<p>People should always wash their hands, keep their distance from sick people and stay home when they’re sick. I guess if it takes this outbreak to teach that, then so be it. The problem is that after this crisis passes, being careful may not last long and we’re back to losing over 30k with the seasonal flu - which is spread in the exact same way.</p>
<p>on a lighter note":</p>
<p>they said… pigs would fly before we would ever have a black president… well here we are …President Obama and swine “flew”.</p>
<p>People are and continue to be inconsiderate about spreading their germs. There continue to be countless people who insist that it’s fine for them to be out & about when they’re ill, no matter what. This includes healthcare profesionals, relatives & more. The other day, I was supposed to be in a radio interview with someone who told me she had been ill for over a week. </p>
<p>I rescheduled the interview to be conducted with each of us separately because I am tired of being sick–have had to take antibiotics every month from December thru March and really would prefer not to take any more for a while.</p>
<p>I still hear & see sick folks around a LOT–miserably coughing, sneezing, blowing their noses and working, including at the pharmacy and elsewhere. My sister will be bringing her sick kids to the dinner tonight where there will be 30+ people (many in their 70s & 80s), even tho I have asked that she not bring her kids if they’re sick as it puts everyone at risk of catching whatever they have. I’m planning to leave before she arrives with her kids in tow, since I can’t imagine her not coming. I am so tired of all of these inconsidereate people who are everywhere. <sigh></sigh></p>
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<p>Couldn’t agree more. People should have been doing this before this outbreak.</p>
<p>I agree with you HImom. I went to a book sale last year and several mothers were there with sick children. The children were sneezing, coughing, wiping their runny nose with their hands and touching every books in the place. 3 days after, I was sick. It lasted 2 weeks.</p>
<p>You are right on the ball HImom. I have a friend whose family is sick, at least it seems this way, most of the time. She sends her sick kids on playdates with my kids. I have been rude to her many times before over this, but she is slow to learn.
I believe this is a part of american culture, sick or not, to go to school, work, activities.
This culture also demonizes illness. We are petrified if there is no pill/immediate cure for something. And the fact is that illness is a part of our lives. We need to slow down, rest when we are sick. Not panic.</p>
<p>AprilMom - I am all for being prepared, I am simply against spreading rumours. No matter who is spreading them. That’s it :)</p>
<p>I don’t think folks realize that even tho when their kids are sick, it’s an inconvenience & their kids are ill for a day or even a few days while the folks they get sick can be out for weeks or a month of longer. It doesn’t sink in, no matter how often we say it because they feel “virtuous” by saying that they aren’t “wimps” and can still function all the time. They honestly don’t think about how they affect others and probably don’t care much.</p>
<p>They honestly don’t think about how they affect others and probably don’t care much.</p>
<p>or this</p>
<p>
[Swine</a> flu or not, many workers can’t stay home | Seattle Times Mobile](<a href=“http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mobile/?type=story&id=2009158953]Swine”>http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mobile/?type=story&id=2009158953)</p>
<p>In social settings, “sick days” don’t apply. Personally, I think it’s selfish and irresponsible to expose others, especially vulnerable seniors & young kids to infections if your presence isn’t REQUIRED and you know you are ill.</p>
<p>It’s also wrong for employers not to allow their employees to have sick days without fearing loss of their jobs, but the economic realities of small businesses are such that many are scrambling to survive. Even docs can’t easily take off because no one can fill their job when they’re out & rescheduling is a bear. I still prefer not to be around sick folks more than necessary because for me infections last weeks.</p>
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<p>This is true here, in the US, much more than aywhere else. This is one of the basic human freedoms that members of our society are losing every day. Very similar to the way we treat vacation time here, unfortuantely ;)</p>
<p>In my job, you earn “paid time off” the longer you work there. You use it for sick days, or for vacation. There is no separate vacation time given. I got pneumonia and was out for two weeks. THAT was my vacation.</p>
<p>It’s really tough in hospital units to call in sick. They MUST find someone to come in in your stead as they cannot give more than two patients to a nurse in an ICU. So someone on their day off has to be cajoled into coming in or they have to call a nursing agency and pay huge bucks for a temp. So many nurses, feeling bad about causing so much trouble, will come in anyway. Just who you want taking care of your critically ill loved one, huh? A sick nurse.</p>
<p>We are coming to the end of term for colleges and prep schools. If the panic over this flu causes international borders to close, international students may be stuck. Parents might want to inquire to their children’s schools as to availability of housing beyond the end of term.</p>
<p>Just found out that our high school has its first confirmed case. And although I no longer have kids at the school, it just so happened that I was on campus last Thursday night (second time all year) for the spring musical, and the diagnosed individual was in school for a half day that day. Just hoping she wasn’t in the auditorium at any point during the day!</p>
<p>Am glad to see though, that they’re not jumping on the hysteria bandwagon of other schools in the area, and closing.</p>
<p>[Afghanistan’s</a> only pig quarantined in flu fear](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090505/lf_nm_life/us_afghanistan_pig]Afghanistan’s”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090505/lf_nm_life/us_afghanistan_pig)</p>
<p>^^LOL.</p>
<p>I survived a flight to and from SFO this weekend just fine. Saw 3 or 4 people in masks at SFO and one in SEA, none on my flights. Alaska took away all pillows and blankets, and each plane gets scrubbing in between flights (the ladies who were cleaning our planes looked very Mexican :)).
Our HR person was under the weather today, and stayed home. Everyone was applauding her decision. :)</p>
<p>D’s college has one confirmed case (not a student), but there are no closings planned.</p>
<p>The government has backed away from recommending schoool closures. Thanks heaven :)</p>
<p>[Japan</a> finds first case of H1N1 resistant to Tamiflu | Markets | Markets News | Reuters](<a href=“http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUST25492220090702]Japan”>http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUST25492220090702)</p>
<p>The current vaccine being made for this Fall (more like this January) will not be ready for this variant of H1N1</p>
<p>Did you hear that in Great Britain people are hosting “flu parties”? The idea is to expose your kids and yourself to the flu now while it’s mild, so that if it mutates into a more lethal form, you’ll likely have some immunity. Maybe they are onto something, but I don’t know…</p>
<p>From all I’ve read, “Flu parties” is a very bad idea and might encourage a quicker mutation of the “flu” to a more lethal & difficult to treat version (compared to the current fairly mild version).</p>
<p>So, from a public heath standpoint, bad, but from an individual standpoint, good?</p>
<p>I’d rather catch it now, while it’s mild.</p>
<p>There’s no proof that catching it now will prevent you from catching it again when it mutates to a more serious form of flu as well. They really just don’t have enough info about this new H1N1 strain.</p>