CDC To Monitor Children's Flu Complications: Drug-Resistant Staph A New Wrinkle

SFgate ^ | 12-8-2003 | Daniel Yee

[torstars]

My son had the flu the week before Thanksgiving

How old is he?

[riri]

Well, if it is mutating (or drifting) to such an extent, any chance it could mutate into a less virulent strain?

Another thing that is bothering me, we are not getting any specific cause for the deaths of any of these children, are we? Is it pneumonia, severe dehydration? I would really like to know, in the end, what killed these otherwise healthy children.

[riri]

I think we will know when they finally do hit us. As for the government and CDC, I would not look to them any time soon for answers. They'll still tell you the death rate for SARS was somewhere under 5%, we all know better than that.

[kdono]

Perhaps the terrs are using everything they have with the hope of finding the big one?

I bio-terrorist would use more shifting than drifting.

[vetvetdoug]

Thank you for your excellent information and considerate reply. I see the problem. Its going to be bad then.

[torstars]

Well, if it is mutating (or drifting) to such an extent, any chance it could mutate into a less virulent strain?

The virus mutates all the time. It is natural selection that is driving virulence and young children are very good vectors.

[riri]

My son (2.75 years) had, what appeared to be the flu a week before Thanksgiving too. We all had the vaccination except him. I got a little ill, my husband and daughter did not get sick at all.

He was very sick. Very high temperature for 2.5 days that a fever reducer would not even bring down. Throwing up, listless, sorethroat, etc. However, he did not have too severe of a cough, but never the less he did have a cough.

I had to bring him to the pediatrician twice. She told me it wasn't flu because it was too early in the season. I am pretty sure it was the flu but probably not this Fujian strain. But, if it were the Panama strain do you think that will that offer him some protection just as the vaccination may offer the rest of us some?

[torstars]

I am pretty sure it was the flu but probably not this Fujian strain.

What state are you in? In the west the ratio of Fujian/Panama is 3 or 4 to 1. In the Midwest there seems to be a bit more Panama (but I suspect the ratio will go to 3 or 4 to 1 like it is in the west).

Infection with Panama will offer some protection, and exposure to a "live" vaccine may offer more protection than the dead virus in the current vaccine.

[riri]

We are in Arizona.

Incidentally, we all had the flu last year (except my husband who got the shot through work). It was the sickest I had been in years. I rarely get an illness with a cough and I was hacking up a lung for the better part of a week. Painful, painful coughing. My daughter, who develops a cough if she stubs a toe, was coughing and he, again, only had a minor cough associated with it.

BTW, appreciate all your information. Thank you.

[Lady Heron]

13, and plays sports at a national level so he was very healthy.

[torstars]

plays sports at a national level

Playing sports at a national level involves a lot of travel and exposure.

[Free Trapper]

Report from AP in newspaper-Oklahoma has at least 6 deaths from the flu.Also,a steady rise in the disease with no evidence the flu season has peaked is indicated.

1-14 month old, 1-13 year old, 1-28 year old, 3-elderly.

The State Health Commissioner said "the degree of this is significantly higher than it has been in previous years".

He said county health departments across the state will probably be out of flu vaccine by the end of the week.

Some departments,including the one in Oklahoma County (Okla.City),have already depleted their supplies.

[Lady Heron]

He did not get it from playing sports, he got it from a boy brought to a recording studio with a 104 degree fever, because it was the only day the recording could be done and his part was to important in the peoples eyes to not be there, thus exposing the other children. I guess the point I was trying to make is that my son was very healthy and not prone to illness.

[torstars]

More deaths of apparently healthy children:

"Devlin said the boy was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 6 and died later that night. He was the first child to die from the flu in North Carolina this year.

Adding to the significance of the death was that the boy was considered healthy before he caught the flu.

"It appears he was not in the at-risk group," Devlin said. "But we are continuing our investigation."

http://www.wral.com/news/2697048/detail.html

[Free Trapper]

Darn,a presumably healthy 6 year old.

The statement,"It may continue on and peak in March like last year",did not give me warm fuzzies,either. :{

[riri]

I have read that two more have died in Colorado, bringing the total to ten deaths in that state.

[riri]

Colorado Link

[torstars]

,"It may continue on and peak in March like last year",

The flu season usually starts with younger children, then moves into schools, and then to adults. It seems that the season could go on for quite awhile, especially with a strain not matched to the vaccine and quite virulent.

[Free Trapper]

With the different strains,one person has the ability to be ill more than once per season,doesn't he?

[torstars]

Yes, I believe there are several possibilities. It seems that some who have been immunized with panama (H3N2) can still come down the fujian (H3N2) and I think there is even less protection for H1N1, H1N2, or Influenza B. However, it seems that fujian is the strain causing most of the problems and concern.