Oink

The H1N1 flu is spreading like wildfire, and it has hit our family. Ouch.

One of our kids woke up yesterday morning with a headache and slight (100.2) fever. Sure enough, it's the flu. Although our child tested negative, the test has a very high (as high as 80%) false negative rate, so our doctor's clinical diagnosis is H1N1. Apparently having the flu in our geographical area at the moment means having the swine flu.

The good news is that it seems to be a mild case (this kid is estatic, since missing school and watching movies seems like a treat), and the doctor says people have been recovering quickly. Also, no need for the vaccine for this kid; apparently you only get it once.

It's going around; our doctor's first grader had it last week and 13 other kids in his son's class were out sick the same day. Nine out of thirteen girls were missing from Serena's ballet class this week. The CDC site is a good place to get your information.

If you get this flu, it's mostly a waiting game with rest and quarantine. After a fever-free day a person is no longer communicable. Tamiflu prevents the virus from replicating and can shorten the duration by a day or so. Many area pharmacies are sold out. We found ours at Leesburg Pharmacy.

Our practice just got its shipment of the H1N1 vaccine. Only certain populations are eligible, including kids aged six months to 24 years, pregnant women, and health care workers. Kids under age nine need two shots, one month apart. Not fun, but much better than getting sick.

Be careful out there.