Swine Flu

[MomLovesClassics]

This is rumor mill information. I was told there are lots and lots of cases in the dr. offices, and they were told not to test unless there would be hospitalization. Parents are being told it is flu but the only flu going around is swine flu (unoffically.)

[Michelle in AL]

Not true. Dh is a pediatrician. There is no one to tell you not to test, unless the doc is employed by a hospital and they want to cut costs, but then insurance covers flu tests. He's seen positive flu for type A and sent it to the state and they all came back negative. He's had one type B positive in the past 3 weeks.

 

Doctors have to buy their flu tests out of their own money and there are minimal orders with some companies, so if it's May and you're out of flu tests, do you really want to order another 100 when you may only need 10 until flu season begins again in September? This would be the biggest deterrent to testing IMO (being low on tests left).

[Mommyof4ks]

I have heard of that in other states, but in Tx we are hearing fairly high numbers with a few hospitalizations. In our area in the last week or so there have been around 90 reported cases. My family would automatically be tested because of our son with cancer who must get antivirals, but everyone I know that has gone in with flu symptoms has been tested. There are more strains than N1H1 around here which probably happens anyway every year, but tests are not done because it is 'out of season' or maybe we just don't hear about it on the news.

 

I don't know if it would be necessary to test for it if the person were not going to be hospitalized, but if someone asked I don't see why they would be denied the test if they really wanted someone to stick a long q-tip up their nose (I would gladly skip that tyvm). What is the gain for hiding such information? I really am stumped by that question.

 

ETA: I did not know that docs had to pay for their own tests. That is interesting. Why is that?

Edited June 29, 2009 by dwkilburn1

[Perry]

Most flu now in this country appears to be swine H1N1. I don't know what the current CDC recommendations are, but generally it's up to the doctor to decide whether to test. I do know there is no attempt or need to try to count every case. We are long past that.

 

Here's a graph from Effect Measure:

 

[Tenaj]

In our area, once they confirmed that there were three or four cases of H1N1 around, they announced in the newspaper that they would no longer be testing for it . . . I guess statiscally all they wanted was confirmation that it was in our county but the numbers don't really matter????

[Melissa in Australia]

here in Australia there is heaps of swine flue. in Victoria they are no longer testing. just presuming that anyone who has the flue has swine flue. it is flue season here. there have only been 5 deaths in Australia so far. and who knows how many have it, as the only figures available are from when they were testing.

[Perry]

In our area, once they confirmed that there were three or four cases of H1N1 around, they announced in the newspaper that they would no longer be testing for it . . . I guess statiscally all they wanted was confirmation that it was in our county but the numbers don't really matter????

 

 

As far as treatment goes, all that is necessary is to know whether it is influenza A or not. That's a simple, quick test that can be done in the doctor's office. There is no need to know whether it is swine H1N1 or one of the previously circulating strains. Determination of the strain is costly, time consuming, and overwhelms resources. We are in the millions of cases now, so there is no need to search for every case. There is lots of surveillance going on that informs CDC of prevalence and geographic spread of the flu.