US health officials troubled by new flu pattern

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18510599.htm ^

[traumer]

Source: Reuters * Pattern different from seasonal flu

* U.S. flu season running unusually long

* Average flu victim is teenager

(Updates throughout with news conferences)

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The new influenza strain circulating around most of the United States is putting a worrying number of young adults and children into the hospital and hitting more schools than usual, U.S. health officials said on Monday.

The H1N1 swine flu virus killed a vice principal at a New York City school over the weekend and has spread to 48 states. While it appears to be mild, it is affecting a disproportionate number of children, teenagers and young adults.

This includes people needing hospitalization -- now up to 200, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"That's very unusual, to have so many people under 20 to require hospitalization, and some of them in (intensive care units)," Schuchat told reporters in a telephone briefing.

"We are now experiencing levels of influenza-like illness that are higher than usual for this time of year," Schuchat added. "We are also seeing outbreaks in schools, which is extremely unusual for this time of year."

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden agreed with Schuchat.

"We're seeing increasing numbers of people going to emergency departments saying they have fever and flu, particularly young people in the 5 to 17 age group, " Frieden, who has been named by U.S. President Barack Obama as the new CDC director, told a news conference.

About half of all cases of influenza are being diagnosed as the new H1N1 strain, while the rest are influenza B, or the seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 strains. Flu season in the United States is usually almost over by May.

[luckystarmom]

My husband and I have been trying to figure that out ourselves.

Our daughters almost died of a simple respiratory virus (RSV) when they were babies. One of them still has bad asthma whenever she has cold or flu. (The other a brain injury and epilepsy.)

We keep wondering if it would be better for them to get flu now or later. I’m hoping for a vaccine in the fall.

I’m just keeping track with the news, and I have tamiflu on hand.

[autumnraine]

Now that has me worried. See I thought it was a high fever I should be worried about. I started coughing tonight. Like a deep chest cold cough. I also go to college...

I think I am going to the doctor tomorrow. Not that they would test me for swine flu or whatever that is, but what is interesting to me is how slow it is coming on. Like the first thing I noticed is the fatigue. I NEVER nap. I mean I have to take medicine to get the few hours of sleep I manage to get as it is. Sunday though, I slept for 7 hours in the day and still went to bed at 9pm last night. Fell asleep in class today and came home, did stuff and fell asleep in a CHAIR for two hours this evening. When I woke up, the coughing was setting in.

So should I be worried? I mean not of death, but just in general? I’ve never had a flu with such a low grade fever before. It’s 99.9 to 100.5, just enough to make you feel like crap.

Thanks for that info, I’m looking into the Drudge story now. This thing may be bigger than we imagined, but not quite as deadly as feared.

[autumnraine]

Thank you. See post #22 on my new symptom tonight. The fatigue is the most intense part of this so far.

[Fu-fu2]

Hope you’re okay! I had one of the worst flu bugs I’ve ever had back in March. It was the vomiting/diarrhea kind, not the cold/cough kind. High fever, vomiting, diarrhea—completely knocked out in bed for two days. Five days of not leaving the house. I didn’t get an appetite back for nearly two weeks. I think I caught it from a young relative who caught it at pre-school. I hope the swine flu is nothing like that!

[Steve Van Doorn]

"we have 10 children."

I want to thank for having a lot of kids. really!

At this point this strain isn't serous but that doesn't mean in the fall it will not mutate to a much more dangerous virus.
Not very likely but that is how it happened in 1918. first wave was mild then fall hit millions died.

[Steve Van Doorn]

oh yeah one good thing about getting this flu early if you do have it. You will be more immune when/if the new strain mutates in the fall.

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks RR.

Our mailman at work came in last week looking gray - I knew the minute he came in the door he was sick. He said his Dr gave him antibiotics. I said did they test for flu, he said no but he thought he had it. It was in his chest, throat and he had been already sick for 3 days.

I gave him some of my Esberitox and told him to go to the health food store and get more plus Sambucol. He was not there yesterday. I immediately disinfected the lobby with Lysol. I have been washing my hands every time I touch something from customers as we have a tourist influx and who knows who they have been in contact with.

I’ve had several people call and cancel their appointments because they are sick -*Thankfully* - If people would just stay home when they are sick we could stop the spread.