested for novel influenza A (H1N1) virus?
The Michigan Department of Community Health-Bureau of Laboratories has requested that local providers adhere to specific flu specimen testing criteria. Adherence to this criteria is important so that the state laboratory does not deplete the reagent supply with inappropriate testing before the flu season is underway. Flu testing will only be conducted for targeted populations:
- Pregnant women with severe influenza-like-illness
- Patients with unusual and severe presentations (i.e., encephalopathy, cardiac complications)
- ICU hospitalizations
- Outbreaks or clusters of influenza-like-illness in congregate settings
- Influenza-related deaths of individuals of any age
- Please view the H1N1 Links to read the complete testing documents and resources for clinicians from MDCH.
Treatment of novel influenza A (H1N1)
The novel influenza (H1N1) virus is susceptible to both oseltamivir and zanamivir. It is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.
