[Saya]

There's a case of Swine Flu in my daughter's pre-school. (We live in NYC - it was only a matter of time.) It's not someone in her classroom. The school is staying open. They are doing a complete cleaning of all the classrooms tonight. There are actually two parents who work for the NYC DOH and they have been working with the school administration, so I feel like if there were a real reason to close down the school they would have. My daughter has no known past medical conditions that would make her particularly vulnerable.

So I'm leaning towards just sending her to school tomorrow. From everything I've read, the H1N1 doesn't seem too different then the regular flu, and I'm figuring I should just act like I would if I was told some kid at her school just had the flu - try to be a stickler about cleanliness, but no need to keep her home from school whenever other kids are sick.

So Fadzi or anyone else here who's a doctor or nurse - is this the right attitude? Or should I be taking this a little more seriously and keeping her home?

[browneyes0707]

I work in a physician's office, and just recently one of the girls at the office came down with H1N1 (again, bound to happen, as we are close to where most of the outbreaks are). I'll admit I was pretty nervous about the fact that no one sent us home or closed us down for even 1/2 a day, and contimplated staying out if she was confirmed (which she was after she had been in most of the day, so we all had contact with her) but I realized that since the outbreaks started, the likelihood is that we've come in contact with TONS of people who were exposed, in the office, at the store, the gas stations, etc. Mostly, we were told to keep our spaces clean, and let someone know if we were feeling sick. And if the docs weren't advising us to close, then I figured there wasn't that much to be concerned about. So we dilligently wiped everything down often and washed our hands more frequently than usual, and no one else caught it. After a few days, the excitement calmed down.

I too realized that I don't call out everytime someone has the flu. But it's been such a big deal in the media, we all kind of freaked a bit when we heard it hit close to home!

[loveajax]

Well, today at work, we got a message that someone in our high rise has this. Not sure of which office or whatever....but to me it would be like announcing someone has the flu. My best friend's ex had it and her dd stayed over our house (bad mom alert!). It is hard not to be paranoid! But fingers crossed, we are ok. I would prob send my dd too, but that is me!

[Happy123]

We had a case at my kid's school--one confirmed and one probable. They closed the school for over a week. Of course, it was during the height of the scare. I think a lot of people panic....I would send her to school.
Happy123

[Prettyboicris]

I'm part of the Social Work department for the Hospital. We have had multiple patients with swine flu. You know what they do with them. They give them Tamaflu and stabalize their symptoms i.e. fever then send them home. The reason why is because it is just a more aggressive version of the flu. I would send her to school and just load her up on vitamin C, make sure she is washing her hands and check that she is feeling okay. Honestly you may keep her home but in the community she ends up being exposed. Especially if you take the train or bus in NYC there are all types of germs floating around. That's just my thought. Ultimately, go with your gut!

[sbaglio]

Sorry, Saya, I saw this post late, obviously!

At this point, not knowing your full circumstances, I would likely send my own daughter to school.

I would look at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the latest information on H1N1. I haven't looked for a few days, so recommendations may have changed. But it doesn't sound like your DD is at great risk to me.

Hope that helps

[Stormster]

For sure I'd send her. My nephew had it and E was with him the entire weekend before he started showing symptoms and he didn't get it. Also my other nephew slept in his brother's bed the night before symptoms and drove home from college with him (3 hours in closed car) and didn't get it!

I agree I think it's just the same as the flu except with a few extra symptoms. My nephew would tell you it wasn't even as bad as the regular flu he has had in the past but he was given Tamiflu. Not minimizing it, just think people MAY think it's worse than it is.

[linda512]

I am a pediatrician- I think you are absolutely right. There is a lot of sensationaliasm in the media. It is just another form of the flu.The media does not announce every time someone dies of regular flu but it does happen. If your daughter shows signs of the flu, call your doctor and she can get tamiflu, although I'm not sure it really helps all that much.
Also, she was probably already exposed because the child who has it was probably contagious before they realized she had it.

[angelkisses0102]

I'll throw my perspective out as the mom of a immunosuppressed child (due to medication) who has done lots of research on this...send her as long as she is healthy and not going to be in direct contact to any other person who immunosuppressed. For me, this is huge, as I can't afford for my child to be exposed as he has an 'underlying condition' which is all too common in the news reports of the more serious H1N1 news stories. I've spoken to his doctors and our 'plan of attack' is Tamiflu at exposure...not symptoms.

That being said, I feel DD had this before it was sensationalized and DS was probably exposed already via her...prior to his being medicated and his immune system being compromised. While it was never confirmed...the circumstances scream either H1N1 or some other aggressive flu.

Good luck!

[Saya]

Thank you all so much for your good advice and reassurances. I decided to send her to school this morning, as did the vast majority of other parents at the school. Of course I've got this nagging worry in the back of my head - but that's just part of being a parent.

angelkisses - you know, Anabel was sick right before the Swine Flu story really broke, and I also often wonder if she already had it and we just didn't know. . .

[taramayrn]

Sorry to say that Vitamin C isn't going to do anything for her. Teach her how to wash her hands, use hand sanitizer, cover her mouth when coughing and sneezing.