It is a question all parents' minds : how will they protect their children from swine influenza until the vaccine is widely available? Swine flu has doubtless infected many thousands of kids countrywide, but deaths among children aren't common. Health officers are keeping track of children's influenza deaths, but they are saying it is not possible to account for all the influenza cases. So they do not know what percentage of children's infections are deadly. Many experts say the H1N1 virus doesn't seem to be more threatening than other influenza strains, but kids have been catching it easier than the seasonal influenza.
Last week alone, there were nineteen new reports of children who died, according to the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been 76 swine flu deaths since April this year compared with 68 pediatric deaths from seasonal influenza since September 2008. Because kids appear so exposed to it, "every medical epidemiologist in the country is tracking how it is affecting them", said Dr Susan Gerber, an associate medical officer for the Public Health Department in Cook County. Most youngsters will recover, but "it's still extraordinarily concerning and will be studied truly closely" Gerber declared. Dr Kenneth Alexander, the Faculty of Chicago's pediatric infectious disease chief, announced there are common signs to identify when both classes of flu turn dangerous. Influenza viruses can damage cilia, the hair-like fibers lining the respiring tract that move bacteria and mucous "where we can cough them out of the lungs", he announced. That can make them susceptible to pneumonia and other bacterial infections an eventuality blamed for many influenza deaths in otherwise healthy kids and adults.
Authorities urge parents to find immediate help if emergency warning signs develop. In kids, these are : Fast or uneasy respiring; Bluish skin color; Absence of thirst; Failure to wake up simply or interact; Improvement of symptoms, then a sudden return to the fever and a worse cough; Fever with a rash.
A communication from the CDC made public that 1 in 3 of pediatric deaths from the new H1N1 virus were in youngsters with no known underlying condition that would put them at risk. In the past couple of weeks, news reports have totaled the deaths of children with no known health problems, including 3 in New Mexico, a second-grader in Dalton, Ga, and a Baltimore eighth-grader. "People are pretty anxious and I believe they should be," declared Harvin Bullock, coroner in Sumter County, S.C, where 11-year-old Ashlie Pipkin died three weeks back, two days after developing symptoms.
Authorities are walking a fine line between making sure parents are vigilant without raising undue alarm. That implies children should get vaccination shots for both standard flu and swine flu when the vaccine is available, and stay home from school if they are sick.
Trivial cases should be handled at home with rest and loads of liquids, but parents should call their doctor if more important symptoms develop. "We definitely don't wish to suggest to someone who has an especially sick kid that that kid should be at home". He said" it is a tough message for health officials to explain, and is very challenging for folks to get this right." In rare cases, swine flu symptoms turn from bad to worse so quickly that by the time medical aid is administered, it is too late.
Last week alone, there were nineteen new reports of children who died, according to the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been 76 swine flu deaths since April this year compared with 68 pediatric deaths from seasonal influenza since September 2008. Because kids appear so exposed to it, "every medical epidemiologist in the country is tracking how it is affecting them", said Dr Susan Gerber, an associate medical officer for the Public Health Department in Cook County. Most youngsters will recover, but "it's still extraordinarily concerning and will be studied truly closely" Gerber declared. Dr Kenneth Alexander, the Faculty of Chicago's pediatric infectious disease chief, announced there are common signs to identify when both classes of flu turn dangerous. Influenza viruses can damage cilia, the hair-like fibers lining the respiring tract that move bacteria and mucous "where we can cough them out of the lungs", he announced. That can make them susceptible to pneumonia and other bacterial infections an eventuality blamed for many influenza deaths in otherwise healthy kids and adults.
Authorities urge parents to find immediate help if emergency warning signs develop. In kids, these are : Fast or uneasy respiring; Bluish skin color; Absence of thirst; Failure to wake up simply or interact; Improvement of symptoms, then a sudden return to the fever and a worse cough; Fever with a rash.
A communication from the CDC made public that 1 in 3 of pediatric deaths from the new H1N1 virus were in youngsters with no known underlying condition that would put them at risk. In the past couple of weeks, news reports have totaled the deaths of children with no known health problems, including 3 in New Mexico, a second-grader in Dalton, Ga, and a Baltimore eighth-grader. "People are pretty anxious and I believe they should be," declared Harvin Bullock, coroner in Sumter County, S.C, where 11-year-old Ashlie Pipkin died three weeks back, two days after developing symptoms.
Authorities are walking a fine line between making sure parents are vigilant without raising undue alarm. That implies children should get vaccination shots for both standard flu and swine flu when the vaccine is available, and stay home from school if they are sick.
Trivial cases should be handled at home with rest and loads of liquids, but parents should call their doctor if more important symptoms develop. "We definitely don't wish to suggest to someone who has an especially sick kid that that kid should be at home". He said" it is a tough message for health officials to explain, and is very challenging for folks to get this right." In rare cases, swine flu symptoms turn from bad to worse so quickly that by the time medical aid is administered, it is too late.
About the Author:
Braniff Watson has written many articles on the topic of the H1N1 virus. To get more knowledge on the H1N1 virus, visit the H1N1 website .
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