Hi Lhertogh and other moms,
I'm a medical writer specializing in infectious disease, so I've been keeping pretty close tabs on the CDC reports on H1N1. I hope you'll find what I'm about to say reassuring.
Thus far, H1N1 has proven to be no more dangerous than any other variety of seasonal H1 Type A influenza. Most people who get it will be only mildly ill or have symptoms that are no worse than other seasonal flus. Many people will never even know that they've been infected by the virus.
Because this particular variant hasn't surfaced in the last 50 years or so, most younger people have never been exposed to it and have no pre-existing immunity, while the immunity of older folks who may have been to exposed to it might have waned. Because of this, H1N1 is likely to infect a large segment of the population this year and next, until reasonable "herd immunity" has been attained, so it's likely to remain in the news, which is, in my opinion, over-blowing the severity of the illness because it makes better copy and sells more headlines than accurate reporting. The press throws around scary words like "pandemic" without explaining what they mean. (Pandemic simply means that a disease can spread from human-to-human, and cases have been substantiated in every World Health Organization geographic region. It has nothing to do with the seriousness or lethality of a disease. Seasonal flu is pandemic. So are HIV, Hepatitis A, B and C, Infectious Mononucleosis, and rhinovirus -- the common cold. Some are serious disease, others are not.)
While it's true that a number of people have gotten very sick or died from complications arising from the flu, the vast majority of these people -- children included --had underlying medical conditions, most of which involved the cardiovascular (heart) and pulmonary (lungs) systems. This is the list of people considered to be high-risk for complications:
People over 65 and under 5 years of age
People with heart disease
People with pulmonary disease, such as Asthma, Emphysema, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, etc.
Possibly, pregnant women
People who are immune-suppressed, either because of underlying illness or because they're taking immunosuppressant drugs to combat certain autoimmune diseases or to prevent organ or bone marrow transplant rejection.
Surprisingly enough, some healthy teens and young adults (ages 15 - 35) may also develop severe symptoms if they are genetically prone to an over-exuberant response by the immune system (but there's currently no way to predetermine this). This is why the 1918 H1N1 epidemic killed so many. The important thing to remember, though, is that the standard of health care and the availability of supportive care is MUCH greater now than in the last century.
So, what can you do to protect yourself? First and foremost, an H1N1-specific vaccine will be available, probably in early November (it will probably be a 2 shot series). People who are in the high-risk groups I listed above should get vaccinated, and should also get the seasonal flu vaccine that will be available in October. I believe that most pediatricians are also likely to recomend that all children are vaccinated, regardless of their risk, because it's harder to get kids to observe avoidance and hygiene rules.
One of the best things you can do to prevent getting ANY viral illness is to practice good hygiene, especially handwashing. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with you and give one to your kids. Use it after you shake hands with someone, after you sneeze or cough (if you cover your mouth and nose with your hand), after you've come in contact with high-traffic surfaces (such as public doorknobs, countertops, etc), before you eat, etc.
Try to avoid rubbing your eyes, nose, or mouth if you think you've come in contact with someone who's sick until you've washed or sanitized your hands.
If you need to cough or sneeze, practice the "vampire cover", that is, cough or sneeze into the inside of your arm/elbow, or sneeze down to the ground, uncovered. This will keep you from spreading virus into your hands and infecting door knobs, etc.
Avoid close physical contact with people who appear sick (this can be especially hard to do if you're a regular church or synagogue goer, where people tend to hug, kiss, or shake hands in greeting).
If you or your kids are sick STAY HOME. Don't spread it around, even if it's inconvenient to miss school or work. Drink lots of fluids, get plenty of rest, and maintain good nutrition.
Lhertogh, as for your fears, they're understandable since you had a sick child for 2 years, but your ability to recognize that they are unfounded but uncontrollable suggests that they're bordering on pathological. You might want to seek some medical/psychiatric advice and get some therapy. This does NOT mean you're crazy. Phobias can be debilitating, but they can also be treated.
R.
