So this is what's concerning about H1N1....yes, typical flu kills more people and particularly preys on the old and weak. The concern with H1N1 is that it hits younger people harder...and that it might be mutating. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9B7NJ681&show_article=1 CDC: 76 children dead of swine flu as cases rise Oct 9 01:57 PM US/Eastern By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer ATLANTA (AP) - Health officials said Friday that 76 children have died of swine flu, including 16 new reports in the past week—more evidence the new virus is unusually dangerous in kids. The regular flu kills between 46 and 88 children a year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. With swine flu cases increasing throughout most of the country, more deaths are likely, Dr. Anne Schuchat said at a press conference Friday. She noted that 37 states now are reporting widespread swine flu cases, up from 27 a week ago. A week ago, reports suggested that cases might be leveling off and even decreasing in some areas of the country, but that did not turn out to be an enduring national trend. "We are seeing more illness, more hospitalizations, and more deaths," said Schuchat, who heads the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Meanwhile, CDC officials say states have ordered 3.7 million doses of swine flu vaccine for a campaign that started this week. Demand is exceeding supply, at least so far, and people seeking the vaccination can start by contacting their state or local health department to find out where to go, she said. Health officials also said more data is trickling in from several clinical trials of the new vaccine, and so far no serious side effects have been reported. Preliminary information from one study indicates that both a seasonal flu shot and a swine flu shot are effective when given during the same doctor's office visit. However, the government is not recommending that people get the nasal spray versions of the seasonal and swine flu vaccines at the same time. The nasal sprays contain weakened, live virus, and the government doesn't have data on how a person's immune system would react to exposure to both at the same time, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The CDC doesn't have an exact count of all swine flu deaths and hospitalizations, but existing reports suggest the infection has caused more than 600 deaths and more than 9,000 hospitalizations since it was first identified in April.
Just think how much it can mutate by 2012. Seriously, it is a little bit scary for elementary and junior high schools. Even in college, some of my students have had some sort of flu pretty bad this term. The area hospitals are not routinely checking to see if it's swine flu though -- just too much work and $ I guess.
Updated report from the family is that the little girl got the H1N1 on Monday and caught a secondary virus and passed on Wednesday evening. That's so horrible!
Catastrophic! Just got another confirmed case in my son's school. This time the culprit is one of our CLOSE FRIENDS! Uh-oh... This means I have been exposed to the virus as well.
It's the Children's School of Austin located on Hancock just east of Mopac. Here's the statesman story. I've got tears in my eyes right now. HTML: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/10/10//1010fludeath.html Five-year girl dies from flu at Dell Children's Tests being done to find out if swine flu was the cause. By Mary Ann Roser AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Saturday, October 10, 2009 A 5-year-old Austin girl who had prayed every night for the kids at Dell Children's Medical Center died there Wednesday night, apparently from swine flu, her mother said Friday. Catherine Elizabeth Gibson, a Montessori kindergarten student at the Children's School in Austin, was "always thinking about others" and "was the picture of health" until she fell ill with what doctors told her parents was probably swine flu, said her mother, Kristin Gibson, a program manager at IBM. When Catherine had difficulty speaking, drinking and swallowing on Tuesday, Kristin, 35, and her husband, Ken, 41, a software programmer, took their daughter to the hospital. Dr. Pat Crocker, chief of emergency medicine at Dell Children's, said Catherine tested positive for the type of virus that is suspected to be swine flu and a confirmatory test is being done. Catherine had no underlying medical conditions but rapidly developed brain swelling and heart dysfunction — rare complications of the flu, Crocker said. The hospital reported the death to the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, which said it could not comment on the case. If the H1N1 test is confirmed, it would be the fifth swine flu death in Travis County. Kristin Gibson said she and her husband did not want an autopsy done because "at the end of the day it doesn't matter what happened. We don't have our precious Catherine." Their daughter, the oldest of three children, took a special interest in sick children at Dell Children's after visiting in August, Kristin Gibson said. During that visit, Catherine donated three presents from her fifth birthday to the hospital so the children would "have something new to play with." After that, the girl prayed for the children at the hospital to get well, her mother said. "They're the most wonderful normal family that's been rocked by something absolutely inconceivable," said Laura Beck of Austin, godmother to Liam, the younger of the Gibsons' two sons. "They just had their youngest son baptized, and now they're planning the funeral of their oldest child. ... She was a beautiful little girl." Kristin Gibson said her family has nothing but gratitude for the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital. "They did everything they could," she said. "I think what happened to Catherine was very rare." Most people who get the virus recover on their own at home. To do something positive in their daughter's memory, the Gibsons are setting up an endowment at the hospital to celebrate their daughter's love of reading and concern for the children there: the Catherine Elizabeth Gibson Endowment for Children's Books. Kristin Gibson, a major U2 fan who had tickets with her husband to the band's Dallas concert on Monday, is auctioning off the tickets on eBay to kick off funding for the endowment. Catherine's funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin.
most people I have spoke with in austin that have had it say it is much more mild compared to the regular flu Supposedly, the only flu going around now is swine flu, the seasonal flu doesn't start up for another month or so It is confusing.
The doctor told me today that they've had forty kids come in and get checked with about twenty of them being positive for H1N1. She said that they're not seeing any regular flu yet.
I wouldn't say is was MUCH more mild, but I would agree that it was more mild, it lasted a little longer for me though
If the regular flu isnt going around yet, then I guess I had the swine flu. Lasted about four days but I didnt even cough, just had a head/body-ache for four days. Also had trouble taking deep breathes for some reason, like my lungs were made of rubber instead of tissue. Wasnt too bad except I was hot and cold at the same time and was getting around like a sloth.
Eight out of the 25 kids in my daughters class have flu-like symptoms. I'm thankful that my daughter is feeling well since she's likely been exposed. I don't know how the H1N1 works but I'm hoping that the death of that little girl was totally just a rare reaction and not just a particularly deadly strain since there are so many kids sick in my daughter's school. Luckily I have the flexibility to stay home with her during the day so I think that we're going to keep her out of school for a while. That vaccine can't get here soon enough.
Yeah. Our pediatrician called to let us know they don't have any, even though we put in 2 months ago for a flu shot. Fortunately my wife is a nurse and was able to get some from her hospital, even though technically they can't give it to anyone below 8 years old. So my wife will administer herself to get around that.
