Sensible, non-panicking Swine flu measures?

[bella29]

Just wondered.....

they (a doctor) said on my local BBC radio station this morning that it would be wise to set by a stock of paracetamol, calpol etc. just in case.

Anything else you are doing?

Arenea - what you mean other than breastfeeding from a mother who has gained immunity through exposure? That's what I'm banking on for both my DCs.

some nonsensible tips over here

whomoved - it's a new virus, so we won't have immunity. Till we've actually had the illness, that is.

I've been reading lots about how well prepared we are here with stockpiles of tamiflu, but it isn't suitable for under 1s, and in fact Japan have banned it for children altogether as it has such dangerous side-effects.

I'm not so worried about getting the flu myself, but am beginning to be concerned about what would happen if the children did.

I'm slightly less worried now after reading reports of the latest research from the microbiologists. From what I can gather it seems this is still a H1 strain, which although transmissable is likely to have a lower mortality rate- had birdflu (whaich was an H5 strain) gained through mutation the ability to transmit readily between humans we would have been in far more dire straits, as it has a higher mortality potential. The only worry for me now is how this new virus will mutate- with birdflu I WAS worried that it would mutate to be more transmissable, which thankfully didn't happen (lucky for us). With this one I'm watching to see if it will mutate to become more virulent, but I do think that it will be winter before we really know

I'm now a bit less concerned, but have taught the kids how to wash hands properly and will still be watching confirmed cases/ transmitted cases locally.

does an anti viral handwash exist?

Aranea - yes but if you are breastfeeding, each time you feed the kids give you whatever bugs they have and then you feed back the antibodies. So you see, if a baby who is breastfeeding gets a bug - whatever bug - they give it to the mother at the next feed, she manufactures antibodies and gives them back.

It does take time for the immune system to respond - and the fever bit of influenza is partly a sign of immune response.

Also very young children don't tend to get flu, they get colds but don't tend to pick up flu as they don't socialise as widely or go to crowded places as much as adults (obviously kids in day care are more exposed but again it is a controlled population in some respects).

All parents worry for their children, esp. if they are very little, mine are 9 months and two and a half and I worry for my son because he's had a weird virus for about six weeks now and he's just getting over it and I don't want him to get anything else - especially as we couldn't get to the bottom of what he did have before. But there's really nothing anyone can do - keep temperatures down, avoid crowds, don't let him chew on door handles which may have been sneezed on - all sensible things but I don't actually think you can do much more.

Yes : it's called soap.

Interestingly my daughter picked up threadworms because we were using alcohol gels while out instead of washing with soap and water. Very sterile threadworms, but threadworms all the same.

The GP said it was quite common, people getting complacent because they had technological solutions to mundane problems.

mmmm....does the soap actually kill the viruses or just remove then from your hands though? When I was a cm I was washing my hands all the time and I used anti bacterial handwash, mostly because it didn't dry out my skin so much. So today i was idly thinking shall I get some of that in case this swine flu realy does get going and then I thought- ah, yes, but it's a virus not a bacteria....

That sums up the current position pretty accurately Jooly.

At the moment the virus isn't particularly transmissable between humans. The risks will become much greater once it evolves to become more transmissible between humans (which I think appears to be more likely than the H5N1 bird flu, based on current evidence - I think that as a population we need to knock this on the head before the winter flu season or we will be in BIG trouble as human flu viruses start doing the rounds to give it a nice partner to recombine with to increase virulence) and/or it becomes a more severe strain. The longer this "epidemic/pandemic/whatever the current classification is" goes on the greater the risk of evolution/mutation.

As an aside - apparently builders merchants are selling face masks for protection...sadly the wrong face mask will do far far far more harm than good...and obviously a builders face mask does not provide the biological protection required.

Personally what I think wil make or break this pandemic is the public co-operation with quarantine guidlines - WORLDWIDE. If people stay in when they have been asked to that will limit the spread. If they don't they wil facilitate the spread. Sadly - I don't have enough confidence in public co-operation.

Does anyone know why they are not handing out anti viral meds to holidays makers as they return from Mexico.

They are handing them out in schools where cases have been confirmed but surely it would better to nip it in the bud before it has the chance to spread further?

Sorry if this has been asked before

Alcohol ( and therefore the alcohol gels) do kill most viruses - as viruses - generally speaking a susceptible to dessication and the gel facilitates dessication....soap and water will do a good job though and to improve efficacy of the alcohol gels you should ideal clean you hands first with soap and water as the gel does not effectively penetrate (or remove) dirt.

Same goes for work-surfaces. Anti-bacterial sprays etc. should really be used to get a surface clean if it is caked in scum.

Interesting question Polly

I read somewhere that alcohol gels not all they're craked up to be?

I think they can give a false sense of security as people think they "sterlise" they don't but I think that in generl they are pretty good against viruses.

They can cause proplems with skin drying and stuff though so they should only erally be used where necessary.

Use properly on clean hands as described above in a scenario where there is a risk of spreading swine flu it ill do more good than harm. It is something that can help prevent the spread though not STOP the spread.

I work for the NHS and I've been to some scary planning meetings - before this latest outbreak - I'm personally quite confident that the NHS and local authorities have planned long and hard for this, there are certainly huge stockpiles of anti virals, masks, and aprons, nationally and locally.

The concern is that people will be off work looking after the sick and looking after children once the schools close, and that this will effect the general infrastructure, and in particular the supply chain for food and household essentials, so it does make some sense to build up a small supply of tins and packets, calpol etc.

Also, it makes sense to have a plan for your domestic arrangements, for example my husband is a Paramedic and will be on the front line should the worst case scenario happen, I'll be at home with DD as her school will close so we need to develop a plan. Apparently what helped to contain SARS was medical ataff staying away from home for 3 months, hope it doesn't come to that.

As people have said all the planning has been or a much more serious strain, and medicine has moved on somewhat since the last pandemic flu.

Unfortunately thought the national flu line, a crucial part of the plan, won't be ready until the autumn, someone needs to pull their finger out on that one.

Sounds sensible Riven.....well at least to you and me.....clearly not to the authorities

I have just realised that it is teh NHS that are officially recommending stocking up with 2 weeks worth of "stuff"....maybe I feel justified in raiding the shelves then....

I think we also have to consider the fact though that if we are all ill with flu we won't be wanting (or wanting to prepare) full blown meals.....soups all round then, and a bit of bread in the freezer for toast

Look at how everything grinds to a halt cos of a bit of snow!!!!
If 25% get ill, then it cannot not have a knock on effect.
But wouldn't it have already spread much further if it was going to?

No Litchick it needn't have spread yet. For a simplistic

A swine virus can normally only transfer from pig to pig
Then it mutates
Then the mutated virus can transfer from pig to person
Then it mutates
Then it can transfer from person to person
Then it might mutate more so it can transfer from person to person.
And/or it might mutate to cause a more severe flu.

It is only going to spread further if we get to the last 2 stages. It has "only just" shown the ability to spread human to human (at least in the UK)....

lol at Aporkalypse Now!

Slighltymad...Germany now has its first confirmed case of human to human transmission.

Did everyone hear how the WHO ignored warnings that they had confirmed cases of swine flu in Mexico?It took them 8 days to respond.

"World health experts have been accused of initially ignoring the dangers of swine flu.
Mexico's chief epidemiologist said the World Health Organisation was slow to respond to the country's warning about a health crisis that turned into the global scare and demanded an investigation.
Dr Miguel Angel Lezana said his centre put out an alert on April 16 about alarming occurrences of flu and unusual pneumonia in Mexico, but no action was taken until eight days later when the WHO said it was "very, very concerned" the outbreak could grow into a pandemic." see here

Answering a question someone asked me on page 4...
i heard it from 'Tudar Grange school' where the 13 yr old goes. He hasnt had contact with anyone from the school since he returned from mexico 3 days ago now so the school hasnt been shutdown, shops closed, nothing like that. And Also both cases I had spoke about had returned from mexico within the last 9 days.