to think parents who refuse to let their children mix with my ds because he goes to a school closed for pig flu are idiots

[TheDullWitch]

DS1's school is closed because of pig flu, he's taking Tamiflu - although he has no symptoms whatsoever. The health advice is, he can go anywhere, mix with anyone. DS2 is going in every day to his different school. Even so friends have cancelled their visit because they're worried about catching it! The hysteria is ridiculous.

YANBU

well it's a tad unreasonable...

I'm afraid that I wouldn't be going round voluntarily on a playdate. Yes in most cases it is 'mild' as in horrible flu mild. But its very early days still and the virus isn't fully understood. In the States they are seeing more serious cases and the ones hospitalised generally tend to be young people/children.

The tamiflu could be masking a lot of symptoms and he could (not saying is, but could) still be shedding virus.

Got to go - back later!

But Niecie surely it depends on how the children interact. For example at DD's school, they all mix up at lunch time.

I think YABU ... it's their choice and you shouldn't judge them negatively from trying to mitigate any FURTHER risk.

I think that given the information available to them they are perfectly reasonable.

I think that the majority of the information available to them (i.e. via the media) is perhaps distorted - but that is not their fault.

I think it would be sensible to stay away from ANY area which has the slight chance of us being infected. Sorry.

You will be avoiding the whole of london then, poopscoop. And any other geographical areas where cases have been reported.

What distance exclusion zone are you working to?

What I meant was, if someone had been in contact in a school and it was deemed serious enough to need protection with the tamiflu antibiotics, then it is sensible and wise to steer clear for a while from going to the house.

Obviously we could all catch it at any time, and you cannot stay indoors until the whole thing passes, but i would want to keep the chances of getting it to a minimum.

PS Never go to london anyway.

'mild' as in horrible flu mild'

Yes, and the non-mild 'normal' flu is so awful, too. I remember my temperature going up to 105 and I 'saw' Osama bin Laden in the grain of the wardrobe wooden door. Hey, perhaps I wasn't hallucinating and that's really where he is hiding out.

Yes I had mild flu before Christmas. It was horrible. No bin Laden hallucinations but extreme fatigue, severe muscular aches and hacking cough. Awful. Lasted 3 weeks. Not in any big hurry to get that again or subject family to it.

Let's not forget that flu in any form is hideous.

I admit I'm with the catch it now brigade, particularly as they seem to be doling out the drugs quite freely and regardless of symptoms (or lack of them!). I'm worried that when the flu comes back in a new mutant form later in the year, we will have used up our stockpile of drugs by giving them out to people who might have been in contact with someone "just in case"....

The only quibble I have is with the claim that if you don't have symptoms you don't have the flu. Probably not, but afaik Tamiflu treats the symptoms and reduces the severity of the illness. I'm pretty sure you could have very mild symptoms (which might look like side effects of Tamiflu), and still be infected and passing it on to others.

Back to the OP, on balance I think YABU - it's up to them really and presumably only for a limited time (isn't the incubation period a week or so?) but if they're still making the same excuse in two week's time...

I've got a bit of hayfever at the moment and i tell you, when i sneeze loads of people just look at me as if they are wondering "Does that person have the flu?" "Quick lets keep away from them"
Why are people given Tamiflu if they have no symptoms? Isn't it a bit like giving people antibiotics in case they get an infection?
Won't it reduce its effectiveness in the long run, or are they making a new flu vaccine?
I think this Autumn/Winter will be when it really starts to bite.

I am a bit worried we are over using Tamiflu right now and risking the virus becoming resistant.

The trouble is a lot of people think they have the flu when all they have is a nasty cold and maybe thats whats clouding your judgement.

The trouble with swine flu is thta no one really knows what its going to do. If it were any other type of flu and the authority closed the school would you be as miffed.

Flu is nasty end of. I saw a dad on TV this week at one of the closed schools collecting the medicine sayings its only the flu not the plague and chuckled tomyslef, thinking, he;s got a point, however proper flu is horrendous and does kill or can easily turn into something else even worse

I never ate camembert when pregnant. Not because I was hysterical about the risks. Not because I believed there was any real risk. Because removing this tiny risk was easy and hassle free.

I have never been in any kind of car accident. I know the risks of a crash are extremely low, and that strapping my DD in properly might not save her, but I so it anyway. Just in case.

I would cancel a playdate with someone judged to have been sufficiently exposed to the swine flu to justify tamiflu. Not because I am hysterical, because a playdate is just not worth, even a tiny, risk.

I'm slightly rethinking my 'early wave is good' theory because the more chances the virus has to invade immune systems the more likelihood that it will find a sympathetic partner and mutate. Let's say I am suffering from something that affects the red blood cells - and I get swine flu, the virus might actually take advantage of my vulnerability to evolve. I might recover, but the the virus becomes more volatile because it's spotted that attacking the red blood cells is a good way to stop yourself being killed.

So another million people die later on.

I think the whole point of containment is that the virus cannot propagate without having a host to reproduce in and you can delay mutation by limiting it's exposure to opportunities.

Or am I a mumpty?

I just heard on the news, that the HPA is going nuts that people are holding Pig Flu Parties (sound fun, do they serve pork scratchings and sausages?) to spread the virus. And they are warning these "early dose is a good thing"folks are endangering themselves and the rest of us.

What Upwind sauid for me as well I'm afraid.

Baby in the house = why risk it.

You won't regret missing one play date but the tiniest chance of something this serious- that's enough.

Anyway it could be far simpler: I got narked at a woman with chickenpox at school, not becuase I thought it wopuld kill us all but simply because she knew we were planning a holiday in the timespan of the illness, and half term is coming up soon- why risk a nasty dose of flu?

Hm, but if he is on Tamiflu and all those other Kids are also on it, and that means they are not infectious....well..surely than there is no need to close schools?
I mean, I think the whole swine flu thing is all media overhype...BUT, was just trying to consider this logically....

there are pigflu parties, like people holding measle parties, or what?
Now that would just be kinda iditotic realy, lol

idiotic even

Ben Goldacre on swine flu hype

Tamiflu doesn't prevent infectiousness, does it? Doesn't it just reduce the length of the illness by a day or so and also the risk of complications?

Pigflu parties - completely irresponsible. This strain of flu has killed people ... like all flu does. Why would we want to actually introduce a virus that is likely to kill (maybe you, maybe not, definitely others) if common sense can perhaps keep it at bay. Would we be advocating no MMR, but instead lets have measles parties?

It's not like chicken pox: get it once and you're covered. This strain has regular seasonal flu, swine flu and bit of bird flu in for good measure AFAIK. Come the winter, we'll be hit with it big style if it is endemic in society by then. And if by then it has mutated, it could be devastating.

People should be sensible, not hysterical, but not blase either. Both ends of the spectrum will lead to problems.

chicken pox isn't like that

measles and mumps are more like that

Am with upwind on this one