Swine Flu - General Discussion and how it affects Disney

[avahoneybee]

I just read on the apwire that NYC closed down another school for another outbreak. I know this has taken a back seat in the news but it's still a little unnerving that this is spreading like it is.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Why did the title of this thread get changed???

 

[maroo]

Why did the title of this thread get changed???

Because I am the OP and I am seeking information from some people in Chicago... see post 1897.

Did it bother you that it changed? Or are you just curious how I changed it?

 

[loveysbydesign]

Because I am the OP and I am seeking information from some people in Chicago... see post 1897.

Did it bother you that it changed? Or are you just curious how I changed it?

I just wondered why it had changed as I thought it was a generalized swine flu thread...that's why I posted on it yesterday about it being in PA...that was before the title got changed.

 

[maroo]

I work in Chicago at a major employer in a huge office building downtown and live in a near west suburb and take CTA every day to and from work. I also have a child in public school. I haven't seen or heard anyone who actually had it. From what I understand, Illinois is one of the few states still actively testing and reporting every potential case - and that's the reason our numbers are so high compared to some other states.

I work in a school district in the Chicago area and we closed our middle school and high school for a week due to some suspected cases. One case was later confirmed. Any children who had signs of flu were sent home immediately and required to stay home for a set amount of time. We really have been vigilant in keeping the kids hands washed and sanitizing door handles and drinking fountains. Our schools are open now, and attendance rates look normal again. I think if we all practice and preach good hygiene and stay home if we are sick, we can beat this swine flu.

Part of the reason I worry more about Disney is that there may be some people that drag their kids along even if they are not feeling well because they have paid so much for the trip.

I live in the Chicago area. I have not run into anyone who was visibly sick or even talks about knowing anyone who is sick. I work for a well known Chicago entity and there have been no excessive absences. No one wears masks. I don't even hear people talking about the flu anymore.
We just came back from WDW on Sunday and I can tell you there was no evidence of any worry about it there either. There were more people washing their hands and covering their mouths when they coughed but I also ran into people who just didn't care what germs they were spreading and just sneezed and coughed how ever they wanted.
Anyway neither my husband nor I came back sick or have gotten sick. :

Thank you all so much for your input!

I am looking forward to sharing this information with those of us that are a little concerned as we head out for this trip!

Sounds like Chicago is just doing more testing and that is why the numbers are inflated...and 500 cases is not that many in a city the size of Chicago, I guess!

We are going to take precautions, especially with Lauren.

Thank you all for your input!


I will change the name back on the swine flu thread now that I have the info I was looking for!!! Thanks so much!

 

[maroo]

I just wondered why it had changed as I thought it was a generalized swine flu thread...that's why I posted on it yesterday about it being in PA...that was before the title got changed.

It is confusing! Sorry! I am going to change it back now.

 

[maroo]

I changed the name of the thread again...And I will leave it the way it is unless a major story breaks about the flu! Sorry for the confusion!!

We leave in less than 2 weeks for our 1st Disney cruise and I'm praying we don't get it. My youngest and I have been fighting off sinus infections for the past week so our immune systems aren't in the best of shape right now.

I hope you guys don't get it either! I guess we have almost as good a chance of getting at home, though, depending on where we live.

I just read on the apwire that NYC closed down another school for another outbreak. I know this has taken a back seat in the news but it's still a little unnerving that this is spreading like it is.

Are they closing because they have a case? Or lots of them?

This seems to be spreading in the younger groups...do you think it is because of the proximity of school children? I wonder if any close proximity businesses are seeing any high rates of transmission?

 

[avahoneybee]

I changed the name of the thread again...And I will leave it the way it is unless a major story breaks about the flu! Sorry for the confusion!!




I hope you guys don't get it either! I guess we have almost as good a chance of getting at home, though, depending on where we live.



Are they closing because they have a case? Or lots of them?

This seems to be spreading in the younger groups...do you think it is because of the proximity of school children? I wonder if any close proximity businesses are seeing any high rates of transmission?

There are many cases, but the asst. principal is in critical condition. This is the article.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090515/ap_on_re_us/us_swine_flu_nyc

 

[maroo]

There are many cases, but the asst. principal is in critical condition. This is the article.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090515/ap_on_re_us/us_swine_flu_nyc

Thank you for the link...

Oh, that makes me so sad! Here he is serving in a public school and now he is so sick. How horrible.

This "little, overblown" flu definitely has some teeth!

 

[Lynn5700]

Umm the flu is not affecting Disney at all. The only thing Disney did while we were there was that they left a paper in our room explaning that it is important to wash your hands, and they are not doing the fingerprint scan anymore. I don't know if they stopped that because of the flu or if they are just not doing it anymore.

 

[maroo]

Umm the flu is not affecting Disney at all. The only thing Disney did while we were there was that they left a paper in our room explaning that it is important to wash your hands, and they are not doing the fingerprint scan anymore. I don't know if they stopped that because of the flu or if they are just not doing it anymore.

It was reported on the DIS earlier they did indeed stop doing the fingerprint scan due to the flu. But I don't quite get that, since people are touching everything else!

They are also now selling hand santizer!

But, there has not been much in the way of affects, which is great news!!

Do I need to change the title again?!?!?!

We have been discussing how it affects crowd levels, etc.

 

[SondraC]

Umm the flu is not affecting Disney at all. The only thing Disney did while we were there was that they left a paper in our room explaning that it is important to wash your hands, and they are not doing the fingerprint scan anymore. I don't know if they stopped that because of the flu or if they are just not doing it anymore.

There are now reports that Disney is back doing the fingerprint scans again.

 

[maroo]

that makes sense...since everyone is touching everything else anyway...

plus...if word got out that they weren't doing it...they would have lots of issues with tickets.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

We're about a week away and I couldn't be more excited! Looking at the current information and numbers from the CDC we still see only about .002% (very minute) of the US population infected, and of those infected only a .08% fatality rate, all of which we are told had underlying conditions.

In my immediate school district/borough we have had 0 cases, so all systems are go for WDW! Definitely going to be washing and sanitizing, but my initial concern has passed and I'm ready to enjoy my vacation!

...of course that being said, I'll be the one who comes home with it.

 

[MarieA]

It was reported on the DIS earlier they did indeed stop doing the fingerprint scan due to the flu. But I don't quite get that, since people are touching everything else!

They are also now selling hand santizer!

But, there has not been much in the way of affects, which is great news!!

Do I need to change the title again?!?!?!

We have been discussing how it affects crowd levels, etc.

You are right. They did stop using the finger scan. We were there 5/3-5/8 and didn't use the finger scan at all. They were selling hand sanitizer at all of the kiosks and stores throughout WDW.

We also noticed they were washing everything down constantly. We were at the Contemporary and watched as a CM sprayed some sort of cleaner onto a cloth. She then stood at the bottom of the escalator and held the cloth on the handrail to clean it. This was done several times while we were there.

The crowds this year were much lighter then last year but I don't think it had anything to do with the Swine Flu. I would say the recession is to blame for the lower crowds.

 

[dizfan]

There are now reports that Disney is back doing the fingerprint scans again.

They turned the scanners back on Wednesday. We went to AK, Epcot, and MK for our last day and had to use them at every park. Personally, I wish they would turn them off and leave them off. I would guess half of the people entering parks that day had problems because of the scanners.

 

[avahoneybee]

I'm presuming that Disney is still taking precautions against swine flu but I wonder what else they can do. The principal that died in NY over the weekend is just horrible. Did I hear it correctly that he waited to get care though?

Does anyone know if the "swine flu vaccine" is going to be the typical yearly flu shot or is this an additional one? My kids receive their flu shot annually and I'm trying to decide what to do. After all the horrible stuff with the last one in the 70's I'm a little nervous.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I'm presuming that Disney is still taking precautions against swine flu but I wonder what else they can do. The principal that died in NY over the weekend is just horrible. Did I hear it correctly that he waited to get care though?

Does anyone know if the "swine flu vaccine" is going to be the typical yearly flu shot or is this an additional one? My kids receive their flu shot annually and I'm trying to decide what to do. After all the horrible stuff with the last one in the 70's I'm a little nervous.

From what I understand Disney has been very proactive about keeping things clean. They can only do so much, though. It's up to the guests to wash and sanitize their hands, and to keep their coughs under control.

The principal in NY, according to a New York Times article, had many underlying health problems, and was not reacting to some of the anti-viral medications. It's possible, with his previous conditions, that he was unable to use some of the successful drugs due to interactions with other medications he was taking.

They are still deciding if the vaccine will be added to the yearly vaccine, or not. It is possible due to time constraints that they may have to make it a separate shot. I should get the shot every year, but I don't. I guess I figure if everyone around me gets it, than I'm protected too.

 

[Pennykay]

Actually, from what I have read, he was only sick for two days before going to the hospital:

"A beloved Queens assistant principal became the city's first swine flu death Sunday night - and health officials warned to expect new severe cases.

Mitchell Wiener, 55, died at 6:17 p.m. at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, six days after he got sick and four days after he was hospitalized with a temperature of 103."

Also, he was a generally healthy man:

"One of them was Mitchell Wiener, the assistant principal who died. His family told NYT he’d suffered from gout but that it was under control with medication."

 

[Chuck S]

The last I heard from our local news was that there would be 3 shots. One for the normal flu, and two for swine flu...with a time interval between them. But as always, that can easily change.