H1N1 virus in Kids School!

[Tinijocaro]

Exactly how is the government "downplaying" the virus? There is a very comprehensive CDC website and the government is moving forward in developing a vaccine for the fall. What do you want them to do? Run around like Chicken Little? Even if you are right about the flu getting worse, it is mild NOW and those people who get it NOW may be the luckiest of all of us.

No. Why should that child be singled out and why should the district feed into the public's paranoia?

Maybe it's more the media downplaying things-it's all but dropped out of tv news and magazines. I looked at this week's Time Magazine and not a word about it was in there. The cdc and WHO is telling it like it is.

No one want the child to be named, just the school, so they can make a decision whether or not they want their child in the building. Do you think being concerned for your child's safety is being paranoid? I certainly don't.

 

[Robinrs]

Maybe it's more the media downplaying things-it's all but dropped out of tv news and magazines. I looked at this week's Time Magazine and not a word about it was in there. The cdc and WHO is telling it like it is.

No one want the child to be named, just the school, so they can make a decision whether or not they want their child in the building. Do you think being concerned for your child's safety is being paranoid? I certainly don't.

The media is not known for DOWNplaying, they'd much rather stir the pot. What they do is follow the interest of the populace, and guess what, it has not only fallen off the front pages of the newspaper, but off the front page of the DIS, which is a major THING!

When people lose interest it makes no money for them, so it disappears.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm guessing this flu is all over the place in places we don't know. I have the flu right now, but won't go to the doctor unless I develop a secondary infection. My friend had it last week, went to the doctor and wasn't tested.

I'm a teacher and have had a lot of kids absent with the flu. This is actually my second round with a flu (I was also sick the end of April) and that time I did go to the doctor and wasn't tested. There are confirmed cases in my area, but they still aren't testing people.

I had my flu shot, but this year has been nasty!

That said, I would not keep her home.

------------------

My son-in-law and DGD had the regular flu the week leading into Memorial Day weekend.. Because they became ill immediatley after having been on a trip with a large group of people who live in an area that has significant numbers of confimed cases of H1N1, they did have to be tested.. They're both fine now - except DGD went on to develop a middle ear infection which is still being treated.. However, the doctor did insist that my DSIL stay out of work for a week - and the pediatrician said that DGD had to stay home from school for a week..

I don't know what the weather is in your area, but we're still having a lot of cold weather here - and I think that may be part of the reason that the regular flu is still hanging around..

OP's child has probably already been exposed to whatever is out there, so unless she becomes ill there's really no reason to keep her home..

I guess there's a confirmed case in the area where DD and her family used to live right now (a friend of ours is a teacher there), but I don't think they closed the school for it..

 

[PatsMom]

Right, this is a flu, not the plague. Although percentage wiswe the plague in the 1300's killed a larger proportion of the population, influenza in 1918 killed more people than any other outbreak of disease in human history. In raw numbers, influenza of 1918 killed more than plague, and more than AIDS today.

Mortality rates for the Spanish flu were somewhere between 10% and 20% according to most reports - numbers aren't really reliable because of wartime censorship in many countries. That's 10 to 20 percent of those infected. For the plague, mortality rates were as high as 90%, but again numbers are unreliable. Most historians put it closer to 75%. For treated cases of the plague now the mortality rate is closer to 15%. Medical science has come a long way.

The flu can be dangerous, no doubt about that. But keeping a kid home from school because one case has been reported is silly unless you would keep your child home if there were one case of the typical flu strain in the school.

I have to agree with Robin - the media has stopped reporting because it has become a non-event. Around here they are no longer even testing to see which strain of the flu it is since the treatment is the same. I suspect there are a lot of H1N1 cases that never got reported. Most of us don't go to the doctor with the flu unless there are complications.

 

[luvmy3]

At least you know which school its in. We have 3 confirmed cases in a neighboring school/s and that district is not releasing what school/s that they are found in. I'm hoping the uproar caused after the story was in the local paper will make them reconsider.
If it was found in my child's school I would probbaly keep my one ds with asthma home for a few days just as a precation. I know I can't totaly prevent him from getting it, but I can do whatever lessens the risk for him

 

[luvmy3]

Exactly how is the government "downplaying" the virus? There is a very comprehensive CDC website and the government is moving forward in developing a vaccine for the fall. What do you want them to do? Run around like Chicken Little? Even if you are right about the flu getting worse, it is mild NOW and those people who get it NOW may be the luckiest of all of us.

No. Why should that child be singled out and why should the district feed into the public's paranoia?

Its not about feeding the paranoia, its about informing the tax paying parents and letting them make their own decisions regarding their children. If Mrs. Smith wants to keep asthmatic Billy out of school for a few days becasue she feels its safer for him (regardless of whether its sesonal flu, or not) that should be a decision she is able to make on the available info. By witholding that information they are taking away the parents right to keep their children safe in a way they see fit.

 

[robinb]

Its not about feeding the paranoia, its about informing the tax paying parents and letting them make their own decisions regarding their children. If Mrs. Smith wants to keep asthmatic Billy out of school for a few days becasue she feels its safer for him (regardless of whether its sesonal flu, or not) that should be a decision she is able to make on the available info. By witholding that information they are taking away the parents right to keep their children safe in a way they see fit.

Mrs. Smith cannot wrap Billy up in bubble wrap his whole life. Will the Wal*Mart call her and tell her that the cashier that handled his toy last week had the flu? What about the bank teller who counted out the money? Or the greeter who handed out the cart? Mrs. Smith may pay taxes but she has no right to know the medical status of the other children in Billy's school.

 

[brittsmum1998]

I am surprised to hear some areas are no longer testing. My dd11 has been sick since Tuesday (bronchitus) at which time she was tested for the flu. I took her back on Friday (she now has pneumonia!! ) and again she was tested. Her elementary school has one confirmed case as of today and MANY absences including some suspected. It seems like its just starting to hit here in Billerica.

DD is on steroids and a BUNCH of other stuff and w/ the pneumonia, she won't be going back for a couple more days at least due to the outbreak. I do think that if she had no prior sicknesses recently I would still send her w/ instructions AGAIN on how to wash etc.

 

[luvmy3]

Mrs. Smith cannot wrap Billy up in bubble wrap his whole life. Will the Wal*Mart call her and tell her that the cashier that handled his toy last week had the flu? What about the bank teller who counted out the money? Or the greeter who handed out the cart? Mrs. Smith may pay taxes but she has no right to know the medical status of the other children in Billy's school.

AAhh but thats where you are wrong, Mrs. Smith can choose to keep her child in a bubble and while you may not feel you would do that to your own child, it is not for you, or the school to decide that MRs. Smith can't to it to hers, its her choice.
FWIW, I don't believe anyone is asking for the children with confirmed cases be named, only which schools they are in. I didn't read the whole thead, so forgive me if I have missed that. I am speaking about what is going on in my area, where the school district refuses to name the schools in which there are confirmed swine flu cases. I have gotten them for chicken pox, lice, whooping cough, and maybe some others that I may have forgotten. Personally I could care less if Sue was out with the swine flu, I'm not going to knock down her door and demand to see her tests, I would just want to know if ANY student in my children's school had it. Now while this may not be the plague it can be just as deadly to some, and as a parent I should be the one to decide whether or not my child should be KNOWINGLY exposed to this virus. I can understand not wanting to cause paranoia with the masses, but I also understand the need for some to be a little more cautious about their child's exposure. Yes, you shouldn't keep them in a bubble, but its up to you as a parent whether or not you want to in some situations.

http://www.otsegocounty.com/depts/doh/CommunicableDiseases.htm



The investigation of reported communicable diseases and prevention of outbreaks are among the highest priorities of the Health Department. Staff works closely with New York State Department of Health to investigate, treat and educate the public and inform local providers. Our goal is to prevent and reduce transmission of all communicable disease through this system of surveillance, control and education.

Certain diseases, called reportable communicable diseases, are required by law to be reported to the local health department. In most cases, a public health nurse contacts the healthcare provider, patient, and/or family in attempt to determine how the disease was contracted and to teach how to prevent further spread of the disease.


Now, some are required by law, including lab confirmed influenza to be reported to teh state health department in order to do what they state in the first paragraph. It would seem that not disclosing the information about which schools have confirmed cases would directly go against that goal.

 

[robinb]

AAhh but thats where you are wrong, Mrs. Smith can choose to keep her child in a bubble and while you may not feel you would do taht to your own child is not for you, or the school to decide that MRs. Smith can't, its her choice.

If Mrs Smith wants to wrap Billy in bubble wrap that is certainly up to her. But it is not up to the school system to provide the tape! Perhaps Mrs. Smith should Home School and not expose Billy to anything that might be considered dangerous!

FWIW, I don't believe anyone is asking for the children with confirmed cases be named, only which schools they are in.

First it's the school and then it will be the classroom. You can easily determine which child is sick by knowing the school and *that* is a violation of that sick child's privacy. For instance ... my DD had lice and I told her teacher. The teacher sent a form letter home and it wasn't long before everyone knew that my DD had lice.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Mrs. Smith cannot wrap Billy up in bubble wrap his whole life. Will the Wal*Mart call her and tell her that the cashier that handled his toy last week had the flu? What about the bank teller who counted out the money? Or the greeter who handed out the cart? Mrs. Smith may pay taxes but she has no right to know the medical status of the other children in Billy's school.

Mock if you like, not sure why you feel the need to, but I'm guessing you don't have a child who has a much greater chance of dying than the average child if they got pneumonia. My child has been hospitalized the past two years for pneumonia/asthma. The first time, she was in critical condition. I suppose if you had a child like this, you might make attempts to limit her exposure to a rapidly spreading virus that could kill her.

 

[robinb]

Mock if you like, not sure why you feel the need to, but I'm guessing you don't have a child who has a much greater chance of dying than the average child if they got pneumonia. My child has been hospitalized the past two years for pneumonia/asthma. The first time, she was in critical condition. I suppose if you had a child like this, you might make attempts to limit her exposure to a rapidly spreading virus that could kill her.

All I am saying is that there are viruses everywhere. You can attempt to have a sense of control over the situation, but just like the parent of a kid with severe nut allergies you can't. I am sorry that your child has been hospitalized twice. That must have been very frightening for you.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Almost everybody on here has said that if your child has a pre existing condition which might make the flu more dangerous than don't send them if that is what makes you comfortable. But face it, this whole flu season your child has come into contact with kids with the normal strain of the flue which at this point is just as deadly as the H1N1 for those with particular illnesses. If one kid in one school in your distric had the regular flu would you pull your kid out? You probably wouldn't even know about it! I'm sure your son was exposed to hundreds of kids with the flu during the course of the regular school year, as he will be next year, and the year after, etc.

If you are concerned, keep him home as you are obviously very worried. But keep in mind that your child is exposed to potentially deadly illnesses in school everyday (including the normal strain of the flu).

 

[luvmy3]

If Mrs Smith wants to wrap Billy in bubble wrap that is certainly up to her. But it is not up to the school system to provide the tape! Perhaps Mrs. Smith should Home School and not expose Billy to anything that might be considered dangerous!

First it's the school and then it will be the classroom. You can easily determine which child is sick by knowing the school and *that* is a violation of that sick child's privacy. For instance ... my DD had lice and I told her teacher. The teacher sent a form letter home and it wasn't long before everyone knew that my DD had lice.

So the protection of your dd was worth it to not have the school disclose any info about what she had? Why is the protection of your dd any more important than the protection of my ds? I won't even mention the fact that lice is not life threatening and asthma is.

Also put yourself in another parents position, if it was known that lice was going around wouldn't you want to know? Maybe your dd caught it from someone in that school, if you had known you could have checked her yourself, treated it and noone would be the wiser.


I'm not sure what your district policies are buty in mine, when there is a lice outbreak in a certain class, all parents are informed so that they can take steps to prevent the spread.

 

[robinb]

So the protection of your dd was worth it to not have the school disclose any info about what she had? Why is the protection of your dd any more important than the protection of my ds? I won't even mention the fact that lice is not life threatening and asthma is.

Also put yourself in another parents position, if it was known that lice was going around wouldn't you want to know? Maybe your dd caught it from someone in that school, if you had known you could have checked her yourself, treated it and noone would be the wiser.


I'm not sure what your district policies are buty in mine, when there is a lice outbreak in a certain class, all parents are informed so that they can take steps to prevent the spread.

It isn't about one child being "more important" than another. What I said is that it is quite easy to determine WHO has the flu just as it is easy to determine that my DD had the lice. I told the school because I wanted them to know so the spread of lice would stop. I am certain she got it from a kid whose parent DIDN'T want their kid to be "the kid with lice" and never said a word to the school.

I am sorry that your child has asthma and I am sorry that catching a virus puts him at risk of becoming even sicker. Truly I am. However, I don't think that gives you the right to know the medical issues of other kids in his school or class. Sorry .

 

[Tinijocaro]

All I am saying is that there are viruses everywhere. You can attempt to have a sense of control over the situation, but just like the parent of a kid with severe nut allergies you can't. I am sorry that your child has been hospitalized twice. That must have been very frightening for you.

Just as I wouldn't put a nut allergy child in a room with a known nut (not the teacher), if I know there is a case of swine flu in school, my kid's not going. Obviously, there are plenty of germs I know nothing about, and those I can do nothing about.

 

[luvmy3]

It isn't about one child being "more important" than another. What I said is that it is quite easy to determine WHO has the flu just as it is easy to determine that my DD had the lice. I told the school because I wanted them to know so the spread of lice would stop. I am certain she got it from a kid whose parent DIDN'T want their kid to be "the kid with lice" and never said a word to the school.

I am sorry that your child has asthma and I am sorry that catching a virus puts him at risk of becoming even sicker. Truly I am. However, I don't think that gives you the right to know the medical issues of other kids in his school or class. Sorry .

I'm not picking on you, but don't you see how you are contradicting yourself? You are saying its allright to not disclose info (Im', not even talking about specific students) in order to protect those students, all the while putting others at risk. You are right no student is any more important than another, that is why there are rules in place. Reporting things like a lice outbreak protects the whole student body, reporting what schools have the swine flu outbreak is protecting the whole student body. You seem to be missing the part that naming a school, does not name a student or a class. I would never askfor the right to know who had what, only what schools in my district had an outbreak. My kids elementary school has 1300 students, I'm not sure anyone would figure out who was absent for what on any given day except the nurse who we are required to tell when our child is sick. If they choose to disclose the name of the student, that is done by their choice and they most likely woudl be punished for it, I'm sure its against the law.

 

[daisax]

I had the flu a couple of weeks ago. Frankly, I'm hoping it was H1N1, so if/when it does come back this fall, I'll be somewhat protected.

 

[robinb]

I'm not picking on you, but don't you see how you are contradicting yourself? You are saying its allright to not disclose info (Im', not even talking about specific students) in order to protect those students, all the while putting others at risk. You are right no student is any more important than another, that is why there are rules in place. Reporting things like a lice outbreak protects the whole student body, reporting what schools have the swine flu outbreak is protecting the whole student body. You seem to be missing the part that naming a school, does not name a student or a class. I would never askfor the right to know who had what, only what schools in my district had an outbreak. My kids elementary school has 1300 students, I'm not sure anyone would figure out who was absent for what on any given day except the nurse who we are required to tell when our child is sick. If they choose to disclose the name of the student, that is done by their choice and they most likely woudl be punished for it, I'm sure its against the law.

No, I don't think I am contradicting myself. Having lice is not a medical problem. The example was to show how easy it was to find out which child had lice ... and the letter was sent out to the entire 3rd grade class so it wasn't only my DD's class and she was still "found out".

You say that your school has 1300 kids ... what good would it do you to know that ONE kid out of 1300 has the flu ?

 

[luvmy3]

No, I don't think I am contradicting myself. Having lice is not a medical problem. The example was to show how easy it was to find out which child had lice ... and the letter was sent out to the entire 3rd grade class so it wasn't only my DD's class and she was still "found out".

You say that your school has 1300 kids ... what good would it do you to know that ONE kid out of 1300 has the flu ?

If one case is in a school of 1300, then there is a strong possibility that it has spread to others in the school. I would just want to know if any confirmed cases not the specifics about those confirmed, were found in my child's particular school. I could then decide what I would want to do, whether that be to keep him a few days to see if it spreads (via the wonderful mom grapevine ) or just keep sending him like normal. I completely understand taht he is put at risk often times through the school year, but I feel being informed about a knowingly potential risk and deciding what to do to help lesson his risk is my responsibility. I equate it to playing in a thunderstorm. I wouldn't let him play knowing there is a thunderstorm coming, no matter how slim the chance of him being struck by lightening is. However I would let him play a rainstorm with the hopes of no thunder. Does that make sense?