The H1N1(rather than the “icky” name swine flu) has parents across the city and region concerned about every little symptom of a flu their child gets. With the report coming out that the H1N1 has more of a chance to target younger crowds than the seasonal influenza, parents are on edge and regardless of how light the symptoms are, they are taking their kids to the ER.
I guess the good news about all of this, is that the people are being sent home, because the ER simply just can’t keep children or treat them if the symptoms aren’t in a state to actually effect the child. The emergency department at Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville, has reported that it went from 60 patients a day in the ER to roughly 180(more than double) with concern about their children’s possible contraction of H1N1, and most are sent him with just regular flu-like symptoms.
Parents should treat flu symptoms the way they do every year, seeking medical attention if a child develops trouble breathing or can’t keep fluids down.
I added bold to the above statement so the parents out there who get fearful when their kids start coughing, to pay attention to what symptoms get worse. Keep your kid at home and monitor the situation. I know it’s hard, believe me, but there simply is no point scaring the crap out of your kid with all this H1N1 talk. Dr. Raymond Pitetti, associate director of emergency medicine at Children’s, had this to say about the H1N1 virus and what parents are hearing about it:
“There’s a fear out there and, from our perspective, what parents are hearing is not what we would tell them,” Pitetti said, noting that only about five cases required admission to an intensive care unit. “I just think they need to do the normal thing and keep an eye on the child. As things get more severe, they need to see their pediatrician.”
Sounds like strong advice from a professional in the business if you ask me. I think the crazy thing about all of it, out of all the people, from the 180 total that influxed to the ER. Only 5 cases have actually been admitted, and that’s over a span of days/weeks. While the H1N1 is possibly a threat, it’s not big enough to spread city/region wide panic.
Of course, the best way to prevent any kind of H1N1 virus is to get the vaccine says Dr. Anand Kumar of the Health Sciences Center and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg:
“The vaccine is a no-brainer,” Kumar said. “I think, quite frankly, that it’s not a close call this year. If you see people ignoring the vaccine, you’re going to see a lot of young kids dead this year.”
Pretty serious words for sure. Finally, just to make this article seem a little more helpful, I’ll post the actual symptoms of the H1N1(Swine) Flu virus. Information taken from WebMD.com
Symptoms of H1N1 swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu have had diarrhea and vomiting. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. But these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions. That means that you and your doctor can’t know, just based on your symptoms, if you’ve got swine flu. Health care professionals may offer a rapid flu test, although a negative result doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have the flu.
Like seasonal flu, pandemic swine flu can cause neurologic symptoms in children. These events are rare, but, as cases associated with seasonal flu have shown, they can be very severe and often fatal. Symptoms include seizures or changes in mental status (confusion or sudden cognitive or behavioral changes). It’s not clear why these symptoms occur, although they may be caused by Reye’s syndrome. Reye’s syndrome usually occurs in children with a viral illness who have taken aspirin — something that should always be avoided.
Only lab tests can definitively show whether you’ve got swine flu. State health departments can do these tests. But given the large volume of samples coming in to state labs, these tests are being reserved for patients with severe flu symptoms. Currently, doctors are reserving antiviral drugs for people with or at risk of severe influenza.
Information for my atricle and quotes used from: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_647718.html
Tue, Oct 13, 2009
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