What You Can Do to Prepare for Pandemic Flu

For now, you should stay informed about possible pandemic, stay healthy, practice influenza prevention techniques like handwashing, and consider creating an emergency pandemic kit for your home or family.

Stay Informed

Knowing the facts is the best preparation. Identify sources you can count on for reliable information. If a pandemic occurs, having accurate and reliable information will be crucial. CCHS will continue to update this website.

Stay Healthy

Do everything you can to improve your health. The healthier you are the more resistant your body is to disease. Adopting healthy behaviors such as eating nutritious foods, being physically active, and avoiding tobacco can prevent or reduce the damage done by many diseases, including influenza. Getting your annual flu shot helps - it keeps you from getting sick with this year's seasonal flu.

Limit the spread of germs

Protect yourself all the time from all sorts of germs that cause disease. You won't get sick as often, and you'll be less likely to catch the next pandemic influenza virus.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Put used tissues in a wastebasket.
Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve if you don't have a tissue.
Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
Stay at home if you are sick. Social distance is a great defense for decreasing the spread of germs.

Print out posters to remind you of these important messages:

"Cover Your Cough" (95k PDF, 1p.)
"Germ Free Zome" (420k PDF, 1p.)
"Be a Germ Stopper" (1.3mb PDF, 1p.)
"Stopping the Flu is up to You!" - English (37k PDF, 1p.)
"Stopping the Flu is up to You!" - Spanish (37k PDF, 1p.)
"Keep Our School Healthy" (422k PDF, 1p.)
How Does Seasonal Flu Differ from Pandemic Flu? (28k PDF, 1p.)
"Stop Disease" (426k PDF, 1p.)

Cover Your Cough - Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. MDH has materials for schools, health care, and communities.
Hand Hygiene - Washing your hands often with soap and water, or hand sanitizers, will help protect you from germs. MDH posters for restrooms, plus materials for schools.

Prepare supplies

Getting through a pandemic means knowing what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. It means knowing - in advance - how you will stay in touch with each other. And it means having essential emergency supplies on hand, in case you need to spend an extended period of time at home.

Preparation Links

Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist for Individuals and Families - Pandemicflu.gov's list of supplies you should have on hand for an extended stay at home.

Precautions to Take While Travelling

If you are planning to travel, visit the CDC website for precautions.

Content provided by the Public Health Division of Contra Costa Health Services.