swimming and swine flu

[pofacedandproud]

Ds, 4, wants to go swimming. But have to take dd too, 14 months. We were going merrily until last week but just starting to wonder [my asthma responds v badly to flu bugs] Any ideas? Feel mean not taking him.

i wouldnt worry, if people were feeling ill, they would not go swimmingg.

Have been wondering about this too - of course people won't go when they are actually feeling unwell but what is the incubation period? Presumably people might be carrying the bug for a couple of days before falling ill?

if it were just him and me I'd probably take him but with baby too just feels a bit reckless. Wondering if the chlorine kills the virus but no clue.

Is there any more chance of getting it swimming than in the supermarket? Surely it's an airborne rather than a waterborne virus?

if you are avoiding swimming you may as well avoid the park and supermarkets etc

Your DD may well get a cold after swimming, mine always do - on account of shivering our way on the mile walk (exxageration) from pool to changing rooms and not being allowed to take a towel to the poolside! The likelihood of that cold being swine flu is small.

I would weigh up risk factors, are you in a huge hot spot at the moment? If you are, then I'd hold off for a couple of weeks and let it settle down. If you are in an area with just sporadic cases then I would go out and enjoy life whilst its not bad in your area. It tends to go in waves even at a local level.

People tend not to shed the virus until they are symptomatic so I wouldn't worry about people harbouring stuff.

thanks kitten. Apparently we are in a hot spot, it seeded early here apparently, but cases don't seem rife, iyswim. Hard to tell. My worry abut the pool as opposed to other public places is people and children do tend to offload snot and saliva into pool! Lovely.

AFAIK people are only contagious when they are displaying symptoms.