Busy pediatric offices, where parents likely had trouble making appointments, lots of absences at area schools, and even shortages of Tamiflu, all pointed to a rise in flu cases.
And high levels of flu cases means a high level of swine flu cases, since the CDC reports that 99% of all subtyped flu A viruses being reported to them are indeed the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus.
Coping with the Swine Flu PandemicEven though a lot of kids are getting sick with swine flu, most have pretty mild symptoms.
It is the ones with more
severe swine flu symptoms, especially the few cases that you hear about on the news, that cause the most fear in parents.
Fortunately, the CDC states that 'most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs.' And that means that not everyone needs to rush to their pediatrician if they think their kids have the flu, who can not possibly see all of their patients with flu-like symptoms. Instead, the CDC recommends that only children who are at higher risk for complications from the flu seek medical attention, including:
- children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
- children with chronic medical problems, such as asthma, diabetes, or a weakened immune system, etc.
- children with severe swine flu symptoms, which can include fast breathing, being very irritable, not waking up, not drinking enough fluids and getting dehydrated, or if symtoms get worse after they were getting better, etc.
Most other children can simply be treated at home by giving them plenty of clear liquids, an age-appropriate doses of a fever reducer, like Tylenol or Motrin, and a cold and cough medicine if they are at least four years old.
It is also important to keep them away from others as much as possible so that no one else at home gets sick with the flu, so try to:
- restrict them to one room of the house and have them use a separate bathroom from everyone else in the family
- teach them to cover coughs and sneezes and wash their hands with soap and water frequently
- encourage everyone in the house to wash their hands frequently with soap and water
- keep them home until they are free of fever for twenty-four hours without having taken a fever reducer
- get a seasonal flu vaccine and a 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine as soon as possible
Keep in mind that delays for the seasonal flu vaccine may mean that your kids can't get one until November and that initial shipments of the swine flu vaccine this month will be very limited too.
Useful Links
There is a lot of misinformation about swine flu out there, which is just fueling the fear some parents have. Good information is going to be one of your best weapons in the next few weeks and months until flu cases start to decrease. These links are a good place to start:
