Little Kids and Swine Flu

[deb1]

Quote:
Every year, there are a lot of people with colds. I keep a cold all winter without any fever, just a hacking cough. I go to the doctor and they tell me that I have a cold and send me home.

Its just the way I am. You are noticing the coughing more because of all the news reports but you don't know if the woman was contagious or just had a slight cold. Last year, you might have even overlooked her.

You are probably right, but my issue is that we do have 46 states now with "Widespread" H1N1 flu activity and alot of us (everywhere) are still waiting for the vaccines to come in for our kids.
She could have at least covered her mouth!

I agree. Covering your mouth is just common courtesy.

 

[CMV]

Helpful info...
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLD & SWINE FLU & SEASONAL FLU SYMPTOMS
FEVER
Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with H1N1 in up to 80% of all flue cases. A temperature of 101°
Fever is common with the seasonal flu.
COUGHING
A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with H1N1 (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
A dry and hacking cough is often present with the seasonal flu.
ACHES
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with H1N1.
Moderate body aches are common with the seasonal flu.
STUFFY NOSE
Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with H1N1.
A runny nose is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
CHILLS
Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have H1N1 experience chills.
Chills are mild to moderate with the seasonal flu.
TIREDNESS
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with H1N1.
Tiredness is moderate and more likely referred to as a lack of energy with the seasonal flu.
SNEEZING
Sneezing is commonly present with a cold
Sneezing is not common with H1N1.
Sneezing is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
SUDDEN SYMPTOMS
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
H1N1 has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. H1N1 hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.
Symptoms tend to develop over a few days and include flushed face, loss of appetite, dizziness and/or vomiting/nausea.
Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual.
Diarrhea is common.
HEADACHE
A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with H1N1 and present in 80% of cases.
A headache is fairly common with the seasonal flu.
SORE THROAT
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with H1N1.
Sore throat is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
CHEST DISCOMFORT
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with H1N1.
Chest discomfort is moderate with the seasonal flu.
If it turns severe seek medical attention immediately!
PREVENTION TIPS:
cough & sneeze into your elbow
wash hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 15 -20 seconds. Sing your abc's or happy birthday to you
use hand sanitizer when soap & water are not available
avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth without washing or using hand sanitizer first
stay home if you are sick to avoid contaminating your co-workers
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Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation until the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle). H1N1, like other Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates (only) there. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps - not fully highlighted in most official communications - can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households, and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals.

 

[DTchickens]

I had something very similar when i was younger, i think i was around 6. My mother ended up taking me to the doctor and he diagnosed it as cat scratch fever i believe, kind of a surprise as i just thought it was a song. He gave us some antibiotics to help the swelling, and said if it didn't go down he'd have to do surgery. But it ended up going down.. Said it comes from animal scratches- wasn't scratched by a cat, but i did remember chasing my grandfathers goats around and being scratched by one

 

[wombat]

Both our kids had a flu. Both had high fevers for days, as high as 104f. My daughter developed early stage pneumonia, and my son developed an ear infection. They both tested negative for H1N1, but the pediatrician said that the test had a high failure rate and couldn't be considered conclusive.

His opinion was basically that it didn't matter, a virus was a virus unless the symptoms became serious. He advised treating the symptoms, and antibiotics for the secondary infections (the ear infection and pneumonia).

I ended up with the same symptoms, had a fever for about seven days, lost nearly 20 lbs. Still haven't shaken the dry, non-productive cough although the fever and all other symptoms have been gone for weeks.

If your child has fevers that rise and fall, and hit somewhere in the 102f-104f range, and has an ear infection as well, it sounds like a flu. Whether it is H1N1 or not would be difficult even for a doctor to judge without testing, and according to our doctor, the test is not all that reliable anyway.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
I agree. What ever you call x version of the flu, they ALL have the ability to make person A sick, person B really sick, person C hospitalized, and person D not even know they were ever infected while person E dies. Add some media hype and mass hysteria to cause the general public to think they are going to be person D and E.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
Great informative post.

 

[Hoosiermomma]

Is tamiflu supposed to work on H1N1 the same way it doesn on the regular seasonal flu? I 'm still on the fence about getting the vaccine and am interested in hearing more about how this flu affects kids. When I talked to the doc who gave my son his sports physical, I was asking her about the vaccine and she said that it's the same one as the seasonal flu vaccine only they modified it to a bit to be able to ward off the H1N1 flu.

Sorry I didn't read the last part of that info about the tamiflu and how it works on the virus...

Great info CMV !!!!!!!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Thanks for this info!