To be cross at asked why i am letting my DD infect people.

[katiestar]

DS1 secondary school has closed for a week after one of the children contracted swine flu.My DS1 has been in contact with her and is taking Tamiflu.When I took my DD to playgroup this morning I noticed evrybody was being handed a leaflet about swineflu and overheard one of teh staff say it was' because of one of the children's siblings.'
On the way out a woman approached me and said wasn't I worried about DD infecting the other children.
I pointed out that she was not got swine flu or had even been in contact with anyone who had and I had no intention of keeping her ,or any of my children under house arrest.
When I got home I realised that my DD is the only one at the playgroup with a sibling at the secondary school in question.
Now I can sort of accept that people are stupid and bitchy and overlook the comment from the mad parent.But I am a bit annoyed at the playgroup .

LLJKK - OP is BU for going to a toddler group. As I said, if it is inadvertently spread (via contact in a grocery store for instance) then it can't be helped (and could possibly 'help' in the long run). BUT the OP knowingly took a potentially infectious child to an enclosed and intimate environment full of young children - thoroughly irresponsible IMO (I very much doubt she would have done the same with D&V in the family!)

I attend a playgroup with my dc's. My mum helps out and my Dad collects her. He has suppressed immunity and so I would want to know if there was any kind of ellevated risk and I would want the playgroup to inform me. They are only trying to be responsible.

That said it sounds as tho the child in question was past the incubation point and couldn't have passed it on anyway.

It will be concerning for people who are pregnant or have small children and its not always obvious who has a suppressed immune system, so I think I would have probably given it a miss if I was the op just to be on the safe side - I definatley wouldn't be getting upset about other peoples reactions to something which can after all be deadly.

There has been a death in scotland and there will be more before all this is over.

GG: do you believe that that all potentially infectious people (potentially infected with anything serious) should avoid all gatherings in small closed rooms?

Wouldn't that mean that we'd all have to stay home all the time, just in case we were unknowingly incubating something?

Oh absolutely LLJKK. I fully advocate a complete lack of common sense.

A woman in Scotland has died from swine flu - details on BBC website.

The woman who died had a lot of underlying health problems which contributed to her death.

This is off track from the original thread, and I should say that OP seems to have been entirely correct in saying it was fine for her child to attend play group, given he was showing no symptoms after supposed date of exposure.

But re this talk of 'the victim had underlying health problems.' That does not diminish the seriousness of the woman's death or the dangerousness of swine flu.

I am a fit and strong mum of three - but I have 'underlying health problems.' Chronic asthma, so that most winters, despite getting the flu jab, I go down with bronchiol pneumonia, needing one and this year two courses of antibiotics and oral steroids, in addition to my usual treatment.

Swine flu is scary because we don't know what it is going to do (unlike chicken pox) and it is noteworthy that the first death has been in Scotland, where the authorities have been criticised for failing to take sufficient action to contain it.

It needs to be taken seriously.

I think you're being unreasonable. Yes the risk is small but it wouldn't have killed you to stay home one week.

As someone who has suffered directly from the level of public ignorance about H1N1, I can sympathise very much with the OP. My school is closed due to the virus and all staff and students have been prescribed Tamiflu, not just those who are likely to contract the virus. The advice from the HPA is that those who are not showing symptoms can and should carry out their daily routines exactly as normal.

But poor DS has been treated like an outcast by some friends because I work in a school (although have not come into contact with anyone who caught it) where the virus is.

I think the OP was NBU by going.

DH and I have been all over the country, including on crowded public transport, ever since the outbreak began.

There are cases at another local school which definitely contains the elder siblings of some of the pupils at DS's school.

DD has been to nursery 4 days a week with children who have siblings in any number of different schools.

The chances are some or all of us have been in contact with someone who has been in contact with someone who has swine flu. When you think about it, the chances are a fair proportion of the population has also been in contact with someone who has been in contact with someone who as swine flu. If everyone in that position stayed at home in isolation the country would grind to a halt. Yes there are no significant economic consequences of going to playgroup, but the principles are the same.

I think you were unreasonable for going.

Not because of a real risk of contagion, but because anyone who is especially vulnerable is worried enough about this. And should not be ridiculed or treated with annoyance for being anxious. Pregnant women and small babies are common at playgroups. You could have taken your DC to the park instead.

and FWIW, I've been told that the time from exposure to symptoms is actually 7-10 days

Surely anyone who is so anxious should stay at home if there is an outbreak in their area? Why insist that those who have read the HPA's advice and are following it sensibly and reasonably should isolate themselves because of the irrational anxieties of those who don't?

Upwind - do you know what a playgroup is ? It's not a mother and toddler group its a pre-school setting for 2-5 yr olds without parents.But i would have taken child to either anyway.
As slayerette says if you are not comfortable that HPAs advice is correct YOU should be the one to segregate yourself

i think the other parents were worried, which is as a result of ridiculous media coverage

a while ago they were focused on bird flu, and some of our friends thought we should slaughter our chickens 'just in case'

slightly off track, but have you seen that ridiculous advert for kitchen wipes that kill swine flu?? maybe we should all wear those strapped over our faces or wipe the whole house with them after every visitor (in case the've been in contact with someone who's been incontact with someone etc) and obviously we will need to take them with us when we go out, and clean EVERY surface before we contact it

ok, enough silliness

OK here's another question.If a GP were to become infected , shouldn't the patients he has treated recently be informed ?
Complicated situation but it seems to have been hushed up?
I know that one of the GPs patients who saw him with another complaint on Monday ,now has flu like symptoms.He is a secondary school teacher and so will be spreading it far and wide !.I know the GP's family socially and was told of his diagnosis in confidence .

Katiestar - Just to clarify my post- lots of people round my area call toddler groups, Playgroups.

The one I go to is officially called a toddler group but everyone calls it playgroup.

Also - as for GPs I think you will find that patients would be informed - when GPs have been found to be carrying illnesses such as hepititus / even been HIV positive specific patient that they have treated have been informed. Ie those that are posed as risk / have open wounds etc.

Please remind me not to tell you anything in confidence LOL!!!!!

Well I haven't told anyone have I ?That is my dilemma, this person ,my brother doesn't know !

Well I haven't told anyone have I ?That is my dilemma, this person ,my brother doesn't know !