To think my son should have Tamiflu ?

[katiestar]

My DS1's secondary school has closed for a week as one of the pupils has tested positive for swine flu.
The school and the HPA have done a risk assessment and decided that all the children in the child's year should be treated.However the school by their own admisssion 'didn't think about' children on the school bus.My Ds sits less than 3m from this child for a 40 minute journey.
Also what is DS allowed to do ? Is he supposed to stay at home ,what about siblings should they go to their primary school ?

TBH if your DS is otherwise in good health I would rather he got swine flu than had Tamiflu. There are some Very Nasty side effects to Tamiflu, whereas in the vast majoirity of cases swine flu symptoms are relatively mild. Plus he may even build some immunity from the potentially more dangerous winter epidemic.

Also I read somewhere that only 30%(ish) of people are actually susceptible to catching swine flu. Summat to do with genes I think.

I would agree with MadamAnt. Better to get it now rather than a more potent mutation in the Winter.
However if you have read more about tamiflu and the risks and feel certain he should have it I don't think you'd have much problem. I would phone NHS direct and they'll probably take it up for you.

Officially he is supposed to carry on as normal. If he feels unwell in the next 7 days with flu symptoms then you should contact nhsdirect (and keep him at home!) As for taking tamiflu, well... it depends on all sorts of things like when did the child concerned develop symptoms and does your son have anything like asthma that would give you extra cause for concern. You could phone nhsdirect for advice anyway and see what they say, that wouldnt commit him to taking it.

MadamAnt - that estimate varies somewhat between 30% and 50%

tbh, between now and the winter I think pretty much all of us will have been exposed to it, so its going to be question that crops up more and more.