Anyone freaking out over the swine flu? I'm dilated to 3 and 90% effaced. The thought of bringing home an infant in the next week with young kids in Preschool and 1st grade is freaking me out. I have already pulled my daughter out of preschool -- don't really think the last few weeks of school are worth the risk. My son however needs to go to school everyday -- the amount of homework he gets is daunting so he can't really miss a day. Please tell me I'm over-reacting and this will blow over in a few weeks when flu season ends -- right?
Freaking out over Swine Flu
- Thread starter TinaM
- Start date
4ondafloor
New member
Hi Tina.
Certainly living in SoCal (if that's where you are) you have a reason for alarm what with the border in such close proximity. I don't know that I'd hit the panic button just yet though. Take the necessary precautions with health and welfare. Stay away from mass transit and crowded places, things like that. Wash hands..wash hands and then wash hands again for the young one. School is something that must go on. I'd make sure that I stay in close contact with the staff and they in turn assure you that they are monitoring each and every little illness accompanied with a fever. You know they are already but it will make you feel better hearing it.
You know..common sense stuff right?
I can only imagine how you must geel being pregnant..I'm sorry. On the plus side, it will only be for a few weeks.
Good luck!!
Certainly living in SoCal (if that's where you are) you have a reason for alarm what with the border in such close proximity. I don't know that I'd hit the panic button just yet though. Take the necessary precautions with health and welfare. Stay away from mass transit and crowded places, things like that. Wash hands..wash hands and then wash hands again for the young one. School is something that must go on. I'd make sure that I stay in close contact with the staff and they in turn assure you that they are monitoring each and every little illness accompanied with a fever. You know they are already but it will make you feel better hearing it.
You know..common sense stuff right?
I can only imagine how you must geel being pregnant..I'm sorry. On the plus side, it will only be for a few weeks.
Good luck!!
ina/puusty
New member
One inhales and exhales..and stays prudent, stays up with the health news..but panic..is a stress..and you do not need that. We have flu seasons lasting around 6 months..more or less..so there isn't really a 'non flu' time frame..they just kinda build-up..blow on through..and mutate. You will have some protection in place, during the carrying of the baby.., and alert parenting wisdoms already in place from raising children. Your local Dr. will be so 'on point'..that it isn't funny..so..drop it all down a notch..and roll with it. I am 'elderly' at 71..and do not take flu shots..but..I'll make it or I won't. Now..plan for a nice swift birth..and let the Spring..be a time of hope and wisedom. hugs, ina n HB n Kesa
Lori
New member
stay calm , you dont need any extra stress now. i work in an elementary school in a suburb of chicago. we are telling everybody just to use common sense and wash hand alot. we are also showing the kids how to cough into your arm. we dont have many kids out at all now, just the usua
nowhavethreebears
New member
What most people don't realize is that somewhere between 20 and 30 thousand people die EVERY YEAR from one type of flu or another. Not to be an alarmist....I'm just saying...deaths from flu are nothing new or unusual.....
Last I heard today there has still only been one death in the US...A Mexican boy who happened to be visiting relatives in Brownsville, TX when he got sick.
Yes, take precautions. But, no, don't panic. The media is just whipping people into a frenzy over this thing.
Just keep the kids out of crowds and close to home as much as possible. Keep disinfectant wipes handy for them and yourself all the time.
Common sense hygiene practices go a long way. Just make sure you are extra diligent about them now.
The hospital staff can give you more info and tips on how to protect yourself....Just ask!
Good luck and congratulations!
Last I heard today there has still only been one death in the US...A Mexican boy who happened to be visiting relatives in Brownsville, TX when he got sick.
Yes, take precautions. But, no, don't panic. The media is just whipping people into a frenzy over this thing.
Just keep the kids out of crowds and close to home as much as possible. Keep disinfectant wipes handy for them and yourself all the time.
Common sense hygiene practices go a long way. Just make sure you are extra diligent about them now.
The hospital staff can give you more info and tips on how to protect yourself....Just ask!
Good luck and congratulations!
Last edited:
Lori
New member
sorry, I can't type well on my phone. I was saying that we don't have an unusual amount of kids out sick now. Just the usual sore throat, allergy type of things. We've had several calls, but only one panicking. She let her older kid, 3rd or 4th grade come to school, but kept the pre-school and Kindergartener home. The teacher and the nurse explained everything to her and then she felt ok. But like Nowhavethreebears said, many people die from the flu each year. It depends on the health of the person when they get the flu in the first place that plays a big part in recovery and how they take care of it once they get it, and that goes with any kind of disease.
Caution is good, but not the way the media gets going on things. Soon they will latch on to something else and this will just be in the background.
Keep washing those hands!
Caution is good, but not the way the media gets going on things. Soon they will latch on to something else and this will just be in the background.
Keep washing those hands!
cedarvalleynewfoundlands
New member
Hand washing is the best defense we have against any type of flu, Swine or otherwise.
The main reason they are so worried about this particular flu is that we have never seen it, so have no immunity to it at all. As Anita said, between 20-30,000 people die every year in the US from influenza of several types. Whats scary about Swine flu is that it seems to hit young, healthy people. Most of the fatalities in Mexico were between 20-45 years of age, which IS unusual for the types of flu we normally see here in the US. I would say stay informed, and wash your hands very frequently. You may also want to pick up an alcohol based hand sanitizer like the ones we use in the Hospital. For little childrem, they may help more than washing hands since most kids dont wash their hands long enough for it to be effective. Stay calm though, normal hand washing and alcohol based hand sanitizers are the best precaution you have
The main reason they are so worried about this particular flu is that we have never seen it, so have no immunity to it at all. As Anita said, between 20-30,000 people die every year in the US from influenza of several types. Whats scary about Swine flu is that it seems to hit young, healthy people. Most of the fatalities in Mexico were between 20-45 years of age, which IS unusual for the types of flu we normally see here in the US. I would say stay informed, and wash your hands very frequently. You may also want to pick up an alcohol based hand sanitizer like the ones we use in the Hospital. For little childrem, they may help more than washing hands since most kids dont wash their hands long enough for it to be effective. Stay calm though, normal hand washing and alcohol based hand sanitizers are the best precaution you have
pabusinesswoman
New member
Well.. look at it this way... it is a variation of the flu bug. Take the normal precations you would for avoiding in a flu type situation.
People do die every year from the flu worldwide. People with immunities that are compromised are more succeptible... just like when you had your previous children... you try to keep them away from people who are sick... make people wash their hands before handling them.. etc. That is why most folks get the flu shot to boost their anitbodies in their system to help fight the strains.
Per the last I heard, there are currently over 50 cases of the regular flu right now. You don't hear a big thing about those unless it is flu season. This is just the new buzz.
Influenza (flu virus) has tons of strains. It is constantly mutating, thus making it very hard to predict how it is going to mutate for making the proper flu vaccines. Knowing this, it does make me wonder how many of these current "swine" cases may actually be another flu bug strain.
People do die every year from the flu worldwide. People with immunities that are compromised are more succeptible... just like when you had your previous children... you try to keep them away from people who are sick... make people wash their hands before handling them.. etc. That is why most folks get the flu shot to boost their anitbodies in their system to help fight the strains.
Per the last I heard, there are currently over 50 cases of the regular flu right now. You don't hear a big thing about those unless it is flu season. This is just the new buzz.
Influenza (flu virus) has tons of strains. It is constantly mutating, thus making it very hard to predict how it is going to mutate for making the proper flu vaccines. Knowing this, it does make me wonder how many of these current "swine" cases may actually be another flu bug strain.
charlieinnj
New member
No...I am not freaking out over this. It's what the news media wants us to do. They LIVE for these types of events.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx
I like this statement:
More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu!
It is very difficult to forecast a pandemic, and a rash response can be extremely damaging.
To put things into perspective, malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY DAY, and it"s considered "a health problem"... But of course, there are no fancy vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars in a short amount of time.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx
I like this statement:
More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu!
It is very difficult to forecast a pandemic, and a rash response can be extremely damaging.
To put things into perspective, malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY DAY, and it"s considered "a health problem"... But of course, there are no fancy vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars in a short amount of time.
Charlie'sMom
New member
I think people need to take a deep breath and just be rational about it.
Your chance of contracting it if you haven't been to mexico is incredibly low, not to mention, that people who are contracting it in Canada and the US have either no symptoms, or very mild symptoms.
Breathe in, breathe out. Relax. You have a better chance of dying in a car accident and I don't see people giving their keys away.
Your chance of contracting it if you haven't been to mexico is incredibly low, not to mention, that people who are contracting it in Canada and the US have either no symptoms, or very mild symptoms.
Breathe in, breathe out. Relax. You have a better chance of dying in a car accident and I don't see people giving their keys away.
newfam
New member
I would pull my kids out of school after the baby was born but NOT because of any illnesses. Infact I brought home a newborn the day one of my kids came home with chicken pox OY!!
No I would bring my kids home after the baby only because I LOVED those first few weeks of bonding as a family. I loved getting to cocoon my kids all together for the short time the newborn was a newborn. For us that was one of the most precious times in our house. Maybe if you let the teacher know what you would like to do then he could finish up school work at home. Generally the last weeks are introducing stuff for next year which they go over again in the fall.
No I would bring my kids home after the baby only because I LOVED those first few weeks of bonding as a family. I loved getting to cocoon my kids all together for the short time the newborn was a newborn. For us that was one of the most precious times in our house. Maybe if you let the teacher know what you would like to do then he could finish up school work at home. Generally the last weeks are introducing stuff for next year which they go over again in the fall.
courtney77
New member
The city of Fort Worth is freaking out as they have completely shut down every school that falls under the FWISD umbrella through May. 8.
I just found out that two kids in my son's class just came back from spring break. One (who sits next to him) visited Mexico City and the other went to Cancun. Spring break ended 8 days ago. I'm not sure what the incubation period is. We are only 2 hours from the border. Honestly even without the swine flu and with all the drug cartel murders down in Mexico why would you vacation down there? Trust me we have lots of sanitizers and hand washing. I make my kids sing happy birthday to themselves while washing their hands so they know how long to wash. They follow-up with the sanitizers. I'm most concerned about the newborn and my 5 year old daughter. She has had several heart surgeries and is not someone I would want to come down with this. She is for sure staying home for the rest of the year. As for my son, I did send him to school today, but I am gonig to talk to the school nurse about the kids that came back from mexico. I realize that thousands of people die from the flu each year -- my understanding is that they die from a flu that we already have some natural immunity to and itis usually the very young or very old.
This flu is so scary because we have zero immunity and it is killing healthy people. I think if I didn't have pregnancy hormones running through my body making me clinically insane I wouldn't be in such a panic. I wish my son's school would just close down on their own. He is in 1st grade and he is reading at a 5th grade level and doing math at a 3rd grade level -- I'm not worried about him missing the last 6 weeks of school -- I just don't want to look like an alarmist for pulling him out!
This flu is so scary because we have zero immunity and it is killing healthy people. I think if I didn't have pregnancy hormones running through my body making me clinically insane I wouldn't be in such a panic. I wish my son's school would just close down on their own. He is in 1st grade and he is reading at a 5th grade level and doing math at a 3rd grade level -- I'm not worried about him missing the last 6 weeks of school -- I just don't want to look like an alarmist for pulling him out!
ina/puusty
New member
"clinically insane"..hugs sweety..we'll all keep joshin' ya..till the sanity returns to level..ok? 
ina n HB n Kesa
ina n HB n Kesa
kodiakpm
New member
There is a 7 day incubation period. Go to the website and read what they say about this flu and why the young/healthy people could die. It tells you everything you need to know. Also read the articles on CNN.
www.cdc.gov/swineflu
Melissa
www.cdc.gov/swineflu
Melissa
Well, I usually don't comment on these types of threads, but I have to agree with Charlieinnj. It gives the media something to talk about.
Also, we have had numerous epidemics, pandemic or similar threats over the last 90 years. Yes, people die, but in this country, your odds are pretty darn good that you won't. And this is not the first time the Swine flu has been involved.
I also think it's interesting that this is a main topic for the much hyped "first 100 days in office" crap. Makes the media coverage seem suspicisouly political to me.
That's not to say that we shouldn't use common sense or take precautions. Just don't blow it out of proportion.
Also, we have had numerous epidemics, pandemic or similar threats over the last 90 years. Yes, people die, but in this country, your odds are pretty darn good that you won't. And this is not the first time the Swine flu has been involved.
I also think it's interesting that this is a main topic for the much hyped "first 100 days in office" crap. Makes the media coverage seem suspicisouly political to me.
That's not to say that we shouldn't use common sense or take precautions. Just don't blow it out of proportion.
charlieinnj
New member
As the World Health Organization raised its infectious disease alert level Wednesday and health officials confirmed the first death linked to swine flu inside U.S. borders, scientists studying the virus are coming to the consensus that this hybrid strain of influenza -- at least in its current form -- isn't shaping up to be as fatal as the strains that caused some previous pandemics.
In fact, the current outbreak of the H1N1 virus, which emerged in San Diego and southern Mexico late last month, may not even do as much damage as the run-of-the-mill flu outbreaks that occur each winter without much fanfare.
"Let's not lose track of the fact that the normal seasonal influenza is a huge public health problem that kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. alone and hundreds of thousands around the world," said Dr. Christopher Olsen, a molecular virologist who studies swine flu at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison.
"We expect to see more cases, more hospitalizations, and, unfortunately, we are likely to see more deaths from the outbreak," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Wednesday on her first day at work.
But certainly nothing that would dwarf a typical flu season. In the U.S., between 5% and 20% of the population becomes ill and 36,000 people die -- a mortality rate of between 0.24% and 0.96%.
Source:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3606923.story
In fact, the current outbreak of the H1N1 virus, which emerged in San Diego and southern Mexico late last month, may not even do as much damage as the run-of-the-mill flu outbreaks that occur each winter without much fanfare.
"Let's not lose track of the fact that the normal seasonal influenza is a huge public health problem that kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. alone and hundreds of thousands around the world," said Dr. Christopher Olsen, a molecular virologist who studies swine flu at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison.
"We expect to see more cases, more hospitalizations, and, unfortunately, we are likely to see more deaths from the outbreak," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Wednesday on her first day at work.
But certainly nothing that would dwarf a typical flu season. In the U.S., between 5% and 20% of the population becomes ill and 36,000 people die -- a mortality rate of between 0.24% and 0.96%.
Source:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3606923.story
R Taft
Active member
This is so true and there is a higher risk of dying in a car accident and we all keep driving on the road...........