H1N1 Flu Virus

Jacquie

Jacquie

Ward Girl
Moderator
H1N1 Flu Virus, also called 'Swine Flu' has been in the news since the late spring. The World Heath Organization (WHO) announced the flu outbreak back in June 2009. The outbreak at some point over the summer was listed as a 'pandemic'.

What precautions are you taking so you don't get the H1N1 Virus? Are you going to be getting a flu shot? Does you country, state, province have a flu shot approved?

In Canada the Federal Government has finally approved the vaccine for those that want to get it. Front line health care workers, those with chronic illnesses, and pregnant women are deemed to be those most in need so they will be getting the shot first if they want it. The medical community here recommends that besides these people that anyone under the age of 65 should get the shot as well.

Once the clinics open sometime next week or when my doctor has it I will be getting the shot. I have asthma and my hubby has diabetes so we both feel that's it's important for us to get the shot.

Since I work in retail and we get a lot of dogs in our store, I'm washing my hands on a regular bases. I don't use any antibacterial soaps as they eat my hands so I just regular soap. I'm also hoping that since I've been working in retail so long that with all the money we handle and day to day contact we have with the public that that will help also.
 
I am taking the usual precautions, as advised by the UK government. This includes washing hands and using antibacterial gel. All very basic stuff really.

I'm 27 weeks pregnant and I believe (according to news reports) that I'll be contacted in the next few weeks and invited to attend my GP's surgery to have the swine flu vaccine. I am waiting until I receive this invite from my doctor before deciding whether or not to go ahead with it. There are two vaccines licensed in the UK, and one of them contains an ingredient never previously tested on pregnant women, apparently it is luck of the draw which one your doctor has access to, and therefore I may decide against vaccination if offered the one which hasn't been tested. Alternatively I may get vaccinated, who knows? I'd rather not be offered it at all, at least then I wouldn't be stressing about making the right decision. :lol:
 
We're taking all the usual precautions. Washing hands. Yelling at the kids to keep their hands away from their faces. Explaining to their mother that if one of them comes down with this that one doesn't go to school for 7 days (minimum) and the other one doesn't go to school for 5 days (longer if they come down with it) as per school rules (and she doesn't get them for any weekend in that 7 days!). Both kids and my mother have had the regular flu shot. I can't figure out where I can get one without paying 24.99 or higher, that I don't have for it. I'm in Massachusetts so I have insurance I just don't have the money.

As for swine flu - we called the pediatrician office last week to try and get the shots for the kids and all we did was get put on a list for when they hear about it. This is the second largest city in the state and the largest pediatricians office in the city and they haven't heard anything about when they're going to get some! :wtf: Then we find out this week that the first people getting the swine flu vaccine in Massachusetts are going to be the prisoners! :wtf: Not those with other medical problems or the children but the prisoners.

Susan
 
blackflag said:
Then we find out this week that the first people getting the swine flu vaccine in Massachusetts are going to be the prisoners! :wtf: Not those with other medical problems or the children but the prisoners.

Susan
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I know this sounds crazy but I can sort of see the point in these although I don't agree with it. With some many people visiting the prison and with the prisoners being in close contact to each other the flu will spread quickly. So I can see why they will be getting it first but I don't like it either.
 
Here in France the first case H1N1 started in june, we had a fews death about 38 I think and a big compaign for the vaccination will start next week. One of my son has asthma so I was a little worried for him and doctor said we should have cancelled our vacation in South Carolina in July because there were more case in US, but we didn't and spent a great time in states and no flue.

When school began I asked kids to wash their hands as soon as they get back home with antibacterian gel, told them no kisses at school to say hello, and all the warning usual precautions...and 3 weeks later the one I was the most worried about because of his asthma got the H1N1, 2 days later one of his brother and my husband were in bed with fever.

I kept them in their room (by the way I splet on the coach during one week) everybody spent the week with masks and for the moment flue won 3 peoples/ healthy 2.

Goods news no need to worry about the vaccination anymore for them and for me I am still wondering if I need it
 
I'm in South Dakota and we got quite a few of the high school students in the school here catching it, though it has started to go down a bit. I'm in the college and it hasn't been much of a problem. Though I got pretty dang sick a few weeks ago, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't H1N1. If our roomates get it though the college has precautions that we will get moved to another room temporaily while they are sick.
 
Here in Massachusetts they're starting to limit children visiting in Hospitals. In this city alone children under 13 aren't allowed to visit anyone in the biggest hospital in the city - U-Mass (all 3 campuses). They say children are the biggest carriers because they can have the flu before showing any flu-like symptoms.


On a side note - Anyone have any idea on how to scare a 14yr old into realizing how serious this is? She's not washing her hands before lunch at school unless the teacher specifically tells her to. Last night she went to bed with a wet head because she refused to use the hairdryer (doesn't like using it!). So far she's been told that when she gets sick she's in her room with the door closed and no contact with another human being, no DS, no TV, and no mothers on the weekend. She's also been informed that Tamiflu doesn't come in a liquid form so she'd need to learn how to take pills.

Susan
 
I don't worry about it any more than any other seasonal influenza, because it is pretty much the same. We got our vaccines last week, they started shots with those in riskgroups (such as pregnant women, doctors, nurses etc.) My bro is in risk group, because he has Crohn's disease, but he said he won't get the shot (because vaccines may have their own problems and... well I don't understand why he doesn't takeit)

At Uni, already in August there was info to wash your hands, our (students) health care centre avoids shaking hands and there has been notes that students with swineflu should not come to uni.

Here we've reached to epidemic and for some strange reason it starts from north (Lapland). where I study, there has been 100 confirmed and they think there is over 1000 infected (population of that city is some 60,000) - thankfully I'll be here at home for almost 4 weeks.

I've always been washing my hands when I come from somewhere, just habit because I hate when those are sweaty and how those have that metal smell when you touch door handles etc. :lol: :lol

What comes to antibacterian gel :lol: :lol: Last week there was headlines how some 4yr old girl had been drinking it in kindergarden and his blood alcohol level was 1,4permills... erm.. how you americans mark it.. 0.14?
Because it is 70% ethanol. They had noticed it when kid wasn't able to sit anymore and was restless.
 
My school is like freaking out over H1N1. :rolleyes: They've sent home about 4 newsletters about it in just the two months we've been at school so far. My teacher the other day even kicked a girl out of class for coming in sick. Then again my teacher is pregnant, and it's a foods class, where we cook food and eat it, so I can see why.

I guess I'm taking precautions by using the hand sanitizer they have everywhere, sneezing and coughing into my sleeve and everything. I'm not really that worried about it. I'm sure if we're able to get to one of the places giving the vaccine my mom will make us get it along with the regular flu shot, but if it was up to me I wouldn't bother. :/
 
My school shut itself down the week after Homecoming. Maybe Homecoming during flu season isn't the best, but it was four weeks ago. I came in late to school that Tuesday (our school gave us the Monday off) and everyone was like "Go home!" and all that. I was ticked, until I found out that they thought if a certain amount of people went home, they'd shut down school. By the end of the day, I think nearly 100 people were sent home from the high school with flu or flu like symptoms. We only have like 500 people in the high school. Anyway, they shut down school for the rest of the week.

What am I doing? Well, I have been around the flu twice, and I think I've gotten it so I don't really stress about it. I use the hand sanitizer and stuff, but both times I've been around it, even the sanitizer was just a placebo. I was around it at camp (and got sent home even though I tested negative), and then at school. But I do think it's serious.

This little first grader at my school just started coming back last week. She was in ICU for about a week and a half with the swine flu. So we are taking it very seriously.

I do know that it sucks to feel sick. And if you have symptoms, get checked out. Though I'm pretty sure that it's contagious before you have symptoms. But also feel better :D
 
Our school seems to be the complete opposite to everyone elses tbh.
A few people i know have had it, stayed off school for a week and then come back, and no one even really notices. The teachers don't care and your not allowed to go home from school unless you actually throw up so i don't think anyone has been made to go home because they 'have' the flu.
Our schools pretty big (well for round here anyway) about 2,500 people, not really sure how many people have had it, but not enough for the school to do anything about it / shut the school.
Its turned into a bit of an annoying joke to be fair, if anyone is off school for the day, then for sure 20 people will shout 'swine flu' when there names called in the register.
Honestly.. i haven't really done anything different because of it, no one seems to take any notice, so niether do i.
As for the hand sanitizer stuff everyone has it, but most people just squirt it at each other in french class / use it to get paint off their school shirts. It does get chewing gum off your trousers though !!
 
^ My school has been the same way. A couple people (that I know of) have had it, they miss a week and get over it. I consider our school pretty lucky to have stayed generally healthy. However normal head colds have been a problem this year for us. In my 3rd period Film Studies class today we had 24 students out of a regular 43. Almost half.

Now that they've got a vaccine for H1N1, I hope these cases calm down a bit. A few people in my family have had it, and it's pretty scary .
 
I don't quite get the big deal about this flu. These things have been blowing in and out for years, and this one seems no different. I'm not quite sure why there's such a big scare campaign around this one- I haven't ready anything that has made it seem worse than any others.

Now, I am aware (as per my doctor) that in terms of virological patterns and empirical data, we are due for another major flu outbreak... i.e. one that is severe and will actually kill a lot of people. This one, however, doesn't seem to be it.

Maybe I'm being a little laissez-faire about the thing because I haven't even had so much as a cold in the last 5 years, but still... seems unwarranted in this case. Oh and incidentally, the last time I even caught a flu (about 8 years ago and it was a doozey; I was almost hallucinating) was the one and only time I've ever had a flu shot! :lol:
 
BabaOReilly said:
I don't quite get the big deal about this flu. These things have been blowing in and out for years, and this one seems no different. I'm not quite sure why there's such a big scare campaign around this one- I haven't ready anything that has made it seem worse than any others.
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Avian flu..oh the scares and news said you cannot even feed birds during the winter etc. it never arrived.

SARS, was much scarier and it's been now 6 yrs since there was big scares... and now some think.. erm what SARS?
 
I don't get the deal either. I have some friends who are really scared as they think they are gonna get the swine flu. But I don't. I even heard that the ordinary flu is more risky than this, new H1N1 Flu Virus.
 
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