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Long story short. Probably a throat infection. However, because of our monkey's proximity to a known outbreak monkey, we're now in a seven-day quarantine. Results from tests come back on Wed (most likely). If they're negative. No quarantine.
All for a not as terrible as suspected flu. Oh, and if anything SERIOUS ever hits this country, gawd help us all. DHS were falcon useless. Hopefully, they'll learn from their current ineptitude.
Nai quarantine for suspected cases is one of the ONLY ways of minimising the spread of this flu. It is not mild and has the potential be deadly to the weak, immunosuppressed, elderly and new born babies.
I hope your little one is well soon and that swine flu can be ruled out - as you can see by the people you have been in contact with the potential of spread is vast if people are not quarantined on suspicion.
I dread to think what would happen to myself or my Imogen if I was to come in contact in our current health states. I am grateful for the quarrantine rules - but also very empathetic how it can impact greatly on some financially.
What do you believe is inept?
Someone said you have to pay $90 for the test - this is not right. A swab will be taken and cultured and this will tell you. This will be bulk billed if your GP ticks the box - if not you will pay the usual gap.
FC - I know it is bad and we are concerned mainly for our 3month old. Not to mention the elderly we were in contact with on Sunday at Great Aunty's 80th and the wedding we went to on Saturday where the bride has chronic fatigue! You don't have to pay for the test as long as you are a "suspected case" so you have to prove that you were in contact with a confirmed case to get the free test.
Let me just say that the GP had 4 families in isolation rooms waiting for the DHS to confirm that he could test for swine flu. Apparently they had no record of the original confirmed case (the one that they called the childcare centre to let them know about). So I called childcare to get the case number. Now DHS apparently say that the case number is "confidential" and we needed to have the child's NAME (so the case number is confidential but the name is not - go figure!). Anyhoo after wrangling a 3yo in a face mask in isolation for 2.5 hours we were finally given the go-ahead to get a test done.
Mmmm that's strange isn't it. The process isn't nearly so difficult here - it would have been difficult to do all that waiting...
Fortunately DP was doing the wrangling and I was home with the baby as I didn't want to take her to the Dr. It was apparently very difficult but the process was certainly the worst part. You would think that with Vic having the most cases they would have managed to get their acts together *sigh*
The childcare centre hasn't closed yet either as DHS advised it can still stay open - I think that's the main problem with the spread is that the response just isn't quick enough and people come into contact with the virus before action has been taken.
Similar thing happening at my work (Centrelink). The manager today announced that if any is sick, even just a cold, stay home. With schools being closed, if a staff member is affected by a child not being able to attend school and they are not in quarantine, they'll do their best to ensure that staff member can still come to work with the child/children and they'll bring in some qualified carers to look after the kids.:
Also, I had to take Nina to the dr on Thursday afternoon as she was quite ill. She had a couple of symptoms of swine flu, and my dr's surgery were fantastic. They usherred us into a closed room and the nurse and dr examined Nina straight, and very thoroughly. Fortunately, it turned out to be just tonsilitis.
Good luck to everyone waiting results.
if the mum were to have the flu would she be isolated from her baby? that would be really sad....
soooo.....
DS has a temperature close to 39 degrees, has a barking cough and noisy but not laboured breathing, runny nose, and had a bit of diarrhea this afternoon.
As far as I know we wouldn't have been exposed... but DH is on a train for 2hrs a day commuting to & from work...
Do we go to the doctor? or just ride it out like we normally would? Almost feel like I'm being sucked in by the hype iykwim, but I guess you never know....
I'm sitting with him at the moment waiting for his temp to come down.
Oh Liz - your poor DS (and poor you!). It is not fun having sick kids. I don't know much about swine flu but have you given DS some panadol to try and get his temp down? I would probably keep an eye on him and keep him away from other people and take him to the doctor in the next couple of days if he is not any better.
Both my kids have head colds at the moment but thankfully no temps. I have the steam vapouriser going in their rooms to try and help them breath. We have had 2 very sleepless nights looking after them so I know how you feel.
I hope your DS starts to feel better soon.
Liz,the GP said we did the right thing taking DD1 in regardless of being exposed or not. Her temp was 38.5, cough, sore throat and headache. Personally I would go to the Dr just because you have a younger one at home too.
Yeah I was sitting with him waiting for the nurofen to work and for him to fall back to sleep. He was burning up again this morning and had a bit of a chuck. We're going to take him to the dr, he is very rarely sick like this :( Normally just head colds in this house too. He sat himself on the floor outside the bathroom and didn't move... VERY unusual. Poor little man.
I hate this swine flu thing. Normally I wouldn't be worried about him and we'd just ride it out.. but I feel the need to get him checked. Feel silly though.. don't even know if swine flu is around our area! Altho I did hear of suspected cases locally... don't know the outcome of those though. Aah well, think I'd rather have a doctor tell me I'm silly than ignore it and him get really sick.
I would sort of hope that people would continue to be so careful about sneezing and hand washing etc, but I have the feeling once the swine flu scare fades so will the care....
It's winter and things spread, everyone should take precautions like this anyway - in public on public transport etc (not the bloody face masks though!).
im keeping my rain busy today and i would like to know what is the new figures for Australia?
There was a lady on the bus yesterday with a face mask on. I sat opposite her. People were looking all dodgy at her. Don't know if she had swine flu or was just paranoid but it looked damn silly.:
I hate all this swine flu hype and not really fussed about changing my ways in avoiding getting it. I always practice good hygeine and hope others will too.
I heard 1 in 3 will get it. :rolleyes: Oh well... life goes on....
Liz - I'm sure the doctor won't think that you are silly for taking DS to see him (or her). I have taken my kids after they have had temps for a couple of days a few times and it has always been a virus like a cold and the doctor always says that he is happy enough that they don't need antibiotics and we just have to wait it out but always says just because he is happy today, doesn't mean that if things get worse tomorrow he doesn't want to see them again. I have found doctors to always be very supportive, especially when small children are involved.
As for face masks - my brother works for a zinc refinery owned by some korean men and they apparently have been wearing face masks for the last couple of weeks. My brother said they have drawn pictures on the front of them like cat whiskers and stuff. I had to have a chuckle - I think that would be hilarious. I think the masks are just a hygiene thing - apparently in other cultures it is a HUGE offence to go out in public when sick. Not a bad practice really :)
Liz your poor little one - and poor you. It's always so worrying when they are sick. I would get him checked out. Not specifically because of the H1N1 but as you would know when they get sick like that sometimes they can have an ear infection or even a really sore throat and are too little to let us know...
As for the lady with a mask... Masks are often worn in Asian countries in contagious disease outbreaks. Because of the sheer number in the population this affords quick spread of diseases... It might look ridiculous but she may have experience with outbreaks that have left her very nervous. Also she may have symptoms and is protecting others in the way she feels is best. I think you will see a lot more of mask wearing inthe next few weeks! ;)
I believe the number of cases has passed 400. Keeping in mind this is in our entire country.
Again - the middle road - be careful and mindful but don't panic!
Very true about the mask wearing Flowerchild. I also have seen people wearing them and you're right: you do what you do according to what you have experienced... those people could have been through SARs and/or Bird Flu and have lost relatives... so it's probably a very valid reaction from their perspective.
Hey if I had to catch a bus/train at peak hour right now I'd be wearing a mask too.
You don't really know what that lady's personal situation is. Maybe she's a transplant organ recipient. Maybe she had chemotherapy yesterday. Maybe she's on her way home to care for her mother/husband/child who has a serious auto-immune illness.
TBH I have considered donning a mask when I go out. Not because I think it will protect me, but just to put the willy up everyone else. I reckon it's a really good way of making everyone else nervous enough to stand welllllll away from you and therefore decrease the likelikhood of someone having a good cough/sneeze directly into your air.
Well, it's croup.. and Swine flu wasn't even mentioned :) And of course the nurofen had kicked in and brought his temp down so he was happy as larry and bouncing around while there, and didn't cough once! But she said what I was describing was classic croup and they've had a number of cases of it in the last 2 weeks.
I dunno about masks... they seem a bit over the top, but if people feel they need to wear one, whether they think they're protecting themselves or others.. who really cares? We could spend all day complaining about what other people wear & why they wear it...
Marydean - good idea! That's a surefire way of expanding your personal space haha.
I was on the train yesterday and the norty norty side of me was just dying to cough and hack and fall to the floor.....:
******COMMUNITY SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT*******
If you have received any emails regarding tins of pork contaminated with swine flu, don't be alarmed as its only SPAM.
*DA BOOM TISH*
Sorry I couldn't resist ;)
hahaha niliac i heard that one today very funny :lol:
:rofl: cai!!
liz im glad its just croup!
This morning, the experts were saying 'containing and quarantining' is actually worse - as people don't have the chance to develop a natural immunity - which means that the virus has the chance to become more vidulant and develop stronger strains.
They are saying they should be allowing it to 'run it's course' and peter out naturally.
And yes, 99 people died from it in Mexico - who's health system is very poor. But last year close to 800 people died around the world from the standard influenza A.
Im worried bout swine flu.(there's alot of people saying many things atm. it could mutate. the vaccine may need 2 doses for immunity so halving the people to 5million. common flu people not getting tamiflu as its not swine flu.)
im 30weeks pregnant and will then have a newborn & a 13month old to protect... im very close to getting DD1 a flu mask to wear at school. I reckon why not?! :)
Weve all got a common cold at the moment, sniffles and a chesty cough... had it for 3 weeks now. Ive sent DD1 to school 3/5 school days for the past 3 weeks. Usually a mon & tues or a thurs & friday hoping that 4 days (inside and restful) would help her get better. I help out with the reading 2 days a week (when DD1 goes) and im shocked at how many of her classmates are sick, how often the teacher has to say "hand over your mouth". :rolleyes:
I know im a big hypocrite if i say i wish parents wouldn't send their kids to school with even the smallest sniffle and i wonder if alot of us are like that. ;) I have no excuse, as i don't work. :D But i feel enormous pressure by her school to have her there. They make a big deal out of absences & lateness in assembly, newsletter to the point of having a competition each week. "its not ok to be away-even if its your birthday!" was the line in the newsletter up till now its "its not ok to be away-unless you are sick" But still i feel pressure, partly school and partly me worried that DD1 will be falling so behind!! :dunno:
DH boss is great. DH ran out of sick leave ages ago. But i do worry how long that kindness will last to a degree. :pray:
i think the quarantining has worked to a degree and that they are right in saying alot of people had it before they picked up on it. A person picking up a girl from DD's class said he had swine flu to another parent standing beside me. the female with him laughed a bit and coughed.. the parent questioned that he should be in quarantine and he shrugged it off with a smile. How am i meant to know if he was kidding or not?! I really don't find that humorous.. however i did like this one line "I tried calling the swine flu hotline. It was a bad connection....all I got was crackling". that's funny, joking that you have it, to me isn't. ;)
frankly if i wasn't in the pregnant, elderly, cancer treatment patient group that swine flu could/is/whatever fatal. then i may also be one to be on the "its all hype", "so tired of hearing about it", "blah-blah people die from ordinary flu each year". to a degree i think thats kinda insensitive and selfish(no offense). Especially if people are getting annoyed that it keeps coming up in the news... however if it never made the news & we didn't get updates on it each night. we'd all be screaming that the government & media were keeping us in the dark and not doing enough. So in the end whats better? being kept informed or in the dark? I don't think its a hype. It'd be nice if they treated the normal flu like swine flu too. (as in quarantine, tallies) I'm all for that.. but i think businesses would be unhappy at raising the days of sick leave! :rolleyes:
I have just moved this to General Health, Fitness and Wellbeing
DD1 has returned positive for swine flu so we are still quarantined until Monday :(
Oh Nai - so sorry to hear that :( I really hope your DD is okay and the rest of you manage to avoid getting it. Not much fun to be quarrantined with a baby . . . lots of :hug:. I hope your DD gets better very quickly!!!
I hope your little one recovers soon Nai... :hug: I also hope that you all stay free of this - especially Juliette... :hug:
Have they closed your daughters child care???
Yep - CC is all closed for a week and all kids have been offered Tamiflu by DHS.
I was wondering when would hit our BB community... let us know how it progresses... we'll all be thinkig of you, hoping your DD has only a mild case... and maybe in the long run it will be a positive that she has had it... developing immunity now might serve her well in the future. :hug:
How did she catch it do they know?:
Probably from child care - there are a number of confirmed cases there.