If it looks like a pig and smells like a pig ...

[baconsandwich]

My 6 yo DS (who is never ill) has for the last 6 days had fever of 39/40 degrees, vomiting, headache, aches and pains, runny nose, cough and viral rash. I have never seen him so unwell and it's unusal in that it got worse and worse until day 6 (today) and only then started to improve. Have spoken to both usual GP and out of hours GP service when he was at his illest for reassurance and advice and all they will say is "he has a virus". Why won't anyone say he has flu? I know it makes not a jot of difference to his treatment but it perplexes me. And makes me wonder how they can possibly be calculating the numbers of new cases of swine flu ?

I think they calculate it it using things like sentinel surgeries that do swab people and also taking swabs when clusters are developing.

However, it sounds like a horrid thing your ds has, whatever it is. Do you know if there are other similar cases at his school? I hope he feels better soon.

I think its a tad frustrating that some GPs are labelling every passing virus 'swine flu' and others do the opposite - though it must be as confusing to them as the rest of us, presumably, without swabs.

Poor ds, hope he mends fast now that its begun to get better, whtaever it is (does sound a lot like SF to me, tbh - but I'm not a swab).

Yes that's true it must be confusing for them too and maybe easier to just tell everyone it's a viral illness, which of course it is. DS1 much better today but had to go and collect DS2 from school early as he had headache and high temp. Hey ho ...