My 6 y/o grand-daughter was taken to the ER.....

[MariannNOVA]

on Sunday night - she woke up vomiting and had a temp of 105. DD and her dh rushed Allison to the hospital. She was swabbed for Flu-A, Flu-B, strep and H1N1. Tamiflu was prescribed, they kept her there for a few hours and she was sent home very early Monday morning. My dd was told to see her pediatrician first thing Monday and the ped would phone for the results from the swabs.

Monday morning DD and Allison are at the peds office. Allison is much improved -- the ped phones for the test results and is told that Allison was positive for Flu-A, and negative for B and strep. The pediatrician asked about the H1N1 results and was told: New CDC regs state that H1N1 results are not released if the patient is not ADMITTED to the hospital.

 

The pediatrician took issue with that, which is neither here nor there b/c all we know for sure is that Allison had "A" and is much better today -

My daughter and the pediatrician were quite annoyed as this unanswered question leaves them wondering if Allison should be vaccinated for H1N1 should the vaccine become available.

Has anyone here been told anything similar? I'm just curious - it really is 'after the fact' at this point.....but if it is indeed "someone's" protocol, it is perplexing.

BTW -- Allison's 6th birthday is today! I spoke with her on the phone earlier -- she sounded a tad bit washed out, poor little thing.

[LauraGB]

Do you mean she was tested, but they won't tell anyone the results??

[Tree House Academy]

Oh poor baby! I hope she feels wonderful soon! She is only a month younger than my ds6.

[Tidbits of Learning]

There are several states doing this now. My nephew and niece had the flu right after school started and so did some of my friend's kids in Georgia and they were all treated with tamiflu but not told whether they had H1N1.

Yet, dh's little sister had H1N1 about 2 weeks ago here and wasn't admitted to hospital and was told the swab results.

So I think it depends on where you live how strict they are being about it.

[joannqn]

That sounds like they are trying to make H1N1 sound worse than it is by only releasing test results for those hospitalized and preventing those not hit hard with it from knowing they had it.

[Tree House Academy]

That sounds like they are trying to make H1N1 sound worse than it is by only releasing test results for those hospitalized and preventing those not hit hard with it from knowing they had it.

...so everyone will still get the vaccine??? Gosh, WHY would they want to do this if not for money making purposes? Anyone?

 

What area is your dd and dgd in?

[Blessedfamily]

If they give my DD Tamiflu, they're gonna tell me whether she had H1N1 or not.

[katemary63]

My husband's co-worker came in to work today feeling a little blah. By noon she had a fever, left work and went to the DR, had a swab and by 4:00 pm called to tell her co-workers she has H1N1 and that her DR recomends everyone in the office take tamiflu. Yikes.

[Tree House Academy]

My husband's co-worker came in to work today feeling a little blah. By noon she had a fever, left work and went to the DR, had a swab and by 4:00 pm called to tell her co-workers she has H1N1 and that her DR recomends everyone in the office take tamiflu. Yikes.

 

I have an acquaintance whose niece got H1N1. They gave her Tamiflu and gave it to her brother as well. The prevention was only temporary, though. 10 days later, her brother got it anyway. :(

[kalanamak]

 

Has anyone here been told anything similar? I'm just curious - it really is 'after the fact' at this point.....but if it is indeed "someone's" protocol, it is perplexing.

 

 

 

The polymerase chain test that is really accurate is being saved for those who are hospitalized. If your rapid flu test is positive, currently, it IS H1N1, as the other flu has barely made a peep (so far...and it is early for the standard seasonal flu). Better to say "no news" than give "false positive or false negative news".

 

 

It has to do with limited resources, and "bang for buck". It would be a waste of money to PCR every swab that comes by. They were doing that earlier. At my hospital there was a near Soviet list of instructions on what to do with every specimen of every sniffle. Those directives fizzled out in the summer.

 

BTW, this critter is so novel, I personally, as a rather non-med-taking doc, am not getting the H1N1 vac, nor will my son. I consider this flu much less fatal than "the big one", and hope to develop long-term immunity to it in case this one mutates just enough to become "the big one". We will continue with our usual flu shots....hate to have both infections at once YKWIM?

Edited October 22, 2009 by kalanamak

[tdeveson]

I don't know about H1N1, but I was prescribed Tamiflu years ago when it first came out and it did exactly nothing for me. Instead of seven days of the flu, it cut it down to just one week. :glare:

[MariannNOVA]

The polymerase chain test that is really accurate is being saved for those who are hospitalized. If your rapid flu test is positive, currently, it IS H1N1, as the other flu has barely made a peep (so far...and it is early for the standard seasonal flu). Better to say "no news" than give "false positive or false negative news".

 

 

It has to do with limited resources, and "bang for buck". It would be a waste of money to PCR every swab that comes by. They were doing that earlier. At my hospital there was a near Soviet list of instructions on what to do with every specimen of every sniffle. Those directives fizzled out in the summer.

 

BTW, this critter is so novel, I personally, as a rather non-med-taking doc, am not getting the H1N1 vac, nor will my son. I consider this flu much less fatal than "the big one", and hope to develop long-term immunity to it in case this one mutates just enough to become "the big one". We will continue with our usual flu shots....hate to have both infections at once YKWIM?

 

Thank you for this definitive answer! :001_smile: My daughter's response thus far is that Allison won't need to get her seasonal flu vaccine. :001_huh: And, I did suspect that the teeny weeny little hospital they went to in Salem County NJ was determined to follow their instructions to a "T"

[MariannNOVA]

I don't know about H1N1, but I was prescribed Tamiflu years ago when it first came out and it did exactly nothing for me. Instead of seven days of the flu, it cut it down to just one week. :glare:

 

That has been my experience as well -- My dh took tamiflu for the flu years ago -- it's not just for H1N1. When I had the flu about 5 years ago, I passed on the Tamiflu as the side effects were equal, in my mind, to the effects of the flu.

[MariannNOVA]

Do you mean she was tested, but they won't tell anyone the results??

 

Yes, that's what I said. However, if you read further, KALANAMAK does explain and shed light on what I found to be puzzling.

 

Oh poor baby! I hope she feels wonderful soon! She is only a month younger than my ds6.

 

Thank you! She sounded washed out, but still excited that she had received our gifts -- the aunts and uncle here (DD 10 years old and the twins who will be 9 on saturday) all were on the phone with Allison. It seems like yesterday that DD30 was just 6 years old - it goes by SO fast!

 

There are several states doing this now. My nephew and niece had the flu right after school started and so did some of my friend's kids in Georgia and they were all treated with tamiflu but not told whether they had H1N1.

Yet, dh's little sister had H1N1 about 2 weeks ago here and wasn't admitted to hospital and was told the swab results.

So I think it depends on where you live how strict they are being about it.

 

I would imagine that all states have been directed to report in the manner that dd experienced, but not all are doing it...so yes, you are right -- it depends on how strict they are being about it.

 

...so everyone will still get the vaccine??? Gosh, WHY would they want to do this if not for money making purposes? Anyone?

I would imagine that getting the vaccine is going to become problematic if there is not enough to administer.

 

What area is your dd and dgd in?

She lives in Salem County, NJ and went to a teeny weeny hospital.

 

If they give my DD Tamiflu, they're gonna tell me whether she had H1N1 or not.

Tamiflu is given for the flu -- not just H1N1 -- My dh took it years ago for the flu, and I was offered it about five years ago for the flu. About four years ago, all three kids came down with the flu and all three were given tamiflu. It's not exclusive to H1N1.

 

The polymerase chain test that is really accurate is being saved for those who are hospitalized. If your rapid flu test is positive, currently, it IS H1N1, as the other flu has barely made a peep (so far...and it is early for the standard seasonal flu). Better to say "no news" than give "false positive or false negative news".

It has to do with limited resources, and "bang for buck". It would be a waste of money to PCR every swab that comes by. They were doing that earlier. At my hospital there was a near Soviet list of instructions on what to do with every specimen of every sniffle. Those directives fizzled out in the summer.

BTW, this critter is so novel, I personally, as a rather non-med-taking doc, am not getting the H1N1 vac, nor will my son. I consider this flu much less fatal than "the big one", and hope to develop long-term immunity to it in case this one mutates just enough to become "the big one". We will continue with our usual flu shots....hate to have both infections at once YKWIM?

thank you again for this concise explanation -- and thanks for your insight into developing long-term immunity -- which certainly sounds like a good idea to me.

[Julie in Austin]

I consider this flu much less fatal than "the big one", and hope to develop long-term immunity to it in case this one mutates just enough to become "the big one".

 

OK, forgive my ignorance here (I have degrees in English and theology--about as far removed from science/medicine as possible!), but wouldn't the H1N1 vaccine give you the same immunity to "the big one" as having had H1N1 itself?

[LauraGB]

 

Yes, that's what I said. However, if you read further, KALANAMAK does explain and shed light on what I found to be puzzling.

 

 

Thank you for clarifying. I saw Kalanamak's response down the thread after my post. I hope your grand daughter feels better soon.

Edited October 22, 2009 by LauraGB

[kalanamak]

OK, forgive my ignorance here (I have degrees in English and theology--about as far removed from science/medicine as possible!), but wouldn't the H1N1 vaccine give you the same immunity to "the big one" as having had H1N1 itself?

 

I don't trust that the immunization will give decades of immunity. The last BIG flu I got before getting (I believe) the flu last May was the one that had been around in the 50s one year before I was born. Nearly 50 years of immunity for people who'd been alive back then. Pretty good.

[FairProspects]

I don't trust that the immunization will give decades of immunity. The last BIG flu I got before getting (I believe) the flu last May was the one that had been around in the 50s one year before I was born. Nearly 50 years of immunity for people who'd been alive back then. Pretty good.

 

:iagree:

 

And FWIW, so does our Harvard-educated pediatrician, widely-known to be one of the best in the business.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

I have a huge problem with this....if they test MY body it becomes part of MY medical history and record, and "they" BETTER tell me the test results. This sounds totally unacceptable and in violation of SOMEthing.

[i.love.lucy]

I have a huge problem with this....if they test MY body it becomes part of MY medical history and record, and "they" BETTER tell me the test results. This sounds totally unacceptable and in violation of SOMEthing.

:iagree:Isn't it illegal to withhold your own medical records from you?

[Marylou]

This sounds totally unacceptable and in violation of SOMEthing.

 

 

Umm . . . common sense????

[Reya]

Umm . . . common sense????

 

Guys, they aren't withholding--they're not running the more specific test, is all.

[melissel]

So, I'm confused. Aren't Flu B and H1N1 virtually synonymous these days? When we were sick in August, I was told that any occurrence of B was considered to be H1N1, and that they weren't running the more accurate test on the general pop of sickies. So if Mariann's granddaughter was diagnosed as positive for Flu A and negative for B, doesn't that automatically rule out H1N1? Or is this not the case anymore?

 

Sorry to hijack a little, just trying to understand the subtle differences. I understood Kalanamak's explanation, though, and appreciate that!

 

Mariann, I hope your little sweetie is feeling 100% soon.

[hornblower]

So, I'm confused. Aren't Flu B and H1N1 virtually synonymous these days?

 

Other way around. H1N1 is type A. Almost all +A now are 2009 H1N1. I believe there is some B floating around.

[hornblower]

I don't trust that the immunization will give decades of immunity. The last BIG flu I got before getting (I believe) the flu last May was the one that had been around in the 50s one year before I was born. Nearly 50 years of immunity for people who'd been alive back then. Pretty good.

 

It's too late & I'm too tired to tackle this but I disagree with this.

Flu changes every year, there are mulitple strains each year, immunity to one does not necessarily confer immunity to another strain - even among A's, even among H1N1's - of which there are more than 1 strain. People who had exposure or vaccine to the swine flu in 56-58 don't all have immunity this year to novel h1n1. Their titre might be too low to confer immunity.

 

And I see absolutely no reason to believe immunity to novel 2009 H1N1 - whether acquired through vaccination or the disease - will confer any immunity to any new flu down the line. It might or it might not. If the 'big' one' is an H5, it likely wouldn't IMO.

[Tammyla]

I'm glad she's doing better, poor kiddo:grouphug:. Happy Birthday to her:hurray:.

 

on Sunday night - she woke up vomiting and had a temp of 105. DD and her dh rushed Allison to the hospital. She was swabbed for Flu-A, Flu-B, strep and H1N1. Tamiflu was prescribed, they kept her there for a few hours and she was sent home very early Monday morning. My dd was told to see her pediatrician first thing Monday and the ped would phone for the results from the swabs.

Monday morning DD and Allison are at the peds office. Allison is much improved -- the ped phones for the test results and is told that Allison was positive for Flu-A, and negative for B and strep. The pediatrician asked about the H1N1 results and was told: New CDC regs state that H1N1 results are not released if the patient is not ADMITTED to the hospital.

 

The pediatrician took issue with that, which is neither here nor there b/c all we know for sure is that Allison had "A" and is much better today -

 

My daughter and the pediatrician were quite annoyed as this unanswered question leaves them wondering if Allison should be vaccinated for H1N1 should the vaccine become available.

 

Has anyone here been told anything similar? I'm just curious - it really is 'after the fact' at this point.....but if it is indeed "someone's" protocol, it is perplexing.

 

BTW -- Allison's 6th birthday is today! I spoke with her on the phone earlier -- she sounded a tad bit washed out, poor little thing.

[Joanne]

Guys, they aren't withholding--they're not running the more specific test, is all.

 

Ah. This makes sense. When my son was recently in the ER with confirmed flu, they said they weren't *automatically* testing for H1N1. You had to ask, and they would. It was the rapid test, btw, that they then administered in the ER at least.

 

Since my son is of the risk demographics in terms of age and my dd and dh are immunocompromised, I wanted to know. I didn't know at that time about the false negative rate of the rapid test.

 

He did have "flu", confirmed, and it took over a week for him to be near normal. (14.5 year old boy/man normal :lol:;))

[Blessedfamily]

Guys, they aren't withholding--they're not running the more specific test, is all.

 

I see. I can understand not running the test. It sounded from the first 2 posts like they ran the test and wouldn't release the results to the patient (or rather her parents).

[Blessedfamily]

 

Tamiflu is given for the flu -- not just H1N1 -- My dh took it years ago for the flu, and I was offered it about five years ago for the flu. About four years ago, all three kids came down with the flu and all three were given tamiflu. It's not exclusive to H1N1.

 

 

 

Yes, I know it's sometimes given for other flus. We've never sought treatment for flu, but then, none of our kids have ever caught it. I'd be a good bit nervous if they did, especially now. I'm sooooooooooo glad your GD's case of the flu was mild. :001_smile:

[MariannNOVA]

So, I'm confused. Aren't Flu B and H1N1 virtually synonymous these days? When we were sick in August, I was told that any occurrence of B was considered to be H1N1, and that they weren't running the more accurate test on the general pop of sickies. So if Mariann's granddaughter was diagnosed as positive for Flu A and negative for B, doesn't that automatically rule out H1N1? Or is this not the case anymore?

 

Sorry to hijack a little, just trying to understand the subtle differences. I understood Kalanamak's explanation, though, and appreciate that!

 

Mariann, I hope your little sweetie is feeling 100% soon.

 

WOW :001_huh: -- thanks for this -- I will call DD later and ask for clarification -- Goodness, H, N, B, A....how likely is it that a parent with a vomiting, 105 Fevered child is going to be able to keep track of all that in the middle of the night...my daughter is intelligent, BUT a space cadet....by my own admission!

 

And, thanks -- Allison is going to return to school on Monday. DD is a high school teacher and she was told to stay out till Monday as well (This is her first year teaching at a different high school and I worry about her absences - sheesh - guess that doesn't ever end, does it?! :glare: ). I am not paranoid (well, actually, I am, but not about this), I am not stirring the pot, but there does seem to be *anecdotally*, so many events that certainly make one wonder how reliable some of the information is that we are receiving.

[MariannNOVA]

Thank you for clarifying. I saw Kalanamak's response down the thread after my post. I hope your grand daughter feels better soon.

 

I wanted to tell you, I loved your avatar and the way it matched your initial response to me -- it was PERFECT! :lol:

 

And, thanks -- Allison is going to return to school on Monday -- poor little thing - missing an entire week of first grade!

[MariannNOVA]

Other way around. H1N1 is type A. Almost all +A now are 2009 H1N1. I believe there is some B floating around.

 

I'm glad she's doing better, poor kiddo:grouphug:. Happy Birthday to her:hurray:.

 

 

Thank you! And thanks for the A....B clarification -- so my daughter was told she tested positive for "A"....... which IS H1N1 according to your parameters.

 

Ah. This makes sense. When my son was recently in the ER with confirmed flu, they said they weren't *automatically* testing for H1N1. You had to ask, and they would. It was the rapid test, btw, that they then administered in the ER at least.

 

Since my son is of the risk demographics in terms of age and my dd and dh are immunocompromised, I wanted to know. I didn't know at that time about the false negative rate of the rapid test.

 

He did have "flu", confirmed, and it took over a week for him to be near normal. (14.5 year old boy/man normal :lol:;))

 

I like your new photo! :) Glad your ds has recovered. :)

 

And, for the record, I am just going to wrap my kids in Saran Wrap, nail the windows shut, and we'll be out in the spring........:D.....NOT!

 

I can deal with the 'bugs,' it's the mis-information in the media Or rather the conflicting pieces of information in the media that are a pain.

[fivetails]

Oh my heavens. 105??? :001_huh:I've ever EVER seen a kiddo with a temp that high!

 

I'm glad to hear she's gonna be okay. :grouphug:

[unsinkable]

Did they try to reduce the fever or just go to the hospital?

[hornblower]

so my daughter was told she tested positive for "A"....... which IS H1N1 according to your parameters.

 

Yes, that's correct. If someone tests positive on the rapid tests, it's assumed to be the novel H1N1. I just wanted to repeat that for anyone who missed it before. :)

 

Follow up PCR testing is done only on high-risk, or hospital admitted, or selected for scientific study cases (I believe there are a couple random studies now)

 

I can deal with the 'bugs,' it's the mis-information in the media Or rather the conflicting pieces of information in the media that are a pain.

 

There are a couple good gov't sources of info:

 

http://pandemicflu.gov/index.html

 

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/

 

Of course these are government sites. For anyone who likes their info with a sprinkling of conspiracy, these may not be satisfactory. ;)

 

Also, I have seen some inconsistencies on the CDC site - some pages are out of date & give info which is contradicted later on. It is still a decent place to start looking for info. There is a delay in their stats though which I wish they'd work harder on addressing....

 

The pandemicflu site also has a true or myth section

http://pandemicflu.gov/myths/index.html

&

debunking media myths section:

http://www.flu.gov/news/blogs/falsemedia.html

[MariannNOVA]

Did they try to reduce the fever or just go to the hospital?

I do not know if they tried to reduce the fever. The hospital is literally 1000 feet from their backyard (I said it was a small hospital). My experience with a fever that high is to throw the kid in a tub of lukewarm water and pour water on her head in an attempt to get the fever down.

 

A few years ago when my dd then 5 shot up to 106.1 in literally 10 minutes, I was dousing her in the tub to bring it down and dh was on the phone with the peds office who said to get ice, put it on her head and start sponging her down while we rushed her to the ER -- turned out it was strep.

[MariannNOVA]

Of course these are government sites. For anyone who likes their info with a sprinkling of conspiracy, these may not be satisfactory. ;)

 

:lol::lol:

 

 

Thank you for all the great info and places to look. I will do that later -- thanks again for the great information.:D

[Tree House Academy]

I do not know if they tried to reduce the fever. The hospital is literally 1000 feet from their backyard (I said it was a small hospital). My experience with a fever that high is to throw the kid in a tub of lukewarm water and pour water on her head in an attempt to get the fever down.

 

A few years ago when my dd then 5 shot up to 106.1 in literally 10 minutes, I was dousing her in the tub to bring it down and dh was on the phone with the peds office who said to get ice, put it on her head and start sponging her down while we rushed her to the ER -- turned out it was strep.

 

This is my reaction too. When my older son had a fever of almost 105 (with the flu in 2003), I put him straight into a tub. Unfortunately, my attempts to give him motrin failed because he was vomiting so badly. :( Nightmare doesn't even begin to describe the experience. :(

 

Did your dd request tamiflu or did they offer it? In our area, they will not give tamiflu to anyone without underlying conditions OR pregnant women at the ER unless they admit you. The ped. dr office will only give it if the parent requests it.

[MariannNOVA]

This is my reaction too. When my older son had a fever of almost 105 (with the flu in 2003), I put him straight into a tub. Unfortunately, my attempts to give him motrin failed because he was vomiting so badly. :( Nightmare doesn't even begin to describe the experience. :(

 

I can totally relate. That was my experience with DD when she went to 106.1. I had her in the tub, trying to pour water on her, and trying to keep the 'other stuff' out of the tub and off of the floor.

 

Did your dd request tamiflu or did they offer it? In our area, they will not give tamiflu to anyone without underlying conditions OR pregnant women at the ER unless they admit you. The ped. dr office will only give it if the parent requests it.

 

I believe it was prescribed, but that is just my hunch; I cannot imagine that dd was thinking clearly enough to request it -- I do not know for sure --I know that in my experience in northern virginia, tamiflu is typically prescribed in the peds office; at the doc that I see, it is offered, and the doctor agrees with me when I decline it.

[Tree House Academy]

I believe it was prescribed, but that is just my hunch; I cannot imagine that dd was thinking clearly enough to request it -- I do not know for sure --I know that in my experience in northern virginia, tamiflu is typically prescribed in the peds office; at the doc that I see, it is offered, and the doctor agrees with me when I decline it.

 

Our pediatrician her in NE TN said they have never really given it to kids in the past for flu...but they are doing so now based on the CDC recommendations for kids with underlying conditions. To be honest, Tamiflu scares me (as do many other drugs). It is hard to make the right decision in these cases. :( I am so glad your granddaughter did fine with it! :)

 

Hornblower: One of those sites you posted said that 90% of H1N1 deaths have been in people under the age of 64. Previously, it was posted here that that number was more like 55% or so. Is it me or has this changed DRASTICALLY?

[Michelle in MO]

Our local paper reported yesterday that if someone tests positive for Influenza A, then it's assumed that they are positive for H1N1. I'm not sure that I understand this reasoning, though.

 

Our family doctor told us that if any of us gets the flu, he starts treatment for the flu immediately without waiting for test results, because you need to start treatment within 48 hours, and test results don't usually come back for 6 days or so.

[Blessedfamily]

The child across the street, who catches every thing, poor kid, goes to the same ped as my kids. They don't get Tamiflu usually, which is why the mention of it sends alarm bells off for me. Of course, anytime your child gets sick, and it's something out of your control, you get nervous.

[MariannNOVA]

Our pediatrician her in NE TN said they have never really given it to kids in the past for flu...but they are doing so now based on the CDC recommendations for kids with underlying conditions. To be honest, Tamiflu scares me (as do many other drugs). It is hard to make the right decision in these cases. :( I am so glad your granddaughter did fine with it! :)

 

Thanks --:) -- yes, thankfully, she seems none the worse for the wear. Interesting about you pediatrician....the pediatrician we used about 6 years ago, prescribed Tamiflu for all the kids even if only one tested positive for flu. Our present pediatrician does not.

 

Hornblower: One of those sites you posted said that 90% of H1N1 deaths have been in people under the age of 64. Previously, it was posted here that that number was more like 55% or so. Is it me or has this changed DRASTICALLY?

:bigear:

[Julie in CA]

That sounds like they are trying to make H1N1 sound worse than it is by only releasing test results for those hospitalized and preventing those not hit hard with it from knowing they had it.

Or maybe they're not releasing results so that it sounds better than it is--as though they've got it more or less under control, when in reality they're just not releasing the full numbers?

[hornblower]

Our local paper reported yesterday that if someone tests positive for Influenza A, then it's assumed that they are positive for H1N1. I'm not sure that I understand this reasoning, though.

 

The rapid tests are not very sensitive and have a lot of false negative but very little false positives.

 

Nation wide respiratory virus tests are detecting very little of any other influenza activity other than novel A/H1N1. Therefore, if you have positive rapid test for influenza A, it's assumed that it's the novel flu (as opposed to a seasonal strain of A.) For confirmation, it needs to go to a full lab with PCR capability which, as you say takes time, and it is also expensive. Clinically, it makes more sense to treat without waiting for the PCR test.

 

Monitoring of viruses is ongoing because we need to watch for seasonal flu (which might not appear at all; it's possible it will get crowded out by the pandemic strain) as well any other new viruses or mutations of existing ones.

 

Is that helpful?

[Tree House Academy]

I wanted to repost this seperately so you would see it:

 

Hornblower: One of those sites you posted said that 90% of H1N1 deaths have been in people under the age of 64. Previously, it was posted here that that number was more like 55% or so. Is it me or has this changed DRASTICALLY?

[hornblower]

Hornblower: One of those sites you posted said that 90% of H1N1 deaths have been in people under the age of 64. Previously, it was posted here that that number was more like 55% or so. Is it me or has this changed DRASTICALLY?

 

Well, yes. Everyone kind of expected that once schools opened you'd see a surge of cases in the younger age groups. I think the HOPE was that the virus would not reappear until late October & the PLAN was that the vaccine would be rolling out by then. Well, hope floats until it sinks and this time it sank in August. You could see that this wasn't going to work given that the flu never really disappeared in the summer, as it normally would have.

 

If this had been a highly pathogenic flu (like H5N1 which kills 60% of people whom in infects), we could have (& I like to think we would have) minimized its spread by not opening schools and instituting wide spread social distancing measures. As it is, given that it is "generally mild", we plugged along as normal, and I suspect the vax rollout is coming too late. Some people have died because of that. But I don't know if society as a whole should have made a different decision. The families of those who died do, I'm sure, feel differently.

 

:rant: The actual percentage things in these reports drives me a bit batty because I find gov't officials just LOVE to throw numbers & percentages around - probably because reporters love to write them down & it makes them feel like they've got a good story and they go away without asking any tough questions. So you get this endless stream of %'s (healthy, underlying conditions, asthma, COPD, etc etc) and it can kind of make a big mess of the issues.

 

 

EffectMeasure did a good post on Why CDC says this year's flu season is "very sobering"

 

 

"Dr. Anne Schuchat has said we are seeing "unprecedented" flu activity for this time of year, including an unusual toll in the pediatric age group. "

 

There is a good graphic in that blog post which shows the trend lines & you can see how what is happening is just not normal.

 

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/10/why_cdc_says_this_years_flu_se.php#more

 

 

BTW, there was a senate hearing this week on the H1N1 situation. Napolitano and Schuchat both testified about the vaccine shortages and the preparations that hospitals need to do. Health facilities all need back up plans to deal with absenteeism and/or a surge in cases.

[hornblower]

Also, the #'s keep changing as more cases are dx'ed and studies. The prelim #'s we had from Mexico in April were different than what we saw throughout the summer.

 

This is one of those evolving situations & we're not going to have a good picture of it until it's over. This is why we need to come to terms with making public health decisions quickly & without as much data as we'd like. That's what dealing with a novel infectious agent is like.

[Jen500]

The rapid tests are not very sensitive and have a lot of false negative but very little false positives.

 

Nation wide respiratory virus tests are detecting very little of any other influenza activity other than novel A/H1N1. Therefore, if you have positive rapid test for influenza A, it's assumed that it's the novel flu (as opposed to a seasonal strain of A.) For confirmation, it needs to go to a full lab with PCR capability which, as you say takes time, and it is also expensive. Clinically, it makes more sense to treat without waiting for the PCR test.

 

Monitoring of viruses is ongoing because we need to watch for seasonal flu (which might not appear at all; it's possible it will get crowded out by the pandemic strain) as well any other new viruses or mutations of existing ones.

 

Is that helpful?

Just wanted to add-

 

Our ped. said he stopped automatically testing for H1N1 after he started getting complaints from some parents who received $300 bills for the test.

[jelbe5]

Could it be they are so backlogged they cannot give the results quickly?

 

My niece (has spina bifida and asthma) was hospitalized last month after she experienced severe breathing problems. She had no other flu-like symptoms. It took THREE WEEKS for the lab results for H1N1 to come back. She DID have it. Of course she was out of the hospital and back at school by then. This was in Green Bay, WI. So perhaps the labs are just so swamped they can't get the results back in a timely fashion?

 

Editing to add, she did have the rapid test, also, which came back negative for H1N1.

 

Adrianne in IL