To all those NOT taking swine flu jab....

[lumpasmelly]

...what are your strategies for keeping swine flu free over the next few months? I have a DS in school and another in nursery, and a DH who takes the tube every morning, so I am trying to figure out what is reasonable in terms of avoidance measures. I am doing all the usual things like eating well, hand washing, avoiding crowded places and trying to stay rested (despite heightened anxiety) but not sure whether or not I should be going as far as making DH sleep in another room, and taking kids out of school, cancelling all social engagements etc...DH thinks that I am being mental to suggest "stopping life" for the next 6 months, but where do you draw the line?.....does anyone actually know what the odds are of getting it?

I work in a school and will be going on maternity leave at 29 weeks (the earliest allowed). Once I am on maternity leave I will limit my contact with children to a minimum which will be difficult as I have a child in primary school. Using alcohol hand gel, avoiding contact with people who have been unwell, there isn't much else I can do really.

I am annoyed as it is possible I have already had swine flu but my GP surgery are refusing to give me a blood test to confirm this. I can't afford to get the blood test done privately.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that my recent illness was swine flu. I have had ordinary seasonal flu before which was a lot worse than my recent illness. However I am taking a lot of time to recover and the recovery phase feels very similar to how I felt when I was recovering from flu so heres hoping that it was swine flu, in which case I got off lightly.

Gosh - I didn't even know that you could have a test to see if you have had it before....I too had what COULD have been swine flu back in June, but as I didn't go to the doctor at the time (figured that they would just tell me take paracetemol!)

I try not to touch my face when out and about and not eat anything till i can wash my hands first! Also I carry hand gel every where and use it after toucing things like escaltor hand rails etc. I think you should keep going out and about tho as this will keep up a level of immunity, whereas if you shut your self away your immune system could weaken.

I am starting M/L at 29 weeks as i work on reception and mix with alot of general public, alot of whom are very thoughtless and come in when unwell-and then announce they have been very poorly with the flu for the last week!!!!

Hope this helps.

Just general hygiene, hand washing etc, although not worrying about hand gel. I have a 2 year old DD and DH commutes on tube so I rather figure that she and he are the most likely ways that I'd catch it and can't really do much about that. Am 37 weeks pg by the way.

ps - hope that doesn't sound too blase, quite understand why people worry. Think part of the reason that I'm less worried than I possibly should be is that I don't know anyone who's had it - and nor has MW raised it at all with me. In fact, have you all been offered the jab, or have you had to ask about it - I do sometimes wonder if I should look into it a bit more!

Sorry to hijack your thread, OP!