Swine Flu......

[UTVols2]

Local pediatrician said there were a couple of confirmed cases that came thru the office yesterday...... He also said there is nothing to panic about unless the child and/or adult are having asthma / breathing issues with it, if that is the case then the earliest you get it treated the better. If not, it is just flu like symptoms treat as normal flu.

It has hit the UT campus pretty hard and I know of someone down there who had it and he said he just didn't feel good for a couple of days and just took regular flu medicine and was fine.

Keep them kiddo's hands washed

[pvfan]

Saw one report that said up to 750,000 could die from it this winter.....

[ms pemberley]

I have a friend in NOVA who had it a couple of months ago. Big, healthy guy and it caused him all kinds of problems. He wound up in ICU at Georgetown for about two weeks. He is still recovering. He dropped a lot of weight and found out that he developed diabetes sometime during his ordeal with H1N1.

Then again, like UTVols2 said, it can pass just like the regular flu. I know of two or three people who got it and got rid of it like that. It's running through the NOVA-DC-Maryland Beltway area pretty fierce now. My friends who live there keep sending me news stories about it. It kind of makes me a little nervous about going up there to see them.

[imported_elp6n]

Up until the CDC changed their format for tracking reporting I had been following the H1N1 vs seasonal flu progresses. Seasonal flue has killed thousands in the US in less than the last year. H1N1 is in the hundreds. If people would use the same vigilance over seasonal flu that they're using with H1N1, outbreaks and deaths wouldn't be so high.


Advice about the flu from Dr. Gupta:
Dr. Gupta offers advice to parents on H1N1 - CNN.com

Point 1. As things stand now, the vast majority of children who develop flu-like symptoms this fall will have a few miserable days, and nothing more. And those days are best spent at home -- not in the ER or a doctor's office.
Point 2. If you are worried, you should call your pediatrician's office first. Don't take your child in without calling. Two reasons: Your child may not have H1N1, but could become exposed by being around sick children. And, after several hours of waiting, you are still likely to be told the basics -- plenty of fluids, rest and dose-appropriate acetaminophen for a fever. After all, it is still the flu we are talking about.
Point 3. One doctor told me a way to think about things that was helpful. He said "remove the term H1N1 from the equation." If your child had regular flu, would you take him to the hospital? If the answer is no, then don't take him/her to the hospital now.
Point 4. Yes, hearing between 30,000 and 90,000 could die from H1N1 is scary, but keep in mind -- around 40,000 people die from the regular or seasonal flu every year. The numbers may not be that much different, yet there is not panic about the regular flu. As things look now, H1N1 is causing only mild to moderate illness, not the widespread deaths people are worried about.
Point 5. There are some children who should be seen by their doctor. Call your doctor if:
• A baby younger than 12 weeks has a fever greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• A child, older than 12 weeks has a fever for three days
• A child's fever returns after a 12-24 hour time period
• A child is not passing urine or making tears for more than six hours
A child does not smile or show interest in playing for several hours
Dial 911 if:
• A child cannot speak while trying to breathe
• Has a blue or dark purple color to the nail beds, lips or gums
• Is not responding to you because he is too tired or weak

One point that was reinforced to me over and over again by the pediatricians is the best place for a sick child is at home. And, with regard to school -- after 24 fever-free hours without the aid of medications, he or she can go back.
This is the advice that my wife and I will be following this fall for our own children. Hope it is helpful to you, and the media can score an "A," at least this time around.