That's terrible Postum. I hear so little about it on the news these days. Something was on the other day about it now being labeled a pandemic. I will have to pass this information along to older family members who aren't too worried. I agree, the CDC should note exactly what your doctor has told you.

Hope your dd starts to feel better soon and you don't come down with it also. Your workplace should be glad if you stay out of work.

I'm in NJ, it's everywhere here. Confirmed cases in the local public schools, and on the pediatric floor of the hospital I work at. I am 9 months pregnant, and I was recently sick with a really bad cold, cough, and body aches. Still have body aches and headache and a night time cough. I was exposed at work. I never got tested though. If it got really bad I would have. I did see my OBGYN, he said if it got worse he was going to admit me. I never had a fever.
I heard the CDC was going to stop counting individual cases because of the pandemic status. Not sure if this is true.
I suppose it is not being reported as frequently in CA? It is on the news here everyday. I got an email from my township and public schools. We have been kept up to date about it at work via emails. Perhaps it's just your local area? Did your pediatrician test for the H1N1 flu virus, or is he/she just assuming? Because they would be considered suspected cases and not confirmed. I wasn't tested, but that was my own fault (healthcare workers truly are the worst patients). So if I had it, I will never know, but again, my own fault.

It's reported here but fairly mild cases. Of course your doctor cannot confirm that it's swine flu without testing. And CDC cannot report the numbers that are not being tested. I think it is widespread although not rampant in our area.

I hope your daughter is over it very soon and that you don't come down with it!

tina

You're so right postum. My son has it right now. Well, we think he has it but they wouldn't come right out and say it at the doctor's office. Said the test said that he has type A flu, which the swine flu is, but that the test doesn't tell specifically more than that. Then they went on and on about even if it is the swine flu, it has been so blown out of proportion. BUT, they put our whole family on tamiflu and told him he can't go out of the house for seven days. Then when we went to check out and pay, the girl said he should've had a mask on! I think they are trying so hard to keep from being stampeded and I think tamiflu might be in short supply. I got the last three bottles at target and had to get the fourth at CVS and they were re-ordering daily. My older son said he has never seen so many people out sick in his life at school (Fairfax County, Virginia). I do think they are trying to kind of hide it a bit that it is spreading so quickly. I think many of the people don't even realize they have it. Did your daughter and your family get tamiflu? It has really reduced my son's symptoms very quickly. He had the high fever, achy joints, chills, etc. but he's doing much better and hopefully we won't get it. Hope you all stay healthy and that your daughter feels better soon!

The last report I heard a few days ago, it was said the swine flu is hitting mostly children so I'm not surprised to hear your story. You are right, the CDC is not reporting accurate information.

I am in NYC and everyone has the swine flu. It is rampant but you're right the CDC doesn't report every case. In fact my pediatrician's office doesn't even test for it. There is a regular flu going around too so if you go to the Dr's, they tell you that you have the flu and to stay out of work/school for 7 days. I have to admit that I'm not as crazed as everyone else is about the swine flu but that's because I am surrounded by sick people in the subway, in the supermarket etc. NYC is swarming with the swine flu but there is nothing I can really do to avoid it except stay home which I can't do. I just pray that we don't get it (though both my kids had the flu just recently) and that we don't pass it on to my elderly parents.

I'm in CT, and our school system keeps us updated on reported cases. Just like the "regular" flu, it spreads through schools like wildfire. Luckily, most cases here are mild, just like the "regular" flu. The CDC back in April or May recommended that MDs NOT test people for it, because it was turning out to be no different in its severity/mortality rate than the "regular" flu, and the treatment is the same. If every case of the possible flu got tested to determine if it was Swine vs. Seasonal, it would do nothing to change the outcome, but end up just raising the cost of healthcare.

I'm sorry your DD is so sick. Those high fevers are scary. I'm in SC and our kid are out of school. There IS something weird going around, especially for the summer. All of my friends have had it and so has my DD. Sore throat, fever for a day or two, extreme tiredness and nagging cough. DD is a lifeguard at the Y. She probably infected half the town.

Postum, in addition to looking into Tamilflu for DD, see about getting some kind of flu vaccine for yourself.

When I came down with the Chicken Pox at age 36, my DH was concerned because he had never had it either. His doc had him get the vaccine even though he had already been exposed. Sure enough he got the Chicken Pox, but not nearly as severe as I did.

I don't know what the incubation period is for the SF (the Chicken Pox was about ten days) but hopefully you can get a vaccine and a head start on making some of those antibodies.

Your DD sounds just miserable - poor thing! Hopefully it won't be for much longer...

Nicole

Your stories are shocking me! I am in Michigan and haven't heard much about it all - just news reports that we won't see the flu much through the summer and they expect it to be bad in the fall. However, we're not hearing about local cases.

Those of you in areas with lots of flu cases - is school still in session?

Nicole

School ended here on Thursday. The last day of school is only held for a couple of hours and the kids come in and see what their grades will most likely be. Each year they tell the kids they need to come, even though it's only for two hours. This year they encouraged the students not to come!

Nigel, Our schools are in session until Wednesday. Our state gov here in CT just put out an announcement that they will be tracking the flu through the state's summer camps, etc. If you want statistics on the prevalence of swine flu, just go to CDC.gov. I just hope it stays as mild as this and doesn't replicate into something stronger. (Except for the OPs poor sick daughter, who didn't seem to get a mild case)

Or H1N1 as they are calling it now.

The states have varying policies on testing and reporting, so the comparative numbers are not to be trusted. I'm just glad it seems to be much milder than expected, overall.

-Lena

Here is a link that might be useful: Weekly stats at CDC

Hi all,
It's really amazing to see how differently this is being treated in various parts of the country!

I got back to my HMO (Kaiser) to get more info on this. DD was not swab tested; Kaiser is doing phone diagnosis in order to keep sick folks at home. So I can't say with 100% confidence that yes, dd has H1N1, though the doctor had no doubt.

My concern was the public health aspect of it. Shouldn't they close the camp? Tell more people? Well, when I talked to Kaiser today they said that about 25-35% (!) of the children in the San Francisco Bay Area currently have swine flu, and they are just telling them to stay home. They are not testing or doing any camp closures, etc. (School has been out for ten days or so here.) This is because (according to Kaiser) the swine flu is not as dangerous as had been thought a couple of months ago. (I'm still concerned about those with immune problems. Do they know that 1/4 of the kids running around are sick??)

Would they be taking this more seriously if 1/4 of adults were out sick?

Also, Kaiser's policy is no Tamiflu, primarily because they suspect that if people take it now the virus will become more resistant (esp. when it comes around in the winter, which seems the primary concern.)

Well, staying home when you're sick is good policy in any case, but for those parents who are working and don't have alternate child care, what appears to be (initially) a mild illness is not sufficient reason to keep their kids out of camp (esp. when the kids really want to go.)

I don't want to cause hysteria or anything, I just feel people should realize that this is not a one-in-million chance thing.

This flu may be milder than they thought, but my dd has never been so sick. The fever did last for four days, not dipping below 102 even with acetaminophen, and it is still over 100 and she is listless, tired and coughing constantly.

BTW, in the past three days the the CDC has upped the number of cases in my county from ONE to over 1,000 - and there has been one death.

This thread has been eye-opening...

just one thing and I'm sure you're on this, postum, but do make sure your DD has WAY more fluids than usual. Popsicles, any kind of drink, anything that will get her to take in liquids. A fever that goes on that long is really an invitation to dehydration, and listlessness is one major symptom (in addition to being listless from the fever).

Flyleft - yes, getting liquids into her has been tough. I've even been letting her drink soda (yikes!)

I made a mistake in my earlier post - it is our county health dept. that has reported over 1000 confirmed cases; according to the CDC there are fewer cases in all of California than in my county. Go figger.

Great, postum, just had to obey my mommy instinct and make sure it got said :) (little side joke: I was going to type "soda" as a possibility but didn't want to bring the wrath of any anti-phosphoric acid/sodium benzoate folks [of which I'm one] down on me, but in a case like your DD's, I say any port in a storm!)

Hope she feels better soon. Do you know anything about whether people who have had it will then be immune if it comes back in the winter?

Fly, I had read that with the Spanish flu, that there were 2 rounds of it, way back when. The first round was weaker and the second much stronger. This was from an analysis of what worked to prevent loss of life and what did not and for one city it was speculated that the first round made the second outbreak less severe.