If you look to left of the Source home page for each island, you will see a single survey question about H1N1 flu. The questions are straightforward; how aware are you, what can the Department of Health do to help keep you informed, that sort of thing. The survey is on behalf of the Health Department and if you take just a brief moment to answer, you’ll be helping them to improve their public information efforts, and by extension, helping them keep Virgin Islanders healthy.
"We learned a couple of years back, when we had a dengue education campaign, that when people know what they are up against, they will do what you tell them to help prevent the spread of the illness," said Eunice Bedminster, Health Department spokeswoman. "The perception survey will help us gauge how much the community knows already about H1N1. And it will let us know what we need to do; if we need to ramp up advertising or show us we should focus on an area people may not know about."
While there may be some flu-fatigue in the community from hearing about it again and again without any sort of catastrophe unfolding, seasonal flu can be dangerous, and H1N1 or swine flu has the potential to be quite dangerous.
"We cannot be overcautious because this is a new virus," Bedminster said. "It is not like seasonal flu where everyone has been exposed to it to some degree. People have not been exposed to it before and it has already been transmitted worldwide. That is why we want everyone to take precautions, to wash their hands thoroughly and when there is no soap and water to use hand sanitizer and to stay home when ill."
While flu has symptoms ranging from sore throat to coughing to stomach distress that may come from many causes, a fever of 100 degrees or higher combined with other symptoms strongly suggests a flu of some sort, so if you are wondering whether to go to work or not, if you have a fever, you should stay home, Bedminster said.
There will be one question a week for six weeks. The whole set are listed below, but please, come to the Source and answer each one in turn, and help Health help the people of the Virgin Islands.
For lots of detailed information about flu and H1N1, you can go to the flu website set up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a clearinghouse of solid, accurate and detailed information about flu generally and H1N1 especially.
Health Department Flu Survey Questions:
How aware are you of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus?
- Very Aware
- Somewhat Aware
- Not Very Aware
- Not At All
What can the V.I. Department of Health do to help keep you informed?
- Media updates in the local newspaper
- Media updates on local radio
- Email updates
- Web updates
- Public meetings
- All of the above
There is a vaccine being produced for the public, expected in mid-October, when offered will you get the H1N1 vaccine?*
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
If you are undecided or not wanting the H1N1 vaccine what would cause you to change your mind?*
- Local or federal recommendations
- Recommendations from the V.I. Health Department
- Widespread flu activity
- Local deaths
The H1N1 virus has proven to affect young and school age children, pregnant women, and persons with chronic health conditions the most. Would you allow your school age children to receive this shot at a school clinic?
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
If you won’t allow your school age children to receive the H1N1 at a school clinic; what circumstance would change your mind?
- Recommendation from the V.I. Department of Health
- Recommendation from your family doctor
- Widespread flu activity at the school
