Swine Flu in the Valley

And so I get this school newsletter informing all parents that the Swine Flu has been confirmed in two students at our kids' school. No information was given about how the children contracted it, how severe their symptoms or what the school is doing to prevent further spread of the virus.

So, I pulled our kids out of school. I called the school office asking what they have done / are doing to protect the further spread of this virus and they informed me that they are disinfecting the school and the buses, but school will stay open. I thought this was a rather laid back approach to what the world suddenly feared for their lives only a short time ago.

My husband had to fly a trip to Mexico when the Swine Virus was first found and the schools were closed down there. When I heard the news and knew that he was to come home in two days, I called him and told him to stay away and sleep in the van, fly another trip, go do something else...ANYTHING than come home! With a newborn and two kids with asthma--one severe enough that he is on lung anti-inflammatory drugs morning and night, I wasn't about to take any chances. So, my poor husband did just that: slept in the van at the airport and found other things to do until we knew for sure he was not infected and showed no signs of sickness.

So, not understanding why the sudden scare is now an acceptable status for us all to live by, I called our pediatrician. I spoke with the nurse and told her of the two confirmed cases at our school. Startled, she laughed and said,"Oh, there's more than TWO!" and then told me of several other cases in the surrounding towns.

My heart sank. I called the school back and told the secretary what the nurse told me. Apparently, people are reluctant to report their cases in fear of losing their privacy or fear of causing a panic.

So how many cases are there? I don't care to find out, nor do I care for my kids to find out the hard way. Our last days here will be spent in the house, away from public areas to the best of our ability and hopefully we will not contract it. I don't want to be responsible for carrying it from state to state on our move!

So, look out, everyone. Don't rely on the media to tell you everything is fine. Call the doctors and ask them how many cases have they treated in the last week. Find out the truth!