Swine Flu News

[Minnie Lor]

Well, that's comforting.

Just what I thought. It just makes you wonder is this being all blown out of proportion or is it not being discussed enough. I want to warn some of my friends but at the same time I don't want to come off as an alarmest. My one friend and her two kids catch everything. They get strep and bronchitus multiple times a year. They take multi-vitamins and eat right but have a low immune system. I worry about them and my other friends that have kids. School starts here tomorrow. Oh boy!

 

[rie'smom]

20 kids at LSU tested positive for the flu. The doctors have sent off samples but believe it is the H1N1.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Here is the link for directors article
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2009/08/13/astoria_times/news/astoria_times_newsmizhiqz08122009.txt

Here are some school closures:

Posted on Mon, Aug. 17, 2009
Flu closes one school in Boyle - KY
Lexington Herald-Leader Staff Report

http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/898803.html

JUNCTION CITY — Numerous absences because of flu prompted the Boyle County school district to cancel classes Tuesday through Friday at Junction City Elementary School, Superintendent Mike LaFavers said.

Junction City Elementary has 353 students.

Absences began Aug. 12 and have increased each school day since, LaFavers said. "On Friday, it was significant, the number of students that were out," LaFavers said, and on Monday, the number was even greater. He said 17 staff members called in sick.

The other four schools in the Boyle County system will continue to have classes this week because attendance in them has "been around 97 percent," LaFavers said.

Boyle County began classes on Aug. 6. LaFavers said it unusual to cancel classes because of flu so early in the school year.
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http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=10932811&nav=menu37_8_1_3
Flu symptoms send many students home
Posted: Aug 14, 2009 4:49 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 14, 2009 6:05 PM EDT

Thomasville, GA (WALB) - With school back in session, hundreds of students and staff in Southwest Georgia are forced leave school in the middle of the day with flu-like symptoms.

Public heath departments are treating the cases as pandemic H1N1 flu clusters. Even though every person who goes home sick has not received positive test results for H1N1, they are being treated that way.

In Thomas County schools, more than 100 kids were sent home Friday. School officials were warned by health officials to expect a wave of swine flu among students, likely during the third week of classes.

[snip]

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[Tinijocaro]

20 kids at LSU tested positive for the flu. The doctors have sent off samples but believe it is the H1N1.

Where is LSU (city, which school)?

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

http://www.wdsu.com/news/20412783/detail.html

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Officials with LSU said Saturday about 20 students have been diagnosed with a Type A flu bug in the past week.
Additional tests will not be performed, but the school said it presumes the strain is that of the H1N1 -- or swine flu -- variety.
Several of those infected were on campus for the start of sorority recruitment and are suffering from mild to moderate symptoms.
The illnesses are not considered serious enough to prompt the cancellation or postponement of sorority rush, the school said in a release Saturday afternoon.
Those who have contracted the bug have been advised to stay home for at least seven days or until 24 hours after all symptoms had passed. Ths university said it is following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control.
An e-mail to students participating in sorority rush detailed precautions to reduce the spread of the virus.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

In the article about the funeral directors, it says the CDC expects at 2-3 percent death rate. I haven't seen that anywhere. I wonder why they would predict that when it has been nowhere near that so far. Do they expect it, or is that a worst-case scenario?

My DD(4) was tested for flu this morning. It was negative, but the doctor was surprised by the results. She has had a fever of 102 since Sunday, headache, sore thoat, chills, aches, runny nose, light sensitivity and chills. She has also complained that her stomach hurts, but we have seen no "outside evidence" of that. The only symptom she doesn't have is cough. She has been responding well to ibuprofen, so I am not too worried, whatever it is.

I know there are a lot of false negatives with the rapid test, so although I am somewhat comforted by the negative, I know it is not 100 percent sure. If I come down with it, I will still head to my asthma doctor to see what he recommends. I have been sanitizing like crazy, so maybe we will stay well. It helps that she hasn't been coughing everywhere!

 

[momx2]

I was just going to post about the Boyle County, KY school closure, but see someone beat me to it. There has also been positive tests for H1N1 in Marshall County, KY schools, but no closures yet. My oldest DD told me that there are numerous children sick at her school with stomach symptoms, sore throat and other symptoms. Many more than normal for this time of year, but no confirmed H1N1 cases I am aware of yet in our county.

 

[sbell111]

In the article about the funeral directors, it says the CDC expects at 2-3 percent death rate. I haven't seen that anywhere. I wonder why they would predict that when it has been nowhere near that so far. Do they expect it, or is that a worst-case scenario?

I believe that this was bad information. I suspect that someone heard that the Pandemic Severity Index was two and misunderstood that to mean that it meant that there was an expected 2% death rate (or else they just dropped the decimal point.) The actual expected mrtality rate is between 0.1 and 0.5 percent.

 

[Minnie Lor]

They are going to have to start testing instead of assuming it's H1N1. Did you hear of the girl that died because of tonsilitus. She was diagnosed over the phone with swine flu and given tamiflu.

 

[4forMe]

Here is a link to an article regarding updated information on U.S. confirmed cases and deaths in addition to vaccination information:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...20660799750.html?mod=rss_Today's_Most_Popular

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Football team facing summer flu outbreak
Issue date: 8/17/09 Section: News
Last update: 8/17/09 at 10:02 AM EST

Almost half of Duke's 99 football players have experienced symptoms consistent with H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, since training camp began Aug. 6, head coach David Cutcliffe said Friday.

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/...Team.Facing.Summer.Flu.Outbreak-3754963.shtml

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Schools report more absentees from swine flu
By Lance Griffin

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/new...s_report_more_absentees_from_swine_flu/87824/

Published: August 17, 2009

The swine flu appears to be having a significant impact in Houston County, as patients flood emergency rooms and pharmacies and schools become hit with absentees and sick children in nurses’ offices.

Diane Hooper, spokesperson for Houston County schools, said Rehobeth Elementary School appears to be one of the hardest hit schools, with 14 cases believed to be either swine flu or seasonal flu and several others showing flu-like symptoms Monday. However, Hooper said cases at other county schools numbered no more than four. Houston County High School has not reported any cases.

Dothan City Schools Superintendent Sam Nichols said there appeared to be a spike in absentees Monday that could be caused by swine flu, but those cases are still being evaluated. He said Honeysuckle Middle School appeared to be showing more flu activity than other city schools.

Hooper and Nichols said schools are operating by guidelines suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which include urging parents to keep children home from school for 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, separating ill students and staff, frequent cleaning of high traffic areas and early treatment of high-risk students and staff.

Meanwhile, emergency room traffic at Southeast Alabama Medical Center has increased 25 percent for flu-like symptoms from the same time period in 2008, according to spokesperson Steve Pearce.

[snip]
more information at link

 

[C.Ann]

I was afraid this would happen as soon as the schools began to reopen..

I find it interesting that so many people are still comparing this to the "regular flu" - when it has been running rampant outside of the traditional flu season - and the priority list for the vaccine is so opposite of what it would be for the regular flu.. Seems to me that comparing H1N1 with the seasonal flu is comparing apples and oranges - two entirely different scenarios..

Schools start back just after Labor Day up here.. I'm guessing we'll see a surge of cases surfacing at that time - even though it's not "flu season"..

I think we're in for a long, hard year..

 

[rie'smom]

My daughter has been sick since last Thursday. She started with a sinus infection and last night complained of her chest hurting and she's coughing up gunk. She's seeing the doctor for the 3rd time in 7 days and they're going to check her for the flu this afternoon.

 

[ma2jr]

My daughter has been sick since last Thursday. She started with a sinus infection and last night complained of her chest hurting and she's coughing up gunk. She's seeing the doctor for the 3rd time in 7 days and they're going to check her for the flu this afternoon.

I hope it turns out to be nothing... fingers crossed & good luck today.

 

[rie'smom]

I hope it turns out to be nothing... fingers crossed & good luck today.

Thank-you. I'm a wreck.

 

[luvwinnie]

I was afraid this would happen as soon as the schools began to reopen..

I find it interesting that so many people are still comparing this to the "regular flu" - when it has been running rampant outside of the traditional flu season - and the priority list for the vaccine is so opposite of what it would be for the regular flu.. Seems to me that comparing H1N1 with the seasonal flu is comparing apples and oranges - two entirely different scenarios..

Schools start back just after Labor Day up here.. I'm guessing we'll see a surge of cases surfacing at that time - even though it's not "flu season"..

I think we're in for a long, hard year..

I think people just aren't educating themselves about it. I had to explain it all to a co-worker this week. He had no idea young, healthy had died from it. He thought the over 65 group was at high risk!

 

[luvmylittleboy2003]

I was just going to post about the Boyle County, KY school closure, but see someone beat me to it. There has also been positive tests for H1N1 in Marshall County, KY schools, but no closures yet. My oldest DD told me that there are numerous children sick at her school with stomach symptoms, sore throat and other symptoms. Many more than normal for this time of year, but no confirmed H1N1 cases I am aware of yet in our county.

Courier Journal reporting that Oldham County Schools in KY report swine flu case.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

I just talked the nurse at my ped. office because I wanted to ask some questions (my daughter has had a fever of 102 and flu-like symptoms since Sunday--she tested negative for flu, but there is a substantial rate of false negatives with the rapid test--whatever it is, I am ready for her to be well).

Anyway, the nurse said they have had people in their office with symptoms that are as mild as allergies who have tested positive for influenza A (simply a runny nose or cough--no fever, aches, etc...). It is so crazy that the same virus can cause such a mild reaction in some and such a life-endangering reaction in others!

 

[rie'smom]

I hope it turns out to be nothing... fingers crossed & good luck today.

She doesn't have the flu, thank God!!
The doctor told me though that in a neighboring community, the middle school has 100 out of 300 students absent and that most of these kids tested positive for the flu. We live in south Louisiana and it's practically unheard of for the flu to strike this early in the season. Cases don't usually show up until the winter time.

 

[N.Bailey]

I just talked the nurse at my ped. office because I wanted to ask some questions (my daughter has had a fever of 102 and flu-like symptoms since Sunday--she tested negative for flu, but there is a substantial rate of false negatives with the rapid test--whatever it is, I am ready for her to be well).

Anyway, the nurse said they have had people in their office with symptoms that are as mild as allerigies who have tested positive for influenza A (simply a runny nose or cough--no fever, aches, etc...). It is so crazy that the same virus can cause such a mild reaction in some and such a life-endangering reaction in others!

Since the flu is made up of 1 part Avian, 1 part human, and what, 2 parts swine, I'm wondering if some people don't have partial immunity while others have no immunity to any of it. Early reports said part of this influenza was found in the US long before it started showing up in Mexico.