H1N1/Swine Flu—No Joke For Us

September 19, 2009 by Victoria I know we've all heard enough about the H1N1/swine flu on the news to know it is serious -- or potentially so. While the rest of the country flew into hyper mode last spring, Bill and I continued what we do every single day -- washing, sanitizing, and limiting exposure. And while parents discussed the severity, the risks, the precautions, we continued to do what we do every single day. And while people now decide whether it is media hype, wait for a mutation, ponder the vaccine, we continue to do what we do every single day -- except now we are scared. Yes, it may turn out to be mild, but it will not be for Gwendolyn. Yes, few have died from this strain, but not so with people like Gwendolyn. Almost two-thirds of the children who have died from H1N1/swine flu had epilepsy, cerebral palsy, or other neuro-developmental conditions -- that is Gwendolyn. In comparison, in the previous flu season only a third of pediatric deaths had those conditions (that's twice the rate with H1N1) -- again Gwendolyn. While most parents normally have the luxury to say, "Oh, it is only a flu", imagine for a moment the panicky feeling the world had when the H1N1/swine flu broke out -- well, that is what we feel about a regular flu, a normal cough, let alone the H1N1/swine flu, which impacts the lungs and seems to be hitting children like Gwendolyn specifically hard. We are not sure what all of this means for us and for our social little girl. But we feel nervous and as if the clock is ticking loudly in our ears.

Please wash your hands! Don't go out if you are sick! And remember -- your little flu could be deadly to someone else.

MSNBC News Story sited

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