General Public Information

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Protect yourself and others Looking for a place to get vaccinated General information

Groups are at higher risk US CDC Flu information Educational materials

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Influenza (the flu) is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death.  Anyone can get sick from the flu, but certain people are at greater risk for serious complications from the flu, including:

• older people ,
• young children ,
• people with chronic lung disease, diabetes, heart disease, neurologic conditions, and certain other long-term health conditions ,
• pregnant women

 

To protect yourself and others from the flu:

• Get vaccinated against the flu.
• Consult your health care provider about getting a pneumococcal vaccine for anyone who is younger than 5, between ages 5 and 64 with high risk conditions, or age 65 and older.
• Stay home if you are sick, until you are fever-free for a full 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine.
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow, or into a tissue. Throw this tissue away.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, but especially after coughing and sneezing. Alcohol-based hand gels can also be used.
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes. Germs can spread this way.
• Avoid contact with sick people. If you are at very high risk for complications, you may want to avoid large crowds.
• Although most people can stay home to recover without seeing a health care provider, it is possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu. Anyone with the flu should seek medical attention for:
  • Dehydration
  • Trouble breathing
  • Getting better, then suddenly getting a lot worse
  • Any major change in condition

Can’t find the information you need?

General Public Call-in Number Social Services Help 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., 7 days a week

 

If you are looking for a place to get vaccinated:

• Contact your health care provider
• www.211maine.org or call 211

For more general information:

• Frequently Asked Questions - includes more basic information on what the flu is, how you can prevent getting the flu, vaccinations for the flu and what you should do if you get the flu
• Foreign Language, English and Deaf/ Hard of Hearing Resource Materials - including posters on handwashing, pandemic flu planning checklists and H1N1 information for parents

More resources:

• Managing Stress Reactions (Word* | PDF*)

US CDC Flu information:

• For Individuals and Families - basic information for the public from the US CDC 
• CDC flu information (pdf*) - Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
• Stopping the Spread of Germs - Stop the Spread of Germs Healthy habits at home, work, & school; Printable Materials, flyers & posters, Cover Your Cough, Germ Stopper Poster.
• Hand washing to reduce Disease - Recommendations to Reduce Disease Transmission from Animals in Public Settings

Educational materials, such as videos, activities, posters, and brochures:

• General prevention
  • Maine CDC Flu posters - Posters on the prevention of the flu.
  • Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School - Fact Sheet (includes information in other languages.)
  • CDC - Be a Germ Stopper: Posters and Materials - Posters for Community and Public Settings Like Schools and Child Care Facilities.
  • Cover Your Cough - also available for health care settings.
  • Ounce of Prevention - Posters and brochures with general prevention messages
  • CDC Free Flu Materials - This year’s seasonal flu materials are free for download—no printed versions are available. They may be printed on a standard office printer, or you may use a commercial printer. Emphasis remains on outreach to high-risk groups, as well as parents of all children, health care workers, and people in the workplace.
  • Video: Why Don’t We Do It In Our Sleeves? - Humorous video on the best method to cover coughs and sneezes