Swine Flu ....should we panic ..

[Iworryalot]

Another GP and a child i just heard on the radio have died from swine flu ....should we be worried ....

I am , i suffer with Anxiety at best of times now this is sending me crazy.....

anyone els ?

well I think the way it is currently being diagnosed is doing far more harm than good.

Based on my current symptoms (headache, cough, runny nose, loss of appetite, achyness) I could probably be diagnosed with swine flu. But fact is that they wouldn't know. So all these people being diagnosed might just have common colds. But the apparent increase in cases is causing more people to call with their minor ailments and to be "diagnosed" with swine flu - it's a vicious circle.

I appreciate that there just isn't the resource available to test everyone., but this guessing game approach isn't the answer either.

crushwitheyeliner the thought has crossed my mind too but tailored seasonal flu vaccines are produced every year so ... Would be interested to know about flu vaccinations and babies if anyone knows?

that's true - ooohhh too much to be concerned about!

Don't know about if it will be OK for babies or not. I wonder whether the pharmaceutical companies themselves know that yet?

If you overlook the fact that this article is in the Daily Mail, it's actually quite interesting www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1193839/All-children-offered-swine-flu-vaccine-autumn-contain-spr ead-pandemic-say-researchers.html

I have been told mine is most likely swine flu.

I'm thinking I am in a mild-moderate case. Have had times where I wouldn't leave the bed to pick up any money in the world, other times where I am just a bit floaty with hacking cough and headache.

I spent all last week brushing off swine flu suggestions as it doesn't seem that bad to me (def not bad enough to risk adding more meds to my baby)

I know this sounds mad but do "they " know for sure that there were no cases before this summer - was it possible to have had it, say in Feb this year and it gone undiagnosed?

I'm a pregnant GP and seeing lots of cases of presumed swine flu (ie they've been in contact with someone who is a confirmed case and now have good going symptoms).

I'm concerned, but more about how we are going to cope with the workload that whether I'm going to get it. At the moment we are just managing and the daily changes to what we are supposed to be doing aren't helping our sanity one bit. Lots of us are going to get it, a few of us are sadly going to die, I hope it is not me or anyone I know, but apart from basic hygiene or quitting my job and hiding in the house for the the next year there is little I can do so panicing won't help. Tamiflu can reduce it a bit but only a bit and makes you feel awful. Since there is no way at the moment to predict if you are going to get really sick or just have mild flu symptoms, whether to take it or not is hard to know or advise.

The vaccine shouldn't be too different from the normal seasonal one so while nothing is completely safe or effective (if only) it is likely to be pretty good.

Keep washing your hands, stay at home if you have symptoms and otherwise continue as normal (oh and if you have to wait to be seen or called back please cut us doctors some slack we're only human, not immune to flu or dying from it and are doing our very best with limited resources - and contrary to popular opinion, noone I know has a private supply of tamiflu either).

crush unlikely as we should have seen a different spread pattern if that was the case and february is still well within the normal flu season - but noone can say for sure.

Thank you for your response, what a difficult time it must be for you and your colleagues. Do you think this will go on for a year dd?

I feel sorry for the gp's, and the nhs direct helpline operators, and the Emergency departments, who must be being inundated.

Which is why I haven't called mine and am presuming it's just a cold. Esp as I haven't knowingly been in contact with anyone with the virus..

Very sensible wannaBe and thank-you on their behalf- but if you are worried you must call for advice - they won't mind - hope you feel better soon.

crush noone really knows, that's the truth of it but it is likely that it will at least continue to overlap with the winter flu season so that means possibly february/march. It will only stop when either enough people are immune (herd immunity) by vaccine or because they have had it - or it mutates and becomes less easy to spread. At the moment it passes quite easily (like normal flu) but is very mild and many many fewer people have died that were expected.

Of course it could mutate and become more dangerous or easier to spread although that is rare because the sicker a bug makes you, the less likely you are to venture out and therefore can't pass it on.

We'll just have to wait and see

I'm also one of the worriers but is this a positive thought?

if, and if, this virus mutates, it may atually mutate into a milder version - not necessarily a more virulent one (impossible to predict) - I think that's right.

fingers crossed and positive thinking more helpful than worry.

Just got a letetr saying a kid at DD's school has it. Are most people finding this or i sit still not that widespread? [clueless emotiocon}

Would it be worth keeping her off school as only 4 days left?

so true

swine flu confirmed at ds school today..i'm keeping him off...

2 confirmed cases ats chool I work at; and several staff and chidlren off work. Symptoms have varied a lot. Most cases are being diagnosed over the phone by GPs and NHS Direct and almsost all cases locally are mild.

I was off work last week with what I thought was an ear infection. GP not sure as ear so blocked she couldn't see. Had abs but not convnced. Especially as have returned to work today and had so many other staff off last week and this.

I had a slightly raised temp (never went above 38 though), sore throat, blocked and sore ear. But my worst symptom was the worst headache I have ever had in my life. Ibuprofen andparacetamol together didn't shift it, and it was of a paralsying nature at times. A week later and I an still tired after half a day's work and still taking some painkillers to keep the headache at bay, but fine.

Looking back now we are still unsure if DH didn't come home from NY in June with it too. Have never known DH to have time off work when ill, but he had to come home for the day during that week and was feeling rough all week. Again no fever but he did have a raised temp. That was before the outbreaks locally though and NHS Direct were rubbish.

So far 7y DD seems fine.

Stripy - if the case is already confirmed then it would be too late to keep them off school anyway IMO. They may well have already been in contact.

Apparently people are only contagious when presenting symptoms too.

We are supposedly in a low incident area (ignores weird suspicious temperature/cough/sickness/headache bug that has been doing the rounds recently) but DS's school now has a confirmed incident. I think I probably am just recovering from it, have had high temperature out of the blue with cough which is still here nearly 5 weeks later. Then last Thursday I woke up with what I thought was a migraine and feeling really sick. By Friday my temperature was up again, head still really really hurting and still feeling very sick plus aching all over. I'd like to think that one of the times with the temperature was swine flu as I don't look forward to a further 4 days in bed !

I think given that is now so widespread in the community it is fairly inevitable that you are going to get it at some point.
My plan is to be as prepared as possible, keep enough food/medicine in the house, put things in place to make sure DH who is diabetic can get Tamiflu if needed etc and sort friends to get bits in case of emergency, I'll do the same for them.

Does anyone know exactly which areas have lots, and which don't, except by word of mouth? I mean, is there some way of finding out how prevalent it is in our immediate area....?

Not sure why I'm asking really, but...

ok so one of the teachers at dd's school has swine flu but school is still open. My concern is that as DH has heart disease should i keep dd off school as a precaution. I don't know what to do.

I am desperately worried too. My DD is 4 next week and starts school in september. Had a note home from nursery that it is in the local community, although unconfirmed .

Am praying that we get the vaccine for our children before they start school, seriously thinking about holding her back a year.

Told my DP that we are not going to go to any soft play centres either - he was but i don't care.

This is really bad isn't it?

I imagine most county councils have a link like this. Or this local PCT website but they are fairly vague.

It does worry me, I am going to see a client tomorrow who has about 8 people in his team off work with it. Have a 16month old DD who is my main concern but would rather not get it myself either.