Flu notice for Amerigroup Members

You may have heard about a new type of flu in the United States: swine flu or H1N1, influenza A. 

The symptoms of this flu are the same as other types of flu:

• Fever and chills
• Bad body aches and headaches
• Sore throat, stuffy nose and cough

Colds or hay fever—when not linked with high fever or feeling very badly—are not likely to be the H1N1 flu.

You may be more likely to catch this flu if you have:

• Gone to Mexico in the past few weeks
• Regular contact with people who have gone to Mexico in the past few weeks
• Visited places where there are a lot of people, like airports or train or bus stations
• Visited other places where people have this flu

Steps you can take to help keep you and your family healthy:  

• Keep away from sick people
• Flu can spread from person to person through a cough or a sneeze
• You can spread the flu before you know you are sick
• Wash your hands often. Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth
• You can catch flu from door handles, phones, toys, shopping carts, hand rails and other things that a person with the flu has touched
• The flu virus lives on surfaces for up to two hours after left by an infected person

Keep from spreading all kinds of flu and colds to others:

• Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Stay home if you or your child is sick
• Contact your doctor if your symptoms are worse than a cold or hay fever

Keep your Amerigroup ID card with you at all times. Your doctor’s phone number is on it.

Last winter’s flu shot does not prevent this flu, but there are medicines that your doctor can order if you have the H1N1 flu. To learn more, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.