More (About the) Swine Flu 4 You

In posts from this past October (and last October 2008), I reviewed some of the important steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting the flu.

Why? Because it's a Winter illness and basketball is a Winter Sport (at least here in the US).

But what about the rest of the world? What if you're one of the lucky players who plan to participate in an international tournament or travel program?

Well, according to an article that was published on Fiba.com today, new guidelines have been enacted for basketball players around the world.

As written in the article (which can be found in its entirety here),

"During a meeting of the medical leaders of the international team sport federations important questions regarding the H1/N1 pandemic (Swine Flu) at international sporting events was discussed. Experts from FIFA, IIHF, IHF, FIBA, FINA, IBAF, ICC and FIVB gathered on 1st November 2009 in Lausanne, at the headquarters of FIVB to discuss actions and precautions to be taken. As a result of the meeting and in view of close consultation with (the) WHO (World Health Organization) it was established that the following recommendations be met:

* Players diagnosed with H1N1 flu, by laboratory confirmation, should refrain from any sporting activities during a minimum of 7 days after the appearance of the first symptoms.

* Single dose vaccination against the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus is recommended, as a preventative measure, provided the players do not have existing underlying medical conditions;

*Application of strict rules of hand washing and coughing etiquette as well as avoiding contact with sick people" should be followed. "

So it's the same for ballers around the world

* Get vaccinated now to reduce your risk of getting Swine Flu

* Stay away from sick people

* Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough

* and Wash Your Hands, Wash Your Hands, Wash Your Hands.

Here's some more information about Swine Flu from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Don't Be a Swine

With college basketball practices underway and the NBA season starting, it seems like the H1N1 virus (the virus that causes Swine Flu) has been in the sports news as often as a box score.

The flu has hit lots of teams already, including Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans , the
Washington Huskies , and even Lebron and Company .
Face it - in the US, basketball (H.S., college, and NBA) is a Winter sport and the flu usually rears it's ugly (congested) head around this time of year.

In my opinion, every team should have a flu vaccination policy similar to the Gaucho players pictured above. While flu shots have been available for a while now, it's still not too late to talk to your local doctor about getting vaccinated against "regular" seasonal flu as well as against the H1N1 flu this year.

I wrote about the importance of Taking Your Shot this time last year, but the Swine Flu has added a few wrinkles about what to do.

For an update on recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control, click here.

And make sure you cover your mouth when you sneeze.
And wash your hands.
And wash your hands.
And wash your hands again.

Here's hoping that the only time you'll ever think about Swine on the basketball court is when you're playing P-I-G.

Take Your Shot

There's not much that can keep Dwayne Wade from playing basketball.
He's got a reputation for getting knocked down and getting back up each time.
Last Winter, though, he got hit by something worse than a bruised quad - the Flu.
And that wasn't the first time a virus infection took its toll on D-Wade. He suffered a similar fate back in 2006.

Since Flash is smart enought to wear pads under his uniform to reduce his risk of injury, I hope that he's also smart enough to get a flu shot at the start of each season.

So what about you?
Do you take steps to reduce your risk of catching a cold or flu during basketball season?

Here's a good article from 2006 written by Dr Tom Brickner , a team physician here at UNC.

Read it.
Think about it.
Then talk to your local doctor about getting a flu shot.

Don't like shots? You might be able to use an inhaled flu vaccine.
Again, talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of it before you decide.

And don't forget to wash your hands.
Often.