What's Going Around: Stomach Flu, Head-Lice

We're looking at What's Going Around and our doctors and nurses with the Muscogee Creek Nation Department of Health say Green Country still can't shake gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu.

Nurse Practitioner Kim Hicks Jenkins at the Okmulgee Express Clinic said the common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting or both.

Those affected seem to be pretty sick for 48-72 hours. The easiest way to get sick with this bug is through contact with an infected person or ingestion of contaminated food or water.

Thorough and frequent hand-washings are your best defense to not get sick.

Dr. Kathryn Zackery at the Sapulpa Indian Health Center is seeing a number of patients coming in with head-lice.

Although head-lice is more common in the winter, it can crop up at any time, and it's usually the kids who get it first because they tend to share hats, combs and brushes.

There are some tell-tale signs of head-lice, the most obvious are the bugs in the hair, but you may also see some white lice eggs sticking to hair strands. And of course there is the itchy scalp, which is usually in the back of the head or near your ears.

Since it is easy to pass lice from one person to another you'll want to clean all furniture, linens, pillows, and clothes.

Also, use a lice shampoo, and of course, check everyone else in your house to make sure they don't have it too.