Thursday, August 06, 2009, 19:00 EDT (7:00 PM EDT)
CDCHAN-00297-2009-08-06-ADV-N
CDC Updates Recommendations
for the Amount of Time Persons with Influenza-Like Illness should be Away from
Others
On
August 5, 2009, CDC changed its recommendation related to the amount of time
people with influenza-like illness should stay away from others (the exclusion
period). New guidance indicates that people with influenza-like illness should
stay home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (without the use of
fever-reducing medicine). A fever is defined as having a temperature of 100°
Fahrenheit or 37.8° Celsius or greater.
This
is a change from the previous recommendation that ill persons stay home for 7
days after illness onset or until 24 hours after the resolution of symptoms,
whichever was longer.
The
new recommendation applies to camps, schools, businesses, mass gatherings, and
other community settings where the majority of people are not at increased risk
for influenza complications. CDC recommends this exclusion period
regardless of whether or not antiviral medications are used. This guidance does
not apply to health care settings where the exclusion period continues
to be for 7 days from symptom onset or until 24 hours after the resolution of
symptoms, whichever is longer. (See http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidelines_infection_control.htm
for guidance on infection control in health care settings.)
Decisions
about extending the exclusion period should be made at the community level, in
conjunction with local and state health officials. More stringent guidelines
and longer periods of exclusion - for example, until complete resolution of all
symptoms - may be considered for people returning to a setting where high
numbers of high-risk people may be exposed.
This
exclusion period guidance for the community setting is based on epidemiologic
data about the overall risk of severe illness and death. The new recommendation
attempts to balance the risks of acquiring illness from influenza and the
potential benefits of decreasing transmission through the exclusion of ill
persons with the goal of minimizing social disruption. This guidance will
continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
To
read the complete revised guidance see:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/exclusion.htm
This
change in our recommendation has affected content on a number of other pages,
including the following:
Visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm for more information on caring for sick persons in the home.
Visit
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm.
For
more general information on H1N1, go to http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/.
A
copy of the formatted HAN is attached in PDF form.
HAN Message Types
- Health Alert: Conveys the highest level of importance; warrants immediate action or attention.Example: HAN00001
- Health Advisory: Provides important information for a specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action.Example: HAN00316
- Health Update: Provides updated information regarding an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action.Example: HAN00309
- Info Service: Provides general information that is not necessarily considered to be of an emergent nature.Example: HAN00319
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