Should we be worried? My son's school sent a letter home the other day saying it "couldn't be contained" now.
I think 4 people have died of it, but that they had underlying health problems? So I would like to know what proportion of people would die of normal flu (I know they do) compared with the swine flu. I suppose the only good thing is if it goes round now while it's summer folks are going to be generally in better health and less run down than they would in the winter.
I don't know what to think and how much to worry, especially with the tourist season coming up and infection being taken from one place to another.
It's in the schools here. Don't want to have it during my hols, can't afford to have it in work time, Don't want my Mum to get it (she is recovering from stroke). Otherwise, I think it would be a good idea to get it while it is still a"mild" flu and get some immunity. Nothing in life is black and white is it?
Quand je serai vieille je vais vivre en France Sunny Clucker, she came, she saw, she moved on!
Sunny B wrote:I think 4 people have died of it, but that they had underlying health problems? So I would like to know what proportion of people would die of normal flu (I know they do) compared with the swine flu.
It's been reported as 12, 000, 20, 000 and 36, 000 a year who die from normal flu. I expect it's somewhere in the middle, and that the biggest percentage of people had another problem that made them more susceptible.
They never say what those underlying health problems are though, do they? I have asthma, does that come into that catagory? I wish they would be more specific.
Carol
The trouble with having a really good sleep is, you're not awake to enjoy it!
Many schools here have had it, now they are not closing the schools like they did. I have had one person that comes to my classes that has it. I am sure if there is an underlying health problem you need to be more aware and certainly contact your GP straight away if you feel you have the flu. But the general public, it is flu just a different strain. Speak to NHS direct or your GP but please don't worry. Thousands of people die each year from our 'normal' flu and no one seems to worry too much about it. The media has a lot to do with the problems. Listing those unfortunate people who have died, and hyping it up. Remember last year we were all doomed with bird flu and before that SARS before that Ebola. I could go on and on. Wendy
Not alot we can do about it is there? I think like Wendy says its always the media that blow all this up, the elderly and young usually heart conditions its because they are already weak, as with normal flu its usually a secondery infection, lets hope it all blows over soon its just another type to contend with i suppose
Homemade has a good point about it being a milder form.
At first, they said it would hit hard in late Autumn when the weather turns cold. So maybe their thinking is 'better catch it in summer than winter' and allow it to happen a bit. BBC Newsnight said the UK now has the Worlds third largest amount of contaminated people.
The only difference in this and normal flu appears to be with age, this one being a greater risk with younger people (although they haven't really defined what young is).
I still feel the Government and powers appear to have a pretty good measure of it though. Look at Spanish Flu in 1918 which killed 5% of the World's population !
Plus the Vaccines only weeks away and as there's only sufficient for about one in eight, maybe with this earlier outbreak, that will be enough to bang it on the head sooner than expected.
Life's all about being in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time !
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Mrs Fuzzywig wrote:They never say what those underlying health problems are though, do they? I have asthma, does that come into that catagory? I wish they would be more specific.
I had a shufti, and found this "Those aged 65 years and older and persons of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease) are at highest risk for serious complications of flu."
but I wouldn't worry, I have asthma too, and I'm not particularly worried. I would imagine that anything you can have wrong with you as an ongoing illness makes you more susceptible to complications, but that as long as you were healthy to start with, you'd be fine.
We received this letter from both my children's schools the other day... As you are probably aware the situation with swine flu is rapidly changing and the UK as a whole is expecting a rapid increase in the number of cases. On a positive note the disease has tended to be mild in the large majority of people with most people recovering within a week.
The Department of Health has recently announced that it has moved to a treatment phase in the management of this disease. During this phase, the policy is that schools should not close because of individual cases of swine flu. There may be exceptions to this rule particularly if there are insufficient staff due to staff sickness to look after the children. Any closures will be notified to you in the normal school closures procedures.
Health advice is that children should continue to attend if they are well. As at all times, children with illness including fever should not be sent to school and should remain at home until they have recovered fully. We will continue to promote in school the hygiene measures below to reduce the spread of infection in schools and outside. It would be very helpful if you can also remind your child of these at this time.
Good basic hygiene reduces the spread of viruses, including swine flu. This includes: Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible. Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully. Washing your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to your face or to other people. Cleaning hard surfaces (such as door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.
If you suspect that your child has flu-like symptoms, such as a combination of high fever (over 38° C) and two or more of the following symptoms: cough, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, limb/joint pain, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, please keep them off school and follow the advice below:
• Read up on swine flu symptoms then use the NHS Direct swine flu symptom checker or call the Swine Flu information line 0800 1 513 513 • If you are then still concerned, stay at home and call your GP • If the GP makes a clinical diagnosis of swine flu by telephone, they may give you a voucher reference entitling you to anti-viral medication if your child is in an at risk group* • Give this number to a healthy friend or relative and ask them to pick up the antivirals for you from a designated local collection centre *(those having long term conditions e.g. asthma, diabetes etc , those under 5 , those over 65, and pregnant woman) Other information is available on http://www.nhs.uk/AlertsEmergencies/Pag ... alert.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. or visit the Health Protection Agency website at http://www.hpa.org.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
All other children in the family should come to school as normal unless they are also showing symptoms.
Basically it seems that those people in 'at risk' groups (i.e. people normally offered the flu jab every year) plus children under five will be given the anti-virals as a precaution.
I have a friend who's boyfriend has just been diagnosed. She has awful psoriasis and is on a medical trial at the moment which involves strong doses of imuno-supressants so I'm really worried about her. She's off to see her dermatologist today so will ask him about her increased risk.
Lucy x
Lucy x
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut - Ernest Hemingway
I have to say I am slightly worried about this one as I have an under-5 and a diabetic partner....But there really doesn't seem to be much we can do to prevent it, so I'm trying to make sure they both eat healthily so if it does come tot hem they'll be as strong as they can be. I do hope they get offered a vaccine asap though. Worrying times - and normally things like this don't fizz on me.
Waiting to welcome Sunny Clucker to Northern Ireland!
if you ring the doctor and say you have a cold/ flu it would appear that they are saying "oh you have swine flu" i am sure most people have not got it there has been 3 tested confirmed cases at my sons school the other 50 or so have just been told they have it by their doctor
"The trouble with quotes over the Internet is that you never know if they are genuine." -- Abraham Lincoln
Mrs Fuzzywig wrote:They never say what those underlying health problems are though, do they? I have asthma, does that come into that catagory? I wish they would be more specific.
Reading between the lines I think some of those who died especially early on had severly impared Immune systems i.e. HIV/AIDS type things and that the lack of information around these cases was to protect their/their familly's privacy.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein
Our bodies are assaulted by a plethora of bacteria, viruses and general nasties every day and every so often one of these gains notoriety as a " Killer Flu " in the words of some of our newspapers. The media I feel has a lot to answer for !!
My husband is a GP and favours the " let's not panic " approach. The evidence from all countries affected at the moment seems to suggest that swine flu ( whilst spreading rapidly ) is no more serious than other forms of flu and we should all be vigilant but not paranoid.
The letter someone posted from their child's school seems to be very sensible and reasonable. Most of the advice would seem to be good old fashioned hygiene which we should all be doing anyway.
Babycakes seems to have the best idea - eating healthily and looking after ones health.
Chocolate, Vanilla, Gloria, Dottie and Snowball. - gone but not forgotten .
