“Halt! Socially Distance Yourself! Now!” That’s one piece of advice coming from our hometown health experts, at Johns Hopkins, with the threat of a flu or health pandemic suddenly looming.

The good news is that Baltimore and the rest of the world have never been better prepared for an outbreak of infectious disease than they are today. The bad news is that, well, New Orleans thought it was prepared for Hurricane Katrina.

Here are some suggestions on how to protect yourself, from an office at Hopkins that ought to know.
((Also, Hopkins is stocking up on antiviral medications, screening patients in the ER and outpatient clinics for flu and advising staff and faculty to steer clear of Hopkins Hospital or Bayview Medical Center unless they need to be there for work or health reasons.  We have the memo sent today to staff and faculty.))

The Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response is among the more authoritative sources on such matters.

Among their tips: hit the ATM’s and Eddie’s/Giant/SuperFresh etc. in case stores and banks are temporarily closed, cover your nose and mouth when you cough and wash your hands a lot.

The Hopkins office also recommends that in an outbreak, people practice “social distancing” by avoiding face-to-face contact and using the phone or email. While these suggestions are not exactly reassuring, they seem level-headed.

The complete list can be found at http://www.jhsph.edu/flu/_images/familyguide2.pdf

Herer’s the memo sent today by Gabor D. Kelen, M.D., Director of Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response:

“In response to growing concerns over the swine flu outbreak in the United States, and out of an abundance of caution, the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR), Johns Hopkins Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control (HEIC), the Johns Hopkins Health System and The Johns Hopkins University have implemented certain precautions. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with federal, state and local public offices.
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>As you probably know from the news media, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been tracking cases of feverish respiratory illness caused by swine influenza (H1N1) viruses, and on Sunday evening declared a public health emergency with 20 confirmed cases in the United States. These cases are in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio and New York City.
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>Maryland has no confirmed or suspected novel influenza A (swine flu) cases reported at this writing. However, Johns Hopkins’ first priority is the safety and care of patients and visitors, health care workers, staff and students.
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>The aggressive steps already taken by the Health System include the active screening of all patients coming to our outpatient clinics and Emergency Departments and active screening of new admissions. We also have procured extra supplies of antiviral medications.
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>In addition, the Health System is asking all nonclinical students, staff and faculty who don’t need to be in The Johns Hopkins Hospital or Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for school or work purposes to refrain from going to or through the hospitals unless they are ill and need care.
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>All university students, staff and faculty and Health System employees also are asked to:
>· Actively monitor their own health and the health of their friends and family.
>· Call their health care provider if, and as soon as, flulike symptoms appear.
>· Consider avoiding travel to states and places abroad that are reporting cases of swine flu.
>· Although the CDC has not yet restricted travel, anyone returning from a so-called hot spot (currently this refers to Mexico, which has reported the most cases and the only deaths) will be required to report to one of our Occupational Health services for symptom screening before returning to school or work. Those with flulike symptoms will not be allowed to return to school or work for seven days.
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>As members of our health care community, all employees, students and faculty members should take these actions to stay healthy:
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>1. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
>2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
>3. To help prevent spreading germs, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
>4. Report any new respiratory illness consistent with influenza (fever, chills, cough, sore throat) if you have traveled to states bordering Mexico or have had contact with a known swine flu case.
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>The national situation is rapidly evolving, so please be prepared to receive more updates and recommendations in the coming days. Additional information and updates from national health and emergency agencies is being posted on the CEPAR Web page, http://www.hopkins-cepar.org/. Please refer to the CEPAR intranet Web site http://www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/cepar/ for updates specific to Johns Hopkins.
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>Gabor D. Kelen, M.D.
>Director
>Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response
>The Department of Emergency Medicine”