BellyBelly Life Subscriber
Someone was telling me that it costs about $90 to be tested. Is this true?? No-one is going to get tested for that reason... let alone the fear of having to take unpaid leave!
Registered User
Nai: oh your poor DD! i hope that she is okay and starts to feel better soon. the poor wee thing. and like the others have said, there was no way you could have known that she was getting sick. at least this way, by getting her checked and if it does come back +ve then at least you are quick on the ball to let the others know.
hope she's ok though xx
Registered User
Regarding large companies wanting to protect their workforce: My DH's employer, one of the Big Four banks: sent out an email saying that every employee was to stay home with ANY sign of a cold or flu... just a sore throat? Stay home... so my DH stayed home recently... he only had a cold but it was good to know that he didn't feel pressured to solider on at work. I REALLY feel for people who don't have financial cover like Cai... I wonder if Income Protection insurance would cover being in quarantine? You'd think it would...
BellyBelly Member
Income protection insurance usually kicks in after 2 consecutive weeks of not working for the same medical condition and then it only comes in at 75% of a person's wage.
Registered User
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.
Registered User
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...
Registered User
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.
Registered User
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.
Registered User
if the mum were to have the flu would she be isolated from her baby? that would be really sad....
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
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.
BellyBelly Member
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.
Registered User
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.
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
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 thisNormally 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.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds.
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!).
Registered User
im keeping my rain busy today and i would like to know what is the new figures for Australia?
Registered User
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.Oh well... life goes on....
Last edited by Trillian; June 3rd, 2009 at 09:46 AM. : editing out racial comment
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