Swine flu #2

[Melissa in FL]

Yeah I'm in Broward cty, but to my knowledge they aren't closing any schools yet. Just telling the girl who is infected that she cannot come.

 

5 cases in Hillsborough! Wow! Almost all my family are over there in Tampa. I hope no one gets sick. Some of my relatives there are quite elderly now.

 

None of the cases are confirmed yet and I think they are being over cautious. Two of them are brother and sister (18 & 21) who may have been exposed from a relative just back from Mexico who had been coughing. The others are an 11 yr old boy, and a 22 and 21 yr old. They didn't say how they may have gotten it. I'm surprised it wasn't here quicker, we have such a large Hispanic population although mainly Cuban. It just annoys me that three schools are closed now for the week which means there will be kids everywhere we go. I am such a spoiled homeschooler! :D

Melissa

[MomLovesClassics]

Ok this will sound odd. According to a nurse these are the instructions from CDC. If anyone calls to make an appointment for swine flu, keep them out of the waiting area, have them come through the back door, and wear biohazard suits when you greet them. I wonder if this is still the case? That sounds strange to me.

 

One child who visited Mexico, had a high fever and fit the symptoms, but tested negative.

One girl was out of town for some competition, and hugged many girls while away. She came home to find out in one of the groups of 8 girls, 5 tested positive. The mother called demanding flu medication but was told the medicine is in short supply and it is not handed out so easily. The flu medicine is in short supply even though no cases have been confirmed in this state. So far this girl has not got sick even though she was around several girls who did end up testing positive.

Edited May 4, 2009 by MomLovesClassics

[jamnkats]

Maybe I am just not impressed because school closings don't have an effect on us at all (as homeschoolers with no one in ps).

 

Personally, I think they should just shut down everything for about a week and call it good. ;) LOL

 

That is what our president has done. May 1st is obviously a holiday and May 5th is becoming more and more a holiday, so the president asked everyone to just stay home May 1-5 (banks closed, schools closed nationwide for a while now). Our state has asked restaurants serving over 80 people indoors (not open-air) to close and movie theatres are closed. We've been staying at home since the news broke - last Friday? Saturday? to isolate ourselves.

[TN Mama]

Although it is not confirmed, we now have our first probable case in the area. Local middle school will be closed for the week, but the ill student has fully recovered. Just a little update from my neck of the woods.

[Ibbygirl]

None of the cases are confirmed yet and I think they are being over cautious. Two of them are brother and sister (18 & 21) who may have been exposed from a relative just back from Mexico who had been coughing. The others are an 11 yr old boy, and a 22 and 21 yr old. They didn't say how they may have gotten it. I'm surprised it wasn't here quicker, we have such a large Hispanic population although mainly Cuban. It just annoys me that three schools are closed now for the week which means there will be kids everywhere we go. I am such a spoiled homeschooler! :D

Melissa

 

 

hehehe I was surprised that you had so many cases for the same reason, so many Cubans. hehe Actually, my family over there account for a lot of the Cubans in Ybor City. :) My mom was born and raised there and my grandfather was a city councilman for 2 terms there. I have countless cousins, aunts and uncles there. :)

[Impish]

Well, my son Tazzie didn't have flu, but tonsillitis.

That was on Wed.

Princess and Diva were found to have flu on Friday.

I asked my GP about the whole swine flu and swabbing, and he told me that frankly, it would be a waste of time...that by the time the test came back, the kids would be recovered, so what would be the point? He said if any of us had a terribly high fever, resp distress, fluid in the lungs, he'd swab, but other than that, forget it, not worth bothering with. As far as he's concerned, its just another flu, making the rounds thats been blown way out of proportion by the media. He said if there was any treatment he could offer the children or my family, he'd swab everyone in a heartbeat, but since there's nothing he could offer beyond the usual, why bother.

 

So, that's one perspective from a Dr in Alberta, Canada.

 

And of course Tazzie is now sick with the flu like his sisters, coughing, sneezing...all the crud that describes swine flu.

 

*shrug*

 

I'm following my Drs lead. Unless one of us gets respiratory issues, I'm not going to worry, but do the usual flu routine...and the possibility of respiriatory issues are present with every flu anyways.

 

(This coming from someone that had walking pneumonia...caught it from a resident at a nursing home, *sigh*)

[Ibbygirl]

Well, my son Tazzie didn't have flu, but tonsillitis.

That was on Wed.

Princess and Diva were found to have flu on Friday.

I asked my GP about the whole swine flu and swabbing, and he told me that frankly, it would be a waste of time...that by the time the test came back, the kids would be recovered, so what would be the point? He said if any of us had a terribly high fever, resp distress, fluid in the lungs, he'd swab, but other than that, forget it, not worth bothering with. As far as he's concerned, its just another flu, making the rounds thats been blown way out of proportion by the media. He said if there was any treatment he could offer the children or my family, he'd swab everyone in a heartbeat, but since there's nothing he could offer beyond the usual, why bother.

 

So, that's one perspective from a Dr in Alberta, Canada.

 

And of course Tazzie is now sick with the flu like his sisters, coughing, sneezing...all the crud that describes swine flu.

 

*shrug*

 

I'm following my Drs lead. Unless one of us gets respiratory issues, I'm not going to worry, but do the usual flu routine...and the possibility of respiriatory issues are present with every flu anyways.

 

(This coming from someone that had walking pneumonia...caught it from a resident at a nursing home, *sigh*)

 

 

 

I thought that there was some drug that they were prescribing for treatment of the swine flu??? What did your doctor say to do to treat it? Just curious. Sorry your wee ones are sick. That sucks. :( :grouphug:

[fivetails]

...that by the time the test came back, the kids would be recovered, so what would be the point?

 

:001_huh:

 

Wow. I'm surprised that he'd say that - are they not trying to track this flu? I thought that tracking was important in order to see how it's spreading, where the pockets of outbreaks are, how it's being passed around, etc...to help them understand it and all...

 

Honestly, I get what he's saying about there not being much that can be done for flu, that none of you are terribly sick, etc... but I think that he should have tested *at least* for reporting/tracking purposes.

 

 

I hope you guys all feel better! :grouphug:

[wulfbourne]

I thought that there was some drug that they were prescribing for treatment of the swine flu??? What did your doctor say to do to treat it? Just curious. Sorry your wee ones are sick. That sucks. :( :grouphug:

The thing with Tamiflu is it's supposed to be administered within 24-48 hours of the FIRST symptoms of the flu. If it's in short supply he might only be prescribing it for at risk populations, the elderly, the very young, or the immunocompromised. Most advice I've seen for the flu (flu in general as well as swine flu) is to just stay home and rest.

[wulfbourne]

:001_huh:

 

Wow. I'm surprised that he'd say that - are they not trying to track this flu? I thought that tracking was important in order to see how it's spreading, where the pockets of outbreaks are, how it's being passed around, etc...to help them understand it and all...

 

Honestly, I get what he's saying about there not being much that can be done for flu, that none of you are terribly sick, etc... but I think that he should have tested *at least* for reporting/tracking purposes.

 

 

I hope you guys all feel better! :grouphug:

Canada might be different, but here is a story from the WSJ of a reporter there who was sick with flu symptoms who was trying to get tested but was never able to.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124138858052581321.html

 

So really, we have no idea how many people in the US actually have the 'swine flu'.

[fivetails]

Canada might be different, but here is a story from the WSJ of a reporter there who was sick with flu symptoms who was trying to get tested but was never able to.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124138858052581321.html

 

So really, we have no idea how many people in the US actually have the 'swine flu'.

 

Oh I don't know what the rules are here or anything, I just assumed the medical community would *want* to be tracking, reporting, investigating, etc...

 

Rats, I can't read the article - it's a "subscribers only" kinda thing.. I'll look and see if the story comes up anywhere else though, thanks :)

[wulfbourne]

Oh I don't know what the rules are here or anything, I just assumed the medical community would *want* to be tracking, reporting, investigating, etc...

 

Rats, I can't read the article - it's a "subscribers only" kinda thing.. I'll look and see if the story comes up anywhere else though, thanks :)

hmm, I'm not a subscriber. Well I can post it here for you anyway.

 

It had been 10 years since I had the flu. But over the past week, I spent four days in isolation at New York's Montefiore Medical Center after contracting a serious case.

 

I came down with the virus after being stuck for hours at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, which sees more than two dozen flights a day from Mexico.

 

Forty-eight hours later I had muscle aches, a cough, chills and a 102-degree fever. Authorities only seemed to be giving advice not to "go out." But few doctors make house calls. Last Sunday night, as my condition worsened, I couldn't reach my doctor anyway.

 

So I called New York City's 311 helpline seeking an answer to a simple question: Since President Obama had declared a public health emergency that very day, where could I go in New York City to be tested for the A/H1N1 virus? With several students in Queens already ill and concern growing about its spread, I assumed health authorities had a plan to make testing widely available.

 

The 311 operator told me to call the New York's State Health Department hotline, where I was informed to call my family doctor. With my doctor's office closed, I called an emergency room to ask whether it could test for swine flu. A harried nurse told me to call 311 and hung up. I called the state hotline back to insist on finding out whether there were any facilities for testing. I never got a straight answer, which I took as "no," there was no plan.

By the time I finally reached my doctor by phone on Monday, my left arm had lost its strength. She ordered me to the emergency room. But I first asked her to do a swab for swine flu. "No way, that's in Washington's hands," she said. The state hotline confirmed it: Only the federal government could send a team to test a suspected case.

When I arrived at Montefiore Medical Center, the hospital immediately put me into isolation after hearing my story and confirming the fever. A doctor thought he could eliminate the possibility of A/H1N1 flu by swabbing for Type A influenza, which he said included swine flu. The swab came back negative. The doctor said I didn't have swine flu.

Then, two days later, an infectious diseases doctor said it could not be ruled out that I had A/H1N1 because of the imperfection of the test on type A. But she said that by Wednesday, New York City was inundated and refused any more samples unless patients had recently been to Mexico or were in contact with known victims. Another doctor told me they specifically refused mine.

 

I called New York City authorities, who told me they don't need to test everyone with the A/H1N1 virus and can't. They said they test only to identify and contain areas of outbreak.

 

Don Weiss, director of surveillance in New York City's bureau of communicable disease, said authorities do not have the resources to test everyone. The only place in the world where testing is being done is at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where a test had to be designed and produced for the new flu strain, he said. The CDC is working to expand capacity for testing around the country, Mr. Weiss added.

 

"There are probably 10,000 people with the flu in New York," he said. "We just don't have the capacity to test that. People with the flu should stay home and call their doctor."

 

The authorities acknowledged that the interests from a public health perspective, and that of an individual patient, differed. And that creates a public relations issue for city authorities to explain to flu patients why they don't need to be tested.

 

I'm recovered now, after four days of isolation and because of the hospital's excellent care. Did I have swine flu?

It's something I'll never know unless I want to wait for a test to see if I developed the antibodies for it.

 

For now, I think I'll just let it rest.

[Only me]

Since there seem to be so many cases the advice now is to stay home and to not go to the doctor. This means that many people aren't being tested who could have the virus and therefore the numbers are a lot higher than reported.

 

We have 99 suspected cases here in Illinois but I am sure that there are a lot more than that. I think there are close to 20 schools closed in the Chicago area alone (at least a handful in my county). An alert just went out to parents in our school district. If their child has a 100 fever or higher and has a sore throat or cough they have to stay home for 7 days regardless of the diagnosis. If there is a probable case of the flu at the school then they will have to close the school for at least 7 days.

 

It just seems like there is so much conflicting news: On one hand they are saying the flu isn't as bad as they thought it would be but on the other hand it seems like there are a lot more cases then being reported.

[fivetails]

hmm, I'm not a subscriber. Well I can post it here for you anyway.

 

It had been 10 years since I had the flu. But over the past week, I spent four days in isolation at New York's Montefiore Medical Center after contracting a serious case.

 

I came down with the virus after being stuck for hours at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, which sees more than two dozen flights a day from Mexico.

 

Forty-eight hours later I had muscle aches, a cough, chills and a 102-degree fever. Authorities only seemed to be giving advice not to "go out." But few doctors make house calls. Last Sunday night, as my condition worsened, I couldn't reach my

 

^^^ that's where it cuts off for me and tells me to subscribe for the rest - might be because of the Canada thing, like videos on websites and such...thanks for posting the rest, wow. :001_huh:

[Impish]

My dr said to just treat it as regular flu. Rest, Gravol if needed, fluids, if fevers went way high or I couldn't keep fluids in, get butts back in asap, or if it was on the wknd to hustle them into the ER. Standard protocol as far as flu goes.

 

It may be because I have a background in health care, he's more candid with me than with the typical patient. He knows that I'm able to manage sick kids and be very aware of the signs of dehydration, not over or under react, etc. I don't know how he is with all his patients, obviously, but with me, he talks as though I'm a collegue in my kid's health care, not 'just a parent'. I suspect he's that way with most parents though.

[Nestof3]

My pediatrician wants Nathan to come in to test for strep. He has a sore throat, fever, stuffy nose and vomitting.

[Ibbygirl]

The thing with Tamiflu is it's supposed to be administered within 24-48 hours of the FIRST symptoms of the flu. If it's in short supply he might only be prescribing it for at risk populations, the elderly, the very young, or the immunocompromised. Most advice I've seen for the flu (flu in general as well as swine flu) is to just stay home and rest.

 

 

Ah good to know. Thanks for sharing that. I didn't realize that the medication was only for the first few hours of the illness. :)

[Susan in TX]

Princess and Diva were found to have flu on Friday.

I asked my GP about the whole swine flu and swabbing, and he told me that frankly, it would be a waste of time...that by the time the test came back, the kids would be recovered, so what would be the point? He said if any of us had a terribly high fever, resp distress, fluid in the lungs, he'd swab, but other than that, forget it, not worth bothering with. As far as he's concerned, its just another flu, making the rounds thats been blown way out of proportion by the media. He said if there was any treatment he could offer the children or my family, he'd swab everyone in a heartbeat, but since there's nothing he could offer beyond the usual, why bother.

 

This makes no sense. Everything I've read has indicated that the anti-virals will only be effective if they are started within 48 hours of onset of symptoms. If one waits until one has life threatening symtoms it will likely be too late for anti-virals to do any good.

 

The conflicting response of medical professionals, CDC, local health departments to this swine flu has me very confused and somewhat concerned.

 

Susan in TX

[Alice]

This is what we are currently being told to do (I'm in Virginia). I got 6 e-mails this morning from various sources (local hospital, department of health, cdc). The recommendations have changed as this has evolved and I assume they may change again. Communication to local physicians from my perspective has been very good, I've gotten about one e-mail daily for the past two weeks on this from some governmental agency and they notify us any time the official recommendations change.

 

Right now we are being told:

 

*If a patient has fever AND respiratory symptoms AND is hospitalized they should be tested for H1N1.

 

*They are not recommending that we have patients come in for testing if they have symptoms but are not sick enough to be hospitalized. I can only assume this is because at this point the number of tests would overwhelm the few labs able to do it. And also it could lead to further spread of the illness. The recommendations a week ago were that we should send them in if they had symptoms and a positive travel history. I think now that it has spread, the travel history is no longer as relevant. There are specific doctors/hospitals/practices involved in a flu surveillance project and those places will be testing a wider number of people (I'm not one of them so I don't know the details) but I know this is what they use every year to estimate statistics on the regular flu so it's a system that has been in place awhile.

 

*They are asking that we only use anti-virals like Tamiflu for high-risk patients, due to a concern of potential shortage and also build-up of resistance if these are used inappropriately. High-risk patients include those under 5, over 65, pregnant women and some chronic diseases (I don't have the list handy to list them all). Tamiflu and Relenza are primarily for decreasing infectivity although they may shorten duration of illness and may decrease symptoms somewhat. They should be started within the first 48 hours of illness to have an effect.

 

*Tamiflu is also recommended for prophylaxsis for those exposed but the guidelines are very specific for this and are on the CDC website. Primarily it would be for those high-risk people who were exposed to a case that was definitely or very likely to have been H1N1.

[Susan in TX]

 

*They are asking that we only use anti-virals like Tamiflu for high-risk patients, due to a concern of potential shortage and also build-up of resistance if these are used inappropriately. High-risk patients include those under 5, over 65, pregnant women and some chronic diseases (I don't have the list handy to list them all).

 

This also makes no sense because those that are dying of this in Mexico are healthy people between the ages of 20 and 40. (At least that is what has been reported in the media.)

 

All the conflicting information makes me think that this is much worse than what the media is reporting and that government/health officials are flying by the seat of their pants.

 

Susan in TX

[Ibbygirl]

hmm, I'm not a subscriber. Well I can post it here for you anyway.

 

It had been 10 years since I had the flu. But over the past week, I spent four days in isolation at New York's Montefiore Medical Center after contracting a serious case.

 

I came down with the virus after being stuck for hours at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, which sees more than two dozen flights a day from Mexico.

 

Forty-eight hours later I had muscle aches, a cough, chills and a 102-degree fever. Authorities only seemed to be giving advice not to "go out." But few doctors make house calls. Last Sunday night, as my condition worsened, I couldn't reach my doctor anyway.

 

So I called New York City's 311 helpline seeking an answer to a simple question: Since President Obama had declared a public health emergency that very day, where could I go in New York City to be tested for the A/H1N1 virus? With several students in Queens already ill and concern growing about its spread, I assumed health authorities had a plan to make testing widely available.

 

The 311 operator told me to call the New York's State Health Department hotline, where I was informed to call my family doctor. With my doctor's office closed, I called an emergency room to ask whether it could test for swine flu. A harried nurse told me to call 311 and hung up. I called the state hotline back to insist on finding out whether there were any facilities for testing. I never got a straight answer, which I took as "no," there was no plan.

By the time I finally reached my doctor by phone on Monday, my left arm had lost its strength. She ordered me to the emergency room. But I first asked her to do a swab for swine flu. "No way, that's in Washington's hands," she said. The state hotline confirmed it: Only the federal government could send a team to test a suspected case.

When I arrived at Montefiore Medical Center, the hospital immediately put me into isolation after hearing my story and confirming the fever. A doctor thought he could eliminate the possibility of A/H1N1 flu by swabbing for Type A influenza, which he said included swine flu. The swab came back negative. The doctor said I didn't have swine flu.

Then, two days later, an infectious diseases doctor said it could not be ruled out that I had A/H1N1 because of the imperfection of the test on type A. But she said that by Wednesday, New York City was inundated and refused any more samples unless patients had recently been to Mexico or were in contact with known victims. Another doctor told me they specifically refused mine.

 

I called New York City authorities, who told me they don't need to test everyone with the A/H1N1 virus and can't. They said they test only to identify and contain areas of outbreak.

 

Don Weiss, director of surveillance in New York City's bureau of communicable disease, said authorities do not have the resources to test everyone. The only place in the world where testing is being done is at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where a test had to be designed and produced for the new flu strain, he said. The CDC is working to expand capacity for testing around the country, Mr. Weiss added.

 

"There are probably 10,000 people with the flu in New York," he said. "We just don't have the capacity to test that. People with the flu should stay home and call their doctor."

 

The authorities acknowledged that the interests from a public health perspective, and that of an individual patient, differed. And that creates a public relations issue for city authorities to explain to flu patients why they don't need to be tested.

 

I'm recovered now, after four days of isolation and because of the hospital's excellent care. Did I have swine flu?

It's something I'll never know unless I want to wait for a test to see if I developed the antibodies for it.

 

For now, I think I'll just let it rest.

 

 

Man!!! That sounds like something that would happen in Florida! I hate that bueraucratic (sp?) run around. so sorry to hear that you got sick. You were all better after only 4 days?? That's pretty good. You must be in very good health to begin with.

[wulfbourne]

Man!!! That sounds like something that would happen in Florida! I hate that bueraucratic (sp?) run around. so sorry to hear that you got sick. You were all better after only 4 days?? That's pretty good. You must be in very good health to begin with.

Lol, that wasn't me, that was an article from the Wall Street Journal. It was one of their reporters that got sick.

[fivetails]

Well, it's in the news here that there is a "girl" in the hospital with a "more severe form" of the swine flu - but, as has been the pattern with this province, the CMO refuses to let residents know what town or community the "girl" is from. If the confirmed cases are outside of the two major cities, they just speak vaguely with terms like "central Alberta" and "northern Alberta" ..I have yet to figure out why they seem to think it's okay to treat those of us living outside of the big cities as if we somehow don't count. Perhaps, y'know, we'd like to know if it's in our community just like the big city dwellers!

 

They did say she hadn't been to Mexico.

[Ibbygirl]

Lol, that wasn't me, that was an article from the Wall Street Journal. It was one of their reporters that got sick.

 

D'oh! :tongue_smilie: I thought that was your story. I'm glad it wasn't you. :)

[MomLovesClassics]

I was reading this article, it makes me wonder if other states have similar issues.

 

 

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/05/03/swineflu.html

[Only me]

I really think there are a lot of flu cases that aren't being counted. My nephew has the flu but the doctor said they are out tests so they can't test whether or not he has swine flu. The nearby hospital is also out of the tests. (This is a fairly big hospital in the w suburbs of Chicago).

 

This afternoon my niece came home sick from school with similar symptoms. My sil is a teacher so she has come into contact with a bunch of kids. Luckily she doesn't have any symptoms yet but if she gets it I imagine kids in her class could get it. At the school where she works 25 kids were out of school today with similar symptoms.

 

I also wonder if the flu started in the US earlier than we thought. My dd was very sick with the flu late in March. I just talked to a friend who knows a boy who was hospitalized with a 107 fever and the flu last month.

 

I don't think it is time to panic but I think officials need to make some decisions. If the flu is spreading so much more this week then why are they becoming less worried about it and keeping schools open with that many possible cases.

[Perry]

I really think there are a lot of flu cases that aren't being counted. My nephew has the flu but the doctor said they are out tests so they can't test whether or not he has swine flu. The nearby hospital is also out of the tests. (This is a fairly big hospital in the w suburbs of Chicago).

 

This afternoon my niece came home sick from school with similar symptoms. My sil is a teacher so she has come into contact with a bunch of kids. Luckily she doesn't have any symptoms yet but if she gets it I imagine kids in her class could get it. At the school where she works 25 kids were out of school today with similar symptoms.

 

I also wonder if the flu started in the US earlier than we thought. My dd was very sick with the flu late in March. I just talked to a friend who knows a boy who was hospitalized with a 107 fever and the flu last month.

 

I don't think it is time to panic but I think officials need to make some decisions. If the flu is spreading so much more this week then why are they becoming less worried about it and keeping schools open with that many possible cases.

 

 

It is spreading, and will likely become endemic (meaning it's pretty much everywhere) in the population. At this point, it isn't necessary to count every case in order to track it. And all indications now are that it is clinically similar to, or milder than, seasonal influenza. While it would be nice to test, it isn't necessary, because it won't change treatment at all. Labs are overwhelmed and resources are running low.

 

WP is reporting that CDC is no longer recommending school closing, as the disease is milder than initially believed.

[Stacie]

Is seems like health officials are calling the first confirmed death of an American from the swine flu.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519021,00.html

[Only me]

It is spreading, and will likely become endemic (meaning it's pretty much everywhere) in the population. At this point, it isn't necessary to count every case in order to track it. And all indications now are that it is clinically similar to, or milder than, seasonal influenza. While it would be nice to test, it isn't necessary, because it won't change treatment at all. Labs are overwhelmed and resources are running low.

 

WP is reporting that CDC is no longer recommending school closing, as the disease is milder than initially believed.

 

Is it spreading faster then the seasonal flu or are more people just aware of it? I've only had influenza once in my life. None of my kids had it until a month ago. It seems like everyone I know knows someone who is sick with the flu.

[Perry]

Is it spreading faster then the seasonal flu or are more people just aware of it? I've only had influenza once in my life. None of my kids had it until a month ago. It seems like everyone I know knows someone who is sick with the flu.

 

I'm not sure if it's spreading faster. It does seem to be spreading rapidly but seasonal flu often spreads quickly too. I'll see what I can find out.

 

My kids all have some respiratory thing, but they haven't had a fever. It does seem like lots of their friends are sick, but there aren't any reported cases here, so maybe it's just a cold.

[HeatherInWI]

Now, since they won't be testing, will they still be giving family members Tamiflu? Since most of these confirmed U.S. cases have been teens, and the family members have been given anti-virals, I don't think we've seen what's going to happen when it hits the 20-40 age group, which had the high death rate in Mexico. I hope we don't do a repeat of that here, now that the health care system is standing down on the swine flu.

[Quad Shot Academy]

Now, since they won't be testing, will they still be giving family members Tamiflu? Since most of these confirmed U.S. cases have been teens, and the family members have been given anti-virals, I don't think we've seen what's going to happen when it hits the 20-40 age group, which had the high death rate in Mexico. I hope we don't do a repeat of that here, now that the health care system is standing down on the swine flu.

 

Yeah, I was wondering what kind of lawsuits we will have if healthy adults end up dying or being hospitalized after asking to be tested and asking for Tamiflu, but being refused.

[MomLovesClassics]

I can not be sure, but I believed there is a suspected death in the Los Angles area. It showed up on one of those maps. Now it is also being said they will no longer close schools. We are doing out best to be extra careful. At the same time, it would be nice if the media was consistant.

[Blueridge]

...I think the government is downplaying the swine flu threat to avoid public hysteria. Runs on hospitals, shortages of drugs and tests, deaths, confusion would all put quite a negative spin on the US and it's ability to handle a crisis. Now when and if the flu returns in the fall, the government will by that time have a vaccine, and can come to the rescue to save and protect us. :glare: I don't want to get political so please don't take this as a criticism of our government, but rather its possible attempt at protecting it's reputation with it's citizens and the rest of the world. And, of course, it's my own conspiracy theory based on absolutely no proof. ;)

Ginger

[Susan in TX]

...I think the government is downplaying the swine flu threat to avoid public hysteria.

 

:iagree:

 

I think the reason they are no longer recommending closing schools is because it has become so widespread that keeping kids out of school won't do much good. They are no longer dealing with isolated cases.

 

Susan in TX

[Barb_]

I don't want to get political

 

Oops, too late.

Edited May 6, 2009 by Barb F. PA in AZ

[Susan in TX]

Here in Dallas County they are no longer testing outpatients with flu symptoms. And they are no longer requiring reporting of "mild" illness, only hospitalizations and deaths.

 

The reason is that they are finding that the infection is distributed widely throughout the community and will continue to circulate for some time.

 

Susan in TX

[MomLovesClassics]

WHO issues warning about pork. What happened to "the flu survives the curing process?" According to this it survives the freezing process.

 

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090506/CGY_Pork_WHO_090506/20090506/?hub=CalgaryHome

[Quiver0f10]

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Edited May 8, 2009 by Quiver0f10