Swine flu

[Becca]

Hi not sure if this has been chatted about earlier but just wanted general opinions 🙂

My daughter's school have a confirmed case this weekend. I went into school and parents are up in arms about it, saying about keeping kids off, creating mass panic in groups. When i went past them i was fuming, i just want to say to them, calm down, at least your kids aren't in the at risk group!! As i was talking to the TA a mum dropped her crying son off saying he's not well, i think he's making it up (even though his brother was ill all last week) and i've got work so what can you do. 5 mins after going he was sick everywhere, i got a call from school saying about it as they think his brother had swine flu, so who knows if he's getting it? I can't believe that parents do that?!!?

I think that if R will get it, or any of us in the family, then we will get it anywhere. My husband's brother has had it and is on Tamiflu, he works with him but has not come out with it, but who knows...I think the risk is everywhere with it spreading and i think that the onus should be on reducing the risk i guess (that's what i think anyway, others may disagree)

I tried to drop hand gel off at the school to reduce the risk only to find they had brought R some when they had the sickness bug (love that school 🙂) so i've just asked for them to be vigilant with hand washing, raised or weird BMs and any symptoms....It's her birthday at the end of the week and she's got 2 parties, i just hope the kids will be there!

What would you do? Has anyone got it yet and how has it affected them? (I know everyone is different) I have a rational head which says she could get it anyway and then i have my stress head which just says PANIC!😱

 

[Caroline]

I think it is just a case of being aware and keeping an eye on things.

As with all things, we know our children and our families well enough to know when someone is ill.

Where I work the advice is regular handwashing, make sure you use hankies for coughing and sneezing and dispose of and use antibacterial hand wash provided. I have taken to carrying some antibacterial hand stuff just in case

If you are worried or think someone has it contact NHS Direct or your GP.

In our house the big boy came home with a cold and the little one and I both ended up with tonsilitis, so if you are worried or unsure it pays to check with your GP, practice nurse or the DSN if you have one.

 

[wakman]

OK

Tuesday my daughter went to an after school party.

After picking her up she said she had a sore throat.

I thought that it was because she had been running around for three hours.

On Wednesday sent her to school as normal and in the evening she again complained of a sore throat.

Now Wednesday night when i retired i could hear her caging so game her some trusty calpol and she then slept in my bed.

Thursday morning she woke with a temp and a very red face still complaining of a sore throat.

Now there hs been a confirmed case in the class.

So we had to follow protocols that were issued in form of a school letter.

phoned NHS Direct gave details and in the end we were told to contact our own GP with the same info. Doc prescribed tamiflu.

My daughter was not well both Thursday/ Friday but Saturday she picked up and yesterday back to normal running around the garden.

Not had flu did not think she had flu but we had to follow instructions.

Phone school this morning cannot go in untill course complete.

This is so frustrating. The Doc said not swab unless its an extreme case.

Not toos sure people know whats going on even the autorities.

 

[Caroline]

You did all the right things. I have just had the little one off for two weeks, but his sore throat was he caught my tonsilitis.

The policy at most schools is if the children are on a course of any thing, finish it before returning to school as they are not insured for this sort of thing, but if a child has asthma, or diabetes they will get a first aider or a couple of first aiders trained to administer injections, pumps whatever becuase it is long term.

 

[sasha1]

Hi Becca,

When swine flu was first mentioned it raised hysteria in my house Nathan convinced himself he was going to get it and that it would kill him...some of that had to do with the media instilling panic in everyone.

Know however Nathan see's it very differently that it can cause severe problems for him..but treatment is available by way of Tamiflu.

Me as his mam, however does worry and panic about it and what its effect will be on Nathan. But then general common sense prevails and that provided we follow simple rules eg wash hands, avoid contact with people with flu like symptoms, always sneeze into a hanky etc. Though it is no guarantee that will prevent either Nathan or myself from contracting swine flu. I would be very cautious of letting Nathan attend school where its has had confirmed cases..in fact to the point I would keep him at home.

When swine flu first came into the headlines...I seem to recall a consultant saying that those who had, had a flu vaccine had already some form of protection...but again no guarantee that they would not contract it...If I am wrong on this then please correct me...Also I seem to recall recently that when the new guidelines were issued in the control of swine flu...those who already have the seasonal flu vaccine were automatically going to be givemn Tamiflu..again please corrrect me if my understanding of this is wrong..

Heidi
🙂

 

[Northerner]

I must admit, I did get concerned when they started talking about 100,000 people a week contracting it. I haven't been truly ill since I was diagnosed, so it's a fear of the unknown as far as I'm concerned. I'll be first in the queue for the vaccine!

 

[sasha1]

I must admit, I did get concerned when they started talking about 100,000 people a week contracting it. I haven't been truly ill since I was diagnosed, so it's a fear of the unknown as far as I'm concerned. I'll be first in the queue for the vaccine!

Hi Northerner...

So will Nathan..as soon as the appointments are out...he's there...🙂

Heidi
🙂

 

[Adrienne]

Hi

Sorry but the normal flu jab is no protection at all to swine flu.

Wakman - sorry but it does sound like your daughter had swine flu. I had a long conversation with a GP (not my old one nor my cretin of a new one) and there are a list of symptoms and you may only get one or several or all. The consistent one though is the temperature generally around or above 40. The other symptoms are :

Sore throat
Cough
Aching arms and legs
Runny nose

Think there were one or two more.

I have asked the school today to let me know when the first case is diagnosed at school. They will phone me immediately. I will then make a decision whether to keep J at school for the last week or not bother. If it was halfway through a term different story but for the last week I think I will probably remove her and take her out of that harms way. Personally I would like us both to hole up at home and not go out at all for a year !!!!!🙄

 

[Steff]

2 cases now been confirmed in my sins school a member of staff and a child

 

[aymes]

When swine flu first came into the headlines...I seem to recall a consultant saying that those who had, had a flu vaccine had already some form of protection...but again no guarantee that they would not contract it...If I am wrong on this then please correct me...Also I seem to recall recently that when the new guidelines were issued in the control of swine flu...those who already have the seasonal flu vaccine were automatically going to be givemn Tamiflu..again please corrrect me if my understanding of this is wrong..

I'm by no means an expert on these things but as I understand it the seasonal flu jab (ie the one had last winter) will have no protection against swine flu as it's a 'new' virus.

I don't know about those having the seasonal jab automatically getting tamiflu but I think those in those categories entitled to the flu jab are also 'first in line' when the swine flu jab is available. There's most likely more I don't know about though!

I am quite worried about it, although I am a natural worrier so I suppose I would be whatever! At the moment my job involves a lot of travelling throughout the country, and on a lot of public transport which isn't good. I use alcohol hand gel etc when travelling but I suppose there's a limit to what I can do, just try to avoid it until the vaccine is available I guess!

 

[Becca]

Thanks guys, it's such a minefield. Her school are very good at looking after her.

A couple of months back R's school had a horrendous vomiting bug, in her class there was 8 sick in one afternoon, (it ended up being 40 cases in the school in 24 hours) They were very aware to segregate her when the sickness started as a few months before that another vomiting bug had R in hospital on glucose and insulin drip as we couldn't get her above 4mmol as she kept being sick The school with the violent vomiting bug told me to keep her off for 2 days (then end of term) as they didn't want her to get ill again.

So, I know the school will let me know if anything else happens or if someone from her class gets swine flu or indeed if it spreads quickly, i know they will be ok about her being off. It's just so hard as i know she will come into contact with it at some point so i think there is no point for the last 4 days in keeping her there.

But then, i think OMG and go into panic overdrive....We shall see..

 

[sasha1]

Hi Adrienne and Aymes..

Thank you both for clarifying the matter of the seasonal flu jab and the Tamiflu...I must have misunderstood in the initial reporting...🙂

Heidi
🙂

 

[Becca]

Adrienne i so know where you are coming from "Personally I would like us both to hole up at home and not go out at all for a year !!!!!"

I would like one of those bubble suits (was it a hayfever advert?) that our kids could go in lol!!

 

[katie]

I'm not much of a worrier (im stupidly laid back most of the time), but im starting to worry about this. It is starting to kill people who seemingly have no underlying health issues, so what about us diabetics?? I dont drive so use public transport alot and whenever I do I away seem to pick up a cold. A couple of my brother's friends have now got swine flu so it looks like it's heading this way, nooo!

Hope the vaccine is available soon.

 

[Becca]

Do you worry though about the new jab for swine flu, all the horror stories about the last swine flu jab that wasn't great are starting to come out on the net The normal flu jab has been around for so long that i don't even think twice about R having it (niavely maybe??) How long have they been developing the swine flu jab? It's all such a worry.

 

[Adrienne]

Just been speaking to my dad who tends to keep up with things (no idea how but does). He said 'they' are saying the vaccination is hoping to be ready in 4 days time and the whole population vaccinated by the end of the year.

Yesterday they say by mid next year so it seems, if this info can be trusted, we will all be vaccinated soon.

Yes people with diabetes, asthma (me) and other ongoing chronic conditions will be vaccinated first along with the under 5's and old people (my dad is very happy and he is only 66). 😉

 

[Viki]

Frightens the life out of me.

DKA from bladder infection was bad enough, not loving the thought of isolation on top of that!

Will be camped outside the doctors surgery when the vacc letter comes though the door.

 

[Northerner]

... The other symptoms are :

Sore throat
Cough
Aching arms and legs
Runny nose

Think there were one or two more.
...

I'm not normally one to worry, but I've had three of those symptoms over the past few days, but no blips on the BG levels as yet...

 

[katie]

have you started oinking yet?

 

[aymes]

I'm not normally one to worry, but I've had three of those symptoms over the past few days, but no blips on the BG levels as yet...

I've had them all, but I think the aching limbs are from my race! But that's part of the problem though, the symptoms are common for a lot of other things too.