Swine Flu Increase When School Begins
I can truthfully say now that I am very frustrated with the lack of information coming from the media and the US government concerning preparation for the return of the H1N1 flu. Australia, New Zealand, the UK, even India are so much more proactive about informing the public and planning. This is not over and I am concerned that the public will not be prepared should a self quarantine, or a mandatory quarantine become necessary. Please take time today to send a link to your friends and family to this post and/or to my ebook: Prep Not Panic: Keys to Surviving the Next Pandemic If you know a member of your local or the national media ask them to get the word out. Send them a link to this blog so they will understand there is plenty we can do to prepare, but now is the time. I cannot imagine the fear and frustration for those who have not thought through, and prepared, should this become as wide spread as most governments and health agencies now feel it will become.
Why the urgency now? Our school district begins classes next week, which means for us the flu season will begin. It is through contact while traveling and in schools that spread illnesses the fastest. How do I know it is coming?
“Hundreds of children have been sent home from summer camps across Southern California in recent weeks with flu-like symptoms, and camp counselors and directors are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the H1N1, or swine flu, virus in cabins and mess halls.
But officials say the sight of children arriving at sleep-away camps armed with the anti-viral medication Tamiflu is probably just a harbinger of what awaits schools in coming weeks as students move into dormitories, and elementary and secondary students begin classes.
School closures would occur only by order of the superintendent or the county health department and only if so many children were sick that it was impractical to keep classes running, said Dr. Kimberly Uyeda, director of student medical services at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
UC campuses are stockpiling supplies, from paper masks and hand sanitizer to food and water. Officials are going over worst-case scenarios in case of campus-wide outbreaks. Officials are considering screening students for fever when they check into dorms.
“If we prepare for the worst, then we’re going to get a better outcome,” said Grace Crickette, chief risk officer for the University of California.”
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-camp-flu27-2009jul27,0,5762666.story
But California camps are not alone. Camps throughout the country have had outbreaks of the H1N1 flu. Imagine the outbreaks when every child of school age is potentially exposed. We are about to place our children into the perfect environment for the spread of the flu, many people in a confined environment where they are coughing and sneezing and touching germ laden crayons and desk tops. Think about how many high school students sit at the same English class desk each day.
The article above mentions anti virals but there are many warming that taking an anti viral as a precaution is not a good idea. Again, this study was conducted in the UK.
“Another study, also published by Eurosurveillance, found that more than half of 85 children in three London schools had side-effects when given the drug as a preventative measure after a classmate was diagnosed.
Of the 45 children who suffered side-effects, 40% reported gastrointestinal problems including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and cramps, while 18% reported a “neuropsychiatric side-effect” such as poor concentration, inability to think clearly, problems sleeping, feeling dazed or confused, bad dreams or nightmares and “behaving strangely”.
The research was carried out in April and May – before the government decided to stop using Tamiflu preventatively. Only those with suspected or confirmed swine flu now get the drug.
Clinical trials have shown that around 10% of people taking Tamiflu report nausea without vomiting, and an extra 10% experience vomiting, according to the researchers.
The government’s chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said Tamiflu should still be given to children if they had established symptoms and there were no existing medical reasons not to prescribe the drug.”
“Health officials in Japan have recommended against prescribing Tamiflu to teenagers over fears it causes a rise in “neuropsychiatric events”. The researchers said that clinical trials had shown that about 20 per cent of adults reported side-effects of either nausea or vomiting after taking Tamiflu.”
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25861806-2703,00.html
Again I would ask if your school districts are prepared. If you have not already called your school district please do so. Is your community prepared? Once school begins we could see the spread of this illness very rapidly and time could be very short to take action. We learned that from studying the outbreak this spring in New York. It was a matter of days before one student with the H1N1 became a dozen students with the flu and then only a week until New York City schools were closed for weeks.
The truth is there will not be a vaccine available in time to prevent the rapid spread of the H1N1. We have been lulled into a false sense of security because the media has failed to report. Once some criticized reporters, saying they were being alarmist, they stopped informing. Consider this, every year 36,000 people die of the seasonal flu, a flu for which they have some immunity. No one has immunity for the H1N1, as it is a new flu. If the H1N1 only infected as many as the seasonal flu does each year, doubling those with some strain of the flu, that means an additional 36,000 people in the US alone, could died this fall and winter. What would happen if those with seasonal flu also contracted the H1N1? What do you think their survival rate would be, battling two flu strains?
Each Friday this year I have posted something you could do to be more ready for a pandemic. I began long before the H1N1 was an issue. This week I am asking you to get the word out to as many as you can. The number of cases of the H1N1 has continued to INCREASE during the summer. That should not have happened, and is reason enough for concern. I do not want to be an alarmist. After all, my ebook is titled Prep Not Panic and that is truly what I believe, but we must prepare or we will, maybe in the near future, panic as we realize we don’t have the information necessary to care for the needs of our family.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d28cee71-e46b-47d4-a5fd-5657ebc816c1)
I’m right there with you as far as being frustrated about the lack of media attention this situation is getting. Your thinking is completely right, as far as I’m concerned, when you talk about the fact that those who haven’t prepared at all are going to be in a world of hurt. It’s going to be very sad. I don’t understand why preparing for the worst and hoping for the best is such a bad idea. I think a lot of people still think that the government will be prepared for us all and take care of every ones needs. I don’t think they realize that the government can’t prepare for something like that, and they can’t make sure there will be enough of anything to care for every ones needs. Sorry to make this comment so long, but it’s just so frustrating to me. Most people aren’t going to get it until it’s too late. Thanks for your comments. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one out there trying to get people to wake up to this situation.