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Sep 24, 2009 11:06 pm US/Central
Good Question: 'Reply All' To Your H1N1 Questions
(WCCO)
Every day, WCCO viewers e-mail us questions about the H1N1 influenza. How long does H1N1 live on a surface? What's H1N1 stand for? We're hitting reply all to questions about the flu.
• How long does the influenza virus live on a surface?
We know that much of the flu gets spread around via airborne droplets. But after we cough, those droplets fall to the ground, or are wiped from hands onto tables and other areas.
"With the H1N1 epidemic, is it OK to use community supplies in school like pens and scissors, etc.?" asked Kim Wolfe, a parent from Woodbury.
"The flu virus could live on a surface like that for several hours," said Dr. Susan Kline, infection control director at Fairview-University Medical Center, and a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota.
"Within a classroom situation where you have a lot of people in there during the day, it does make sense to wipe down high-touch surfaces, such as tables," she said. "It might be several hours, might linger on into the next day."
However, the risk of contracting the flu from a surface is not the highest risk to be concerned about, said Kline.
"We really think the highest risk is from exposure to a person… and being close to them. That's why the best prevention is getting people with flu-like symptoms to stay home," she explained.
• What does "H1N1" stand for? - Dale Gordon, Minneapolis and JoAnne
"H1N1 stands for abbreviations for two proteins that are on the outside of the flu virus," said Kline.
The H stands for Hemagglutinin, and the N stands for neuraminidase. Every influenza is labeled with a combination of H and N and a number to explain the particular strain.
• If you contract H1N1 are you immune from getting it again? - Mohamed from St. Louis Park
"It depends on the different virus which varies from year to year," said Kline.
The seasonal flu morphs into a slightly different strain of virus every year and you can get that twice, she explained. However, you can have partial immunity depending on how the virus mutates.
Doctors don't think that if you got H1N1 in the spring, you're likely to get the virus spreading around right now.
"We think the virus circulating is same virus that was circulating in the spring," said Kline.
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