OT- swine flu in my immediate neighborhood

[disneyholic family]

well, it seems to have reached my doorstep...

a girl who goes to school 2 blocks from my house has been hospitalized with suspected swine flu..

her family is just back from a trip to mexico...
and despite the fact that the girl was sick, the idiot parents sent the girl to school...

now she's in the hospital and two 6th grade classes in the school have been shut down (the kids were told on the radio not to report to school tomorrow)...

and so it begins i guess....

my mom just arrived on a plane 2 days ago from amsterdam...
seated right behind her was a woman traveling from mexico city....

i just keep picturing the airplane and movie theater scenes in "Outbreak" (the movie starring dustin hoffman)...

hopefully, we'll all be healthy for the wedding....now a mere 11 days away..

anyone heard what the incubation period is for this flu?

i wonder if people will be afraid to come to the wedding? it certainly is a lot of people congregating in a tight space....and dancing in close proximity.....

 

[ericafny]

Beth I hope you and your mother stay healthy! I heard on CNN that for anyone who HAS this strain of the flu it takes 7-10 days for it to be out of your system. Here is a link to the CDC website and the latest information they have released for Americans for swine flu: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ I dunno if there is any info you haven't already come across in there.

Just focus on staying healthy for the wedding...I am sure everything will work out! Sending hugs and pixie dust...

 

[stitchlover]

Oh goodness! You will be in our prayers. Do you mind me asking where you are located in the country?

We are just West of Fort Worth, Texas and FWISD closed their doors until May 11th as of last night. I believe the last I heard they had 1 confirmed case in a school and 3 suspected cases. I think they have about 130 campuses. We are in a different county from FW and we have no confirmed cases in our entire county so the Aledo ISD is open and operating.

I have heard 11 days from start to finish and that you are contagious the entire time.

Best of luck to you!

 

[MonkeyPants]

i just keep picturing the airplane and movie theater scenes in "Outbreak" (the movie starring dustin hoffman)...

I know what you mean, pretty scary

 

[disneyholic family]

Beth I hope you and your mother stay healthy! I heard on CNN that for anyone who HAS this strain of the flu it takes 7-10 days for it to be out of your system. Here is a link to the CDC website and the latest information they have released for Americans for swine flu: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ I dunno if there is any info you haven't already come across in there.

Just focus on staying healthy for the wedding...I am sure everything will work out! Sending hugs and pixie dust...

thanks! i'll check it out...
i tried calling the CDC yesterday, but the info line was swamped..

Oh goodness! You will be in our prayers. Do you mind me asking where you are located in the country?

We are just West of Fort Worth, Texas and FWISD closed their doors until May 11th as of last night. I believe the last I heard they had 1 confirmed case in a school and 3 suspected cases. I think they have about 130 campuses. We are in a different county from FW and we have no confirmed cases in our entire county so the Aledo ISD is open and operating.

I have heard 11 days from start to finish and that you are contagious the entire time.

Best of luck to you!

i live in Israel....there are only a few cases so far, all of them people returning from trips to mexico....but i'm guessing it's only a matter of time before someone gets sick from coming into contact with them....

the cases seem to be accelerating...

i heard a BBC report today about el paso....i had no idea that many people cross the border every day....incredible...
they were saying that el paso made it impossible to close the border...
but it still seems you could restrict movement if you wanted to....

i think the authorities have been very slow in taking this seriously..

I know what you mean, pretty scary

i hope none of this affects the podcast cruise.

 

[mikelan6]

People are going crazy. Just wash your hands often, and don't stress.

 

[kpadalik]

I think I heard that if you don't show signs/symptoms within 48 hrs of being exposed...that you're okay. I could be wrong, but I thought I heard this somewhere. Best to check w/ CDC or a doctor.

 

[MonkeyPants]

People are going crazy. Just wash your hands often, and don't stress.

umm yeah thats always great advise, however the flu is airborne

 

[DVCJones]

My MIL and FIL are in Cancun now!!! They flew out last Sat. I have tried to contact them by calling their cell and through email and have yet to hear from them. I hope they are okay. They are scheduled to fly home on Saturday. We have a my DD 4th birthday party scheduled for Sunday. I am going to ask them not to come for obvious reasons.

I hope they don't think I am overreacting, but I just can't take that kind of risk.

 

[robinzkj]

It is not airborn. It is spread by droplets, what we call droplet precaution. It's spread by people coughing and sneezing and their droplets go on to objects that others touch, door handles, shopping carts, desks, elevator buttons or if you like the people I take care of in the ER, directly on me or my clothing.

Hand washing is essential. If you touch a surface that has the virus on it and then you pick up your sandwich, you just gave yourself the virus.

from the cdc website

"Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures. "

 

[Carolinagal]

We live here in a small suburb outside of Houston and we have several suspected and one confirmed case in the schools on my side of town. Earlier this week we had massive amounts of rain and several people had homes flooded, and kids missed a day of school. If this flu spreads as quickly as they say, we may have to close schools next week, too.

None of the kids diagnosed so far on this side of town have had to be hospitalized - just treated at home and are recovering. I pray this remains the case.

Stay well!

 

[challer]

a girl who goes to school 2 blocks from my house has been hospitalized with suspected swine flu..
.

just curious - which hospital?

 

[disneyholic family]

My MIL and FIL are in Cancun now!!! They flew out last Sat. I have tried to contact them by calling their cell and through email and have yet to hear from them. I hope they are okay. They are scheduled to fly home on Saturday. We have a my DD 4th birthday party scheduled for Sunday. I am going to ask them not to come for obvious reasons.

I hope they don't think I am overreacting, but I just can't take that kind of risk.

they showed cancun on the BBC yesterday...a reporter was there - showed how it looks like a ghosttown....beaches, restaurants, night spots all completely empty...

your in laws are probably safer there than anywhere else in the world, since there are so few people there right now and absolutely no one congregating in groups anywhere...

We live here in a small suburb outside of Houston and we have several suspected and one confirmed case in the schools on my side of town. Earlier this week we had massive amounts of rain and several people had homes flooded, and kids missed a day of school. If this flu spreads as quickly as they say, we may have to close schools next week, too.

None of the kids diagnosed so far on this side of town have had to be hospitalized - just treated at home and are recovering. I pray this remains the case.

Stay well!

as they say, from your mouth to god's ears!

by the way, the little girl near us is 9 years old, not 12 - it was on the radio this morning...

finally a reporter asked the question i've been asking since the beginning of the week....what happens to the other people on connecting flights from mexico....like my mom's flight....and my sister and nephew fly in tonight on that very same flight......the main connecting flight from mexico city to tel aviv....i know my sister's going to wear a mask the whole flight....
her immune system is compromised as it is...all she needs to do is sit on a plane for hours and hours with droplets of contagion in the air ...
i still think she should stay home and not come here for the wedding...but i'm betting she'll be on that plane tonight, no matter what...

although, after what Joe Biden said yesterday, maybe she won't get on the plane...

 

[concept5123]

its the flu its the same as every other flu. why is everyone freeking out? dosent everyone remember sars and the dreaded bird flu. everyone is out to scare people. just wash your hands cover your mouth and use common since

 

[BRobson]

In Scotland a couple came home from honeymoon in Mexico with Swine Flu and the good news is that they have now been released from hospital

 

[ericafny]

umm yeah thats always great advise, however the flu is airborne

I'm really trying not to be rude here but all medical experts report that washing your hands is the number one thing you can do to prevent the spread of ALL germs, not just swine flu.

 

[MonkeyPants]

its the flu its the same as every other flu. why is everyone freeking out? dosent everyone remember sars and the dreaded bird flu. everyone is out to scare people. just wash your hands cover your mouth and use common since

the problem is that it is not the same flu, its a mutation. Typically people dont get swine flu. They are saying this flu is actually a mix that has swine/bird and standard flu. Do you rememeber entire schools and cities shutting down for regular flu? Also in a world where we give anitibiotics for every thing, with most of the animals we use for food being pumped full of antibiotics...we are basically making a breeding ground for superbugs that are anitibiotic resistant.


Robin, the flu is airborne. Yes washing hands and wiping surfaces is important. But if a person with the flu coughs/sneezes and doesnt cover their mouth the virus is is sent out in airborne dropplets and remain in the air for a while before they settle down on object (where they remain alive for a while) So basically some moron in an elevator coughs or sneezes he can infect the entire elevator...he could be alone cough in the elevator get out on your floor you get on and bang you breath in his germs still floating around in the elevator. Remember just because you cover your mouth whenyou cough and sneeze doesnt mean everyone else does.

 

[daneenm]

As the Mom of a child who is more severely impacted than most (due to other factors) by any illness when he contracts it, I am trying to really think carefully about my personal reaction to this illness in lieu of his situation. We, by the way, are in the attendance area for a high school that has been closed due to one reported case.

It is my opinion that they are closing schools, etc, because they do not yet know enough about this strain of virus to know how quickly and widely it will spread. Therefore, they are being extra (maybe overly?) cautious. With a known virus, even if 10/20/30 kids were sick with the same virus they would not even consider closing a school.

ANY VIRUS can be contracted by someone coughing or sneezing on you, or by touching an area where the virus has been deposited and then touching your eyes, mouth, nose, etc. This one seems to be no different in its transmission mechanism so far.

Frankly, I think the Media has done us all a disservice by creating so much hype about this. Information is good and necessary...hype puts people into a panic. The truth of the matter is, sadly, EVERY year people die of the flu. Yes, this is a strain that has not been seen, yes it is cause for concern and study, yes we should be conscious of our own hygiene and what situations we chose to put ourselves in during a time when ANYa flu virus is being passed around. However, in my family, I have chosen to handle it as I do any other flu season, with the regular precautions.

Just my two cents...