The Official H1N1 Discussion Thread

My 5 year old is currently recovering from H1N1...the dr. told us there is no seasonal flu around at this time. He was out of school all last week. They didn't even want him to come in unless his fever hit 104. It wasn't until the terrible coughing started that they checked his lungs and they were clear.

Their main advice was to keep him hydrated and to give him Tylenol/Motrin as needed. The fever has broken but it's the cough that is tough now. We are giving him Delsym for the cough and it's worked very well.
 
Do you really think that every person is going to stop - use their hand sanitizer - do the finger scan - then sanitize again right after they pass through? :confused3 Do you have any idea how far that would back up the lines? The majority probably won't - too time consuming for both the visitors and the folks at the scanners..

No and I never said that. Lots of people don't worry about germs. My point is that if you do worry about them (as I do) then they have provided them for you. Who cares if everyone doesn't use them? Someone else not doing it doesn't really affect the people worried about it, and if they are not worried about it why should we worry about it for them?
 
I'm sorry but 60 hand sanitizers spread between WDW and Disneyland is :lmao: less than 10 per park not including water parks and resorts. I am surprised it was even reported because of such a low number.

Denise in MI

60 hand sanitizers for all of WDW and WDL?? That's like throwing a deck chair off the Titanic to stop it from sinking.

DH and I used to cruise on NCL often. They have hand sanitizers ALL over the ships and this was long before H1N1 was as prevalent as it is now. You have to sanitize your hands before boarding the ship, they wont let you on if you dont. Does it make the line move slower, yes, but nobody has even complained. There are sanitizers outside of every restaurant, the casino's, and even down the hallways.

Im surprised its taken this long for Disney to react and I cant believe they reacted with so few sanitizer stations.
 
For those of you who do not like the finger scanners, the CM were directing you right to the bulk hand sanitizers right inside the entrance to try and get people to use them. As side note, after two days in the parks, I had to go to first aid because the back of my hands were itching so bad I was near tears. I had tried using some hydrocortosone(?) cream which helped a little but not a lot. The nurse was able to give me some calagel which helped a lot. The nursed said it was probably do to the heavy use of the alcohol based hand sanitizer;) After that I just used it on my palms. The nurse also said soap and water was better and my response was I didn't have time after every ride to go to the bathroom:rotfl:
 


Apparently we caught it at the end of our WDW trip last week. DS started feeling a little feverish in the afternoon on Saturday (our last day), but we thought it might have more to do with going back and forth between the cold air and the warm shops. He started feeling really bad when we got back from Epcot that evening, and DW and I started feeling it, too. We drove the next day and all 3 of us felt crappy, except for DD. Yesterday after getting back to college she started feeling horrible and went to see the university health service, which said she had it. We're pushing fluids and staying away from folks until we're fever-free for 24 hours. Doc said that since we're through the worst part that we don't need Tamiflu.
 
Ok, i just got back from WDW -- and i have to say this --

to the Grandmother who rode the Disney transportation bus to Magic Kingdom with her H1N1 infected grandson (about age 10).. WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING -- well, apparently you WEREN'T!!!!!!!

This grandma broght her grandkid on the bus - as the kid was leaning with his head down on the rails, and coughing up a storm/rubbing his eyes/nose, touching everything around him - rails,etc.. - She told the people next to them as they were sitting there on a PACKED bus -- "oh, don't mind him, he has that H1N1 and is feeling dizzy.. He had a fever of 102 today, but i just gave him some tylonol and he'll be all set.. (As they were HEADING TO the MK!!!) CLEARLY this child DID NOT look/feel right.. as he seemed miserable!!

Now, i WASN'T on this bus -- my sis in law was -- and she moved with her child down to the other end of the bus -- i told her she was nice - as the words that would have come out of my mouth wouldn't have been!!

That right there -- is what i am talking about -- WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR GRANDCHILD and to THE SAFETY / wellbeing of OTHERS?!!

I think i would have also told the busdriver - don't know if they could have stopped them from being on the bus -- but i would have tried my hardest - or i would have made him let me off.

I feel for the next person / child that had to sit in those seats after these people got off.. It's DISGUSTING.

That grandma should be ashamed.
 


Ok, i just got back from WDW -- and i have to say this --

to the Grandmother who rode the Disney transportation bus to Magic Kingdom with her H1N1 infected grandson (about age 10).. WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING -- well, apparently you WEREN'T!!!!!!!

This grandma broght her grandkid on the bus - as the kid was leaning with his head down on the rails, and coughing up a storm/rubbing his eyes/nose, touching everything around him - rails,etc.. - She told the people next to them as they were sitting there on a PACKED bus -- "oh, don't mind him, he has that H1N1 and is feeling dizzy.. He had a fever of 102 today, but i just gave him some tylonol and he'll be all set.. (As they were HEADING TO the MK!!!) CLEARLY this child DID NOT look/feel right.. as he seemed miserable!!

Now, i WASN'T on this bus -- my sis in law was -- and she moved with her child down to the other end of the bus -- i told her she was nice - as the words that would have come out of my mouth wouldn't have been!!

That right there -- is what i am talking about -- WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR GRANDCHILD and to THE SAFETY / wellbeing of OTHERS?!!

I think i would have also told the busdriver - don't know if they could have stopped them from being on the bus -- but i would have tried my hardest - or i would have made him let me off.

I feel for the next person / child that had to sit in those seats after these people got off.. It's DISGUSTING.

That grandma should be ashamed.

Doesn't surprise me in the least. I find so many people don't think these types of illnesses are a big deal, so they feel it's ok to pass their germs on to my children, myself, your children, etc. If they like being sick, then by all means be sick...IN YOUR OWN HOME, AWAY FROM EVERYONE ELSE!

I am so sorry for those people on that bus, as surely that kid passed his germs to someone else...

Yikes! Tiger:mad:
 
I can guarantee that if someone told me their kid/grandkid had H1N1 and was out in public, I would be livid. I think it's highly irresponsible and borderline negligent. You don't know what kind of people you'll run into, and what may just be a minor bug to you could kill the Wish kid standing right next to you, or the pregnant lady on the bus.

Something interesting is happening at a local military treatment facility. If you are sick with flulike symptoms, you are not to go into the building itself. They've set up a few trailers to treat outpatient people and to give them tamiflu/fluids if needed. If you are sent to the ER, you are not allowed to stay in the waiting room. They give you a mask and everyone in your party must wear them. You're put immediately into an iso room and every person who comes in must take full iso protection, meaning gown, gloves, booties, mask, and glasses. Most of the time, unless you are high risk (pregnant, very young, very old, or have chronic health conditions) they tell you not to come in and to wait it out. They are saving Tamiflu for high risk patients. My husband's unit (and my old unit in CA) are even going so far to let you stay home without going to sickcall if you are experiencing flu symptoms. Darn good idea in my opinion.
 
I work in a doctor's office and I had to make roughly a dozen phone calls today to cancel H1N1 vaccine appointments for kids ages 3 and older. While I wish that we had not had to cancel anyone, we did. Considering that we made every effort to "guestimate" the number of doses that we could use to make just nurse visit appointments with vs the number of doses that would be taken by patients that were in our office for other reasons that just happened to get vaccinated, I think that only having to cancel a dozen families is pretty darn good when you are talking about giving out roughly 1000 doses of vaccine.

However, I had a mother of two healthy tween kids, who NEVER get the seasonal flu vaccine, chew me out today over this. She was completely ticked off that we had not planned better and that we had let kids that were scheduled for well checks get the vaccine and had "robbed" her kids of the chance to be vaccinated. :sad2:

Did I mention that I can't wait for 12 PM on Friday, when my vacation begins? :rolleyes1
 
I like your idea of sharing this topic..
This is some what brief about Swine Flu:
What is Swine Influenza?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

How many swine flu viruses are there?
Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.
Swine Flu in Humans

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Can humans catch swine flu?
Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

How common is swine flu infection in humans?
In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu?
In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.

In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?
To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 7 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.

What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?
There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent H1N1 influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.

What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there?
Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).
Swine Flu in Pigs

How does swine flu spread among pigs?
Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread mostly through close contact among pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs. Herds with continuous swine flu infections and herds that are vaccinated against swine flu may have sporadic disease, or may show only mild or no symptoms of infection.

What are signs of swine flu in pigs?
Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.

How common is swine flu among pigs?
H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses are endemic among pig populations in the United States and something that the industry deals with routinely. Outbreaks among pigs normally occur in colder weather months (late fall and winter) and sometimes with the introduction of new pigs into susceptible herds. Studies have shown that the swine flu H1N1 is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25 percent of animals showing antibody evidence of infection. In the U.S. studies have shown that 30 percent of the pig population has antibody evidence of having had H1N1 infection. More specifically, 51 percent of pigs in the north-central U.S. have been shown to have antibody evidence of infection with swine H1N1. Human infections with swine flu H1N1 viruses are rare. There is currently no way to differentiate antibody produced in response to flu vaccination in pigs from antibody made in response to pig infections with swine H1N1 influenza.

While H1N1 swine viruses have been known to circulate among pig populations since at least 1930, H3N2 influenza viruses did not begin circulating among US pigs until 1998. The H3N2 viruses initially were introduced into the pig population from humans. The current swine flu H3N2 viruses are closely related to human H3N2 viruses.

Is there a vaccine for swine flu?
Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.
 
On the killed/live virus thing.. scientifically speaking, viruses are not alive. In general, viruses are entirely composed of a single strand of genetic information encased within a protein capsule. Viruses lack most of the internal structure and machinery which characterize 'life', including the biosynthetic machinery that is necessary for reproduction. In order for a virus to replicate it must infect a suitable host cell.

So..Viral or bacterial vaccines may be killed or live. Live vaccines contain bacteria or a virus that has been modified (MLV). This means they've lost their disease-causing ability (attenuated) or are administered by a route that prevents them from causing clinical disease. For the inactivated vaccines, the virus is grown by injecting it, along with some antibiotics, into fertilized chicken eggs. The virus replicates within the allantois of the embryo, which is the equivalent of the placenta in mammals. The fluid in this structure is removed and the virus purified from this fluid by methods such as filtration or centrifugation. The purified viruses are then inactivated with a small amount of a disinfectant. The inactivated virus is then treated with detergent to break up the virus particles and their released proteins are concentrated by centrifugation.

All this is taken from my molecular virology and epidemiology textbooks.
 
Oh, and to add a bit of trivia for you. Influenza and a host of other viruses (to include Ebola.. very scary stuff there) contain just one or more molecules of single stranded antisense RNA. Being an antisense RNA based virus means that the virus is able to replicate inside a host very quickly.

This is the basic makeup of H1N1's genetics. It's fascinating stuff!

an HA gene (H1) derived from the swine flu of 1930 (and related to the H1 of the great 1918 "Spanish" flu pandemic) along with an NP and NS gene from that virus;

an NA gene (N1) from a virus that had been circulating in the pigs of Europe and Asia since 1979 along with the M gene from that virus;

a PA and PB2 gene that entered pigs from birds around 1998;

a PB1 gene that passed from birds to humans around 1968 and from us to pigs around 1998.
 

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