The Gym and H1N1 Virus

Originally Posted by Cmanuel

I'm pretty sure I have it now and I feel like crap! Definitely not fun. No gym for me until I get better, I don't want to spread this to others. Another reason to stay out of gyms while you have the flu is that you could pick up a secondary infection. We all know staph is common in community settings, being in an immuno compromised state from a viral infection makes it much easier to pick up a bacterial infection.

This is a very good point.

Originally Posted by Amicus

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

I'm not a doctor, but I'm a little skeptical of this.

Originally Posted by Jorge Sanchez

I'm not a doctor, but I'm a little skeptical of this.

Well, those are not my words, neither are they my advice. However, I have been using the Listerine, and I have been spraying salt water up my nose for the past two weeks. And I have stayed healthy, so if it ain't broken, I won't fix it.

Still, I know it is terrible science to extrapolate my one experience and represent it as the norm. I am only one data point, and I offer it for what it is worth, which is not much without input from more people. Nonetheless, I do believe that simple precautions can prevent the spread of any flu, swine or otherwise.

In any event, there is on thing I am sure of: there are a lot of germs on the Smith machine. Don't touch the Smith machine unless you have a bunch of sick days to burn through.

As a PT I am, unfortunately, dealing with sick people all the time and Im at the gym for 5+ hour a day 7 days a week... My new job will be a mild improvement but nothing huge, still going to be at the gym for long hours - though not directly training people anymore. We put up notices everywhere so people would be aware of the fact that there is a serious sickness travelling around and the symptoms of flu vs. cold but people still think they can 'sweat it out'... Oblivious to the fact that your immune system becomes suppressed while training! Not only do they put themselves at increased risk but also every other person at the gym. I use hand sanitizer about once every half hour (I touch all kinds of equipment and people all the time) but it didnt help, still got sick... Though not H1N1, thank god. After I got West Nile 2 summers ago my immune system has been ****, I am just crossing my fingers I can hold out until I am able to get the vaccine.

i just got vaccinated

and why is this thread made now - swine flu has turned out to be basically the same as the normal flu

^^ true enought from what I have read. They first thought it could easily mutate but has yet to do so.

Originally Posted by entropy1

i just got vaccinated

and why is this thread made now - swine flu has turned out to be basically the same as the normal flu

Then why did you get vaccinated?

At the season goes on, more and more people are getting it, whether you think it's serious or not, schools are closing for extended periods of time, universities and sports teams are experiencing major declines in their players health.

So yes, I think this thread is timed appropriately.

I had it back in march when we first started hearing about it. I didn't know what it was than but I knew it was serious. I was put down hard for about 5 days. Didn't want to move or open my eyes. 2-3 days in I broke out in a heat rash from the fever. Since than haven't gotten sick

I make sure I don't put my hands in my mouth or on my face during or after my workout because most of the guys I see in the locker room never wash there hands after they use the bathroom I wash my hands very good at the gym before I leave.

Originally Posted by entropy1

i just got vaccinated

and why is this thread made now - swine flu has turned out to be basically the same as the normal flu

You are correct that the presentation is not all that different than regular influenza. The difference is that it is killing young healthy people (such as teenage boys), where as the "regular" flu kills the old, and immunocompromised. That's why it is scary, it is similar to the Spanish flu outbreak, that killed more people than the war that was occurring at the same time.

They say the older generation actually has a high rate of resistance to it as a similar flu occured around 55 years ago or so.

Yeah basically this strain hasn't been encountered by a good majority of the population so they do not have antibodies for it yet, which makes them pretty susceptible for illness.

Also let me clarify something. This flu doesn't kill people. Its actually not that virulent. It creates a weakened immune system which becomes susceptible to secondary infections such as pneumonia.

My son is fighting the pneumonia part of it right now. He's on antibiotics and breathing treatments.