swine flu at work

[tiredsville]

two members of staff have just tested positive for swine flu, I have been in contact with them for the past few days. I have asthma and so does my ds, what do I do now? Just wait and see what happens? I've heard Tamiflu is no longer being handed out, is this correct?

As you have asthma I'd phone your gp in the am and see what they recommend.

blimey, I feel like a sitting duck looking at my watch waiting for flu symptoms.

Yes I think I will do that kitten. I had glandular fever last year, a nightmare to think I have more fun to come. Wahhhhhhhhhhhh

tiredsville, dh has asthma and there is a fair bit of swine flu in SW London so I've checked this one out: yes, if you have asthma, you should be given Tamiflu (according to HV).

Also, according to HV, so far this flu hasn't seemed worse for asthmatics than non-asthmatics - she said when it gets bad, it gets bad on the D&V front rather than attacking lungs. Its only hearsay, really, but it did reassure me about dh (and the dds) somewhat.

Do phone your doc in the morning, for sure. Hopefully they'll be able to reassure you.

Hope you do'nt get it or, if you do, mildly!

hopefully it will be like a watched pot!
Best thing you can do I reckon is make sure you have plenty of paracetemol/nurofen/inhalers in. Then enjoy the warm weather and drink plenty of whiskey to ward off the buggies!

there was somebody diagnosed at my work place (different building) and work are taking it seriously, they have "deep cleaned" the office and distributed wipes, tissues and antibacterial wash. Even though its a different building (there are often meetings between the buildings etc) its a bit nervy when so close.

Thats interesting Elibean on the d&V front, I hope yor HV is right, any illness to do with lungs terrify me. Glad I posted as everyone has been so blase about swine flu to the point where I thought 'don't bother contacting the GP as he probably has heard it all before from other potential carriers.

called surgery, receptionist said only call if DS or I are displaying symptoms.

Elibean, not sure your HV is right on that I'm afraid. I hesitate because I don't want to to be a doom monger but I'm not sure that false reassurances help as they prevent people seeking help when the need it. The aspect that has been hospitalising people is generally pneumonia.

Tiredsville at least you know where you stand. Do you have an asthma plan in place for colds and flus?

OhYou, thats worrying I would have hoped an experienced HV would know better than to give false reassurance...though she did say 'we just don't know' and 'get in touch straight away if it happens'. I think she must have been going on her experience of kids in the borough, which isn't that many (confirmed) cases really.....probably a couple of dozen at most.

dh has oral steroids to take at first sign of asthma, and is on inhalers anyway as he's developed adult onset asthma and gets a bad bout of it every time he catches a cold, let alone 'flu.

Elibean, hopefully it is her experience in your neck of the woods For most people it is a self limiting illness.

I think it is a really really hard balance for health professionals. They don't want to panic people so that surgeries are unneccessarily over loaded, people with flu being turned into pariahs etc. but at the same time they don't want to give out the message that its just a bad cold and theres nothing at all to worry about. (which leads to complacency and people not getting timely help if they do need it)

I don't really have an asthma plan, I take symbicort daily (inhaled steriod) which seems to keep asthma under control even when I have a cold, flu hasn't really been an issue up into now as I normally have the vaccine.