Guidelines from the Fauquier Hospital Emergency Department

Dr. Joseph Servideo, chairman of the Fauquier Hospital Emergency Department, emphasizes that at this time the swine influenza cases have been mild. In the U.S., only a handful of cases have required hospitalization.

Dr. Servideo recommends that residents who experience any of the following warning signs should seek immediate medical attention:

Children
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

Adults
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting