Good morning. Now we know that the US has had its first swine flu death, a 22-month-old child from an unspecified Texas locale. Meanwhile, another elementary school in Dallas, one not far from where we live, has closed because of the flu.
We're keeping No. 2 home from school again today. Worry warts? Maybe. But better safe than sorry.
How are you doing today, re: this thing? Changed your routine at all? Thinking about it more?
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The fact that it's preschool adds factors to both sides of the equation.
1. Even given a commitment to schooling outside the home, preschool is just not important, certainly not with respect to whether he's there on a given day or week. It's fine for socialization and a break for Mom, but there's no real substantive loss for the child if he's not there -- today, tomorrow, or ever again.
2. Preschools are small. If there are a handful of cases in your area, and the media is all over reporting every case that is known, the likelihood that an infected kid will be in a group as small as a preschool class is extremely low.
So the calcuation remains the same, ISTM.
This is getting serious.
My son's school, Good Shepherd, In Marine Park, Brooklyn, is closed until at least Monday. Apparently one child in his grade but not his class has the flu-like symptoms. 1 other 7th grader has similar symptoms, and that child's sibling either went on the St. Francis Prep trip or attended some other spring break trip to Mexico. 2 other children who are good friends of that child may also be infected. Another school in Brooklyn is also closed.
I expect by the end of today that number will grow dramatically.
My understanding is that people riding NYC subways are wearing masks. The school will be sanitized and fumigated before the Health Department will allow it to reopen.
My son is fine. His little league game this evening is in jeopardy, as are all gatherings at his school and the local parish. Still the phone calls and emails my wife and I and other parents received were jarring and disturbing. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Plain and simple, we have to limit and localize this now. Close the border with Mexico. Cancel all flights and cruises. It may take more radical measures, but those first steps have to be taken NOW. Treat people here as best we can, quarantining if necessary, and offer the Mexican government all the help we can. But this has to be contained and localized or it's going to get very ugly and very deadly very quickly.
At least one infant in Texas has died, that is officially confirmed. If the government won't step in soon that number will grow.
Now I'm starting to wonder -- are these schools closing and people wearing masks because the threat is growing, or because they THINK the threat is growing? A school is closed in Brooklyn because a child has flu-like symptoms, or because the child has been exposed to someone diagnosed with swine flu AND has flu-like symptoms? The first is a self-fulfilling prophecy and born out of panic rather than rationality, the second is a possibly appropriate move and a sign that the threat is growing.
I really, really hope I'm not reading that schools are closing ENTIRELY because a child in a city where people have swine flu has flu-like symptoms. There have got to be a tens of thousands of children with "flu like symptoms" in this country on any given day of the year. Please, please tell me this isn't what is happening, because the effects of that kind of panic would be worst that any but the worst case of an actual pandemic, and for nothing.
I suspect there's an element of media-driven panic. The one dead infant was a child brought from Mexico for treatment.
One of the older children involved is now confirmed to have swine flu. Several other grammar and high schools have confirmed cases in Brooklyn and Queens and will be closed. What is not entirely clear to me as a parent is if this is any worse practically that run-of-the-mill viral infections like strep that kids get all the time and are readily addressed with antibiotics. What is clear is that the simple, common sense step of closing the border is not even on the table. I find that disturbing.
By the way, viral infections should NOT be treated with antibiotics, if you still want antibiotics to WORK when your children are grown.
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