THE Acting Director of Public Health in Tasmania Dr Chrissie Pickin has provided the following information on the Human Swine Flu virus: All school principals are advised that any student who travels to Victoria, Mexico, the US or Canada should be excluded from school for seven days after arriving home. This applies whether or not they have symptoms.Phone 1800 358 362 (1800 FLU DOC) without delay if you develop a flu-like illness (fever, cough, sore throat, blocked/runny nose) within 7 days of travel to Victoria, Mexico, the US or Canada; or within 7 days of contact with someone suspected of having Human Swine Influenza. Please phone this number BEFORE going to a hospital, pharmacy or your GP. Key symptoms of the virus are:-- feeling unwell;-- fever combined with either a cough or sore throat or nasal congestion;``If people are unwell and they have been to affected countries or in contact with anyone who has human swine flu we need to know as soon as possible so we can take necessary precautions,'' Dr Pickin said.``This advice applies regardless of the severity of symptoms. It doesn't matter if the illness is mild -- we need to know.''Dr Pickin said there were a number of things that the public could do to assist in restricting the spread of any influenza virus. They include: 1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or use alcohol hand rubs straight after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose (before touching anything else) and before touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or anything that goes in your mouth.2. Always carry tissues, and cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue (rather than your hands).3. Throw used tissues away into suitable containers and perform hand hygiene immediately afterwards.4. Stand back from other people whenever possible, keeping a distance of at least 1m. 5. Stay at home if you are sick, and minimise contact with other people.The following information was taken from the Tasmanian Government's pandemic website at http://www.pandemic.tas.gov.au/WHAT IT ISPandemic flu is an outbreak of a new strain of flu that spreads quickly around the world. Unlike the regular seasonal flu, far more people will get sick and they will be sicker than they would normally be with flu. Once a pandemic virus emerges, it could take six to 12 months for a vaccine to be developed and provided to the whole community. In the meantime, many people in Tasmania could get sick, some may die, and the social and economic impacts will be substantial.There have been three pandemics in the past 100 years and all of them have had a large impact on individuals, families and businesses.WHAT IT MEANS TO YOUA new strain of flu has emerged in Mexico called H1N1 Influenza A (human swine flu). It is spreading to other countries, and from person to person in several of these countries.The World Health Organisation has advised that a pandemic could be imminent and that it is time to finalise our organisation, communication and planning measures. ADDITIONAL FACTS (May 26)Dr Pickin says: ``We now know that the H1N1 Influenza 09 virus spreads rapidly, particularly within schools and it is more contagious than seasonal flu.``The median age for people suffering from the virus is 23 years.``While most have mild symptoms, the virus does have a hospitalisation rate of between 2 and 6%.``Around half of those who are hospitalised have an underlying condition such as asthma, lung disease or diabetes. ``Around half are people who were previously healthy.''Dr Pickin said the health department message remained the same:THE KEY MESSAGE TO THE TASMANIAN PUBLIC IS: Phone 1800 358 362 (1800 FLU DOC) without delay if you develop a flu-like illness (fever, cough, sore throat, blocked/runny nose) within seven days of travel to Mexico, the US, Canada, Japan and Panama; or within seven days of contact with someone suspected of having swine flu. Please phone this number BEFORE going to a hospital, pharmacy or your GP.INTERSTATE AND OVERSEAS VIEWERS OF THIS STORY SHOULD CHECK WITH THEIR OFFICIAL HEALTH AUTHORITYThe following advice comes from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia:WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE IS ILL WITH FLU--Designate one person as the care giver.--Keep everyone's personal items separate.--All household members should avoid sharing pens, papers, clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, food or eating utensils unless cleaned between uses.--Disinfect doorknobs, switches, handles, computers, telephones, toys and other surfaces that are commonly touched around the home or workplace.--Wash everyone's dishes in the dishwasher or by hand using very hot water and soap.--Wash everyone's clothes in a standard washing machine as you normally would.--Use detergent and very hot water and wash your hands after handling dirty laundry.--Wear disposable gloves when in contact with or cleaning up body fluids.