need info

Please, if anyone can tell me a percentage of students out sick ... particularilly...this flu virus of sort. I'd appreciate knowing. One of my children missed a week of school. Very ill. And Iam still with the virus. Thanks Capac High Parent

I heard they were pretty close to that number at the Middle School today. Once teacher said " significant absences" in his daily email. There is something pretty bad going around. I took my kids to get their H1N1 already, why wait until it gets worse. I don't know the exact number of kids that need to be sick to close the schools. Call Mr. Jennex, or the district office, they will tell you.

My daughter heard it was 17% at the high school this week and that it has to be 25% to close. Don't know how accurate that is. I know the middle school absentee line was full today and wouldn't take any more calls so you had to talk to the secretary.

We went and got the shot early too. I know this is really scary but do not panic if your child is sick, it is still a very small number that become gravely ill or die, for most it is just a bad flu. This is from the CDC

What are “emergency warning signs” that should signal anyone to seek medical care urgently?

In children:

•Fast breathing or trouble breathing
•Bluish skin color
•Not drinking enough fluids
•Not waking up or not interacting
•Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
•Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
•Fever with a rash
In adults:

•Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
•Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
•Sudden dizziness
•Confusion
•Severe or persistent vomiting

Middle had 70 kids out again yesterday, with many more going home during the day. Their number I think is 89 kids.
I remind my kids in the morning to wash, wash, wash their hands. Must be catching on, my kids have been hand wash freaks!! LOL

Even though my kids all had the shots I am keeping my little one home the rest of the week because she needs two shots before she has full immunity.

I'm a little skeptical of the swine flu numbers now that one my kids is sick. At the doctors they tested him for influenza A and it came back positive so they are assuming it is H1N1, but aren't testing to confirm if it actually is H1N1. He tested positive for type A last year too. So I wonder how many cases of the swine flu are being assumed and how many are actually confirmed? So which flu type will he then be immune to - H1N1 or a different type A version?

Momof3 wrote:

Even though my kids all had the shots I am keeping my little one home the rest of the week because she needs two shots before she has full immunity.

Probably a good idea, did hear a rumor that they might close the schools Friday, has anyone heard this? Not sure why they would wait until then. Sounds like it's a problem now.

Info wrote:

I'm a little skeptical of the swine flu numbers now that one my kids is sick. At the doctors they tested him for influenza A and it came back positive so they are assuming it is H1N1, but aren't testing to confirm if it actually is H1N1. He tested positive for type A last year too. So I wonder how many cases of the swine flu are being assumed and how many are actually confirmed? So which flu type will he then be immune to - H1N1 or a different type A version?

So many different things going around, hard to tell what is what anymore. So many confusing things for a Mom to figure out!!

Info wrote:

I'm a little skeptical of the swine flu numbers now that one my kids is sick. At the doctors they tested him for influenza A and it came back positive so they are assuming it is H1N1, but aren't testing to confirm if it actually is H1N1. He tested positive for type A last year too. So I wonder how many cases of the swine flu are being assumed and how many are actually confirmed? So which flu type will he then be immune to - H1N1 or a different type A version?

It is common practice to close schools when a certain large percentage of the children are sick regardless of the particular germ causing the illness. I think they are making the assumption that H1N1 is the culprit because of it is proving to be much more contagious than the garden variety flu and is currently much more widespread than the seasonal flu has ever been. While a normal year may bring a handful of school closures because of the number of children ill, H1N1 is infecting enough children to be closing hundreds of schools in almost every state simultaneously. If it were just a seasonal influenza type A and not H1N1 it simply would not be this widespread because the regular garden variety Type A does not have the ability to infect so many children in so many areas at the same time. This virus is unique in many ways, its abilty to spread more rapidly than normal is just one of its special characteristics.

My question is whether H1N1 is actually infecting so many people in so many areas like they are saying if they aren't actually testing for it. I mean, the type A test is the same test my kid had positive last year too. It just doesn't add up for me. So I started looking around for more info on it and found this article

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbs...

Don't get me wrong. I'm not doubting that H1N1 is going around. I'm just wondering why if something is so bad and troubling why would we not want to track it more accurately. At the very least, it would help curtail all this panic if 'actual' numbers were being used. I don't think every person needs to be tested for H1N1, but if it is suspected then it should be.

Just in case anyone wants to know, my kid's symptoms have been very mild..sore throat, achy, and fever..no congestion or cough. I know most of my other kids' friends have been out all week and some are worse of than my kids. Just wanted to share their symptoms in case anyone wanted to compare with their kids. The doctor also said strep was running rampant right now, but my kid tested negative on that.

Info wrote:

My question is whether H1N1 is actually infecting so many people in so many areas like they are saying if they aren't actually testing for it. I mean, the type A test is the same test my kid had positive last year too. It just doesn't add up for me. So I started looking around for more info on it and found this article
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbs...
Don't get me wrong. I'm not doubting that H1N1 is going around. I'm just wondering why if something is so bad and troubling why would we not want to track it more accurately. At the very least, it would help curtail all this panic if 'actual' numbers were being used. I don't think every person needs to be tested for H1N1, but if it is suspected then it should be.

I agree they should be tracking it more closely. There are more people hospitalized for flu symptoms than ever before, there is widespread illness that is unprecendented in regular flu seasons and record numbers of deaths, especially in young people. Not subtyping the virus is among the stupidest things I've seen yet. I mean, what if it is a different strain that is causing all of this?
I read that article yesterday, it conflicts with what CBS ran on the television news last night. It is a very scary thought that it could be something else causing this, but other sources indicate enough illness has been subtyped to be sure it is H1N1. Still the CBS report is very disturbing.

Info wrote:

Just in case anyone wants to know, my kid's symptoms have been very mild..sore throat, achy, and fever..no congestion or cough. I know most of my other kids' friends have been out all week and some are worse of than my kids. Just wanted to share their symptoms in case anyone wanted to compare with their kids. The doctor also said strep was running rampant right now, but my kid tested negative on that.

My husband was ill, it turned out to be a rhino virus, not the flu. Also had a bout of stomach flu here. there is other stuff going around.

H1N1 update for 3 November 2009

Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, held a briefing today regarding the H1N1 virus and vaccine. "The virus continues to be spreading. All of the diagnosed flu is H1N1, no seasonal flu," stated Dr. Frieden. It is important to recognize that even if an individual has a fever or cough they may not have H1N1. Dr. Thomas Frieden stated that the CDC is realizing a steady increase in demand for seasonal flu vaccine -- the highest to date -- yet almost no seasonal flu cases have been seen so far. Those cases seen have been almost all H1N1 influenza.

Momof3 wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree they should be tracking it more closely. There are more people hospitalized for flu symptoms than ever before, there is widespread illness that is unprecendented in regular flu seasons and record numbers of deaths, especially in young people. Not subtyping the virus is among the stupidest things I've seen yet. I mean, what if it is a different strain that is causing all of this?
I read that article yesterday, it conflicts with what CBS ran on the television news last night. It is a very scary thought that it could be something else causing this, but other sources indicate enough illness has been subtyped to be sure it is H1N1. Still the CBS report is very disturbing.

I completely agree. I was told that they were doing the H1N1 tests on those who are hospitalized, so at least those numbers are hopefully more accurate. It seems odd that they would not want the most accurate numbers possible to avoid panic especially with the vaccine shortage. I think the decision making by the CDC on this has been highly suspect.

To play devil's advocate and play to the conspiracy side of things, the timing seems even more suspect considering the health care bill that is trying to be passed. One could possible start to wonder if the hysteria was manufactured to get support for the bill, especially for those who are not fortunate to have insurance.

Info wrote:

<quoted text>
I completely agree. I was told that they were doing the H1N1 tests on those who are hospitalized, so at least those numbers are hopefully more accurate. It seems odd that they would not want the most accurate numbers possible to avoid panic especially with the vaccine shortage. I think the decision making by the CDC on this has been highly suspect.
To play devil's advocate and play to the conspiracy side of things, the timing seems even more suspect considering the health care bill that is trying to be passed. One could possible start to wonder if the hysteria was manufactured to get support for the bill, especially for those who are not fortunate to have insurance.

I'm sorry but I do not believe they are making all of these people sick and killing children to pass health care reform. Besides this is happening on a global scale,(interstingly conspiracy theorists in other countries have come up with reasons why they think their governments are responsible for creating the hysteria for political reasons too!) If you have watched any of the Discovery or Science channels, they have always said there will be more pandemics to deal with, that it is an inevitable part of life on earth. I think you can blame this one on Mother Nature.

No no no, I wasn't trying to say they were making people sick. That is definitely on Mother Nature. Just questioning the reasoning to stop the testing in the face of a possible pandemic. Not saying I believe in the conspiracy either. Just saying I could see how it could possibly be taken that way. Sorry if I made it sound like I thought they were responsible for the sicknesses going around.

Info wrote:

No no no, I wasn't trying to say they were making people sick. That is definitely on Mother Nature. Just questioning the reasoning to stop the testing in the face of a possible pandemic. Not saying I believe in the conspiracy either. Just saying I could see how it could possibly be taken that way. Sorry if I made it sound like I thought they were responsible for the sicknesses going around.

I think this is a damned if they do and damned if they don't situation. The WHO and every health agency in every nation is working to combat this pandemic but there is still a chance our efforts against it will be in vain. They have to get across the potential threat so that people will learn how to protect themselves, keep from spreading it and be prepared should the worst happen. At the same time they are doing everything they can to keep it from getting to the point where it is spiraling out of control. The same people who are screaming now would be the ones pointing the blame if our government didn't do enough to get across the potential threat. The truth is humans cannot predict with any certainty how this virus will behave, how it might mutate ect... It is already doing things the normal flu does not do, it is impossible to predict. Our government is right when they say you need to have a game plan and they are right to offer a vaccine for those who want it. I know they are actively studiying clusters of deaths here and in other countries and they are subtyping those who are hopitalized and those who are dying. Our resources have been spread pretty thin over the las 7 or so years, I think they are doing everything they can.