Flu Seems to be Hitting Kids Very Hard

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&ncid=716&e=8&u=/ap/20031218/ap_on_he_me/flu_children

<snip>Flu sweeping across the country appears to be hitting unusually hard at young children, and experts say occasional reports of deaths among otherwise healthy youngsters are especially worrisome.

The flu is rarely fatal for the young, although it can cause severe illness. Some doctors in western states, where the disease has been worst so far, say this may be the most intense flu season for children since the Hong Kong flu of 1968-69.

Federal health authorities do not keep records on flu cases or deaths, so precise data are sparse. However, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) said reports so far are troubling.

<snip>
However, doctors said they are especially concerned by reports of flu deaths among children who are otherwise healthy. In Colorado, where the first child flu deaths appeared, state officials said that at least four of the 11 young flu fatalities had no underlying diseases.

[Mari333]

1. I think my husband has it

headaches, depression, lack of appetite, cries all day. Wait, thats because his son is going to Iraq soon also. He also has chills and fever. So I guess this flu combined with stress is not good for any of us. I refuse to catch it.

[lebkuchen]

6. Same deal on army bases

as the next wave of soldiers ships out right about now...people are stressed.

[displacedtexan]

2. local ABC news in Baltimore reporting

first possible child flu death.

[LifeDuringWartime]

23. last week

a teenage girl in albany, ny died.

[tlcandie]

3. My grandbaby, 3 1/2 years old, has it .. ..

They took him to the doctor (Friday) because he would not take any fluids or eat. His mother was told to just watch him over the weekend and he should be fine. That night they took him to the emergency room because she could hardly wake him up...still no fluids or food.

His temperature was 105. Two immediate shots of Tylenol in each butt cheek. Temp went down. He took some fluids. They took him home and had to watch temp overnight. Still rose. Next day, late he started sweating and the temperature finally broke. He ate and drank and was happy.

Wednesday she took him to school (pre-school) and stayed with him. All of a sudden he didn't look well. Takes temperature while there and it is 101 again...brings him home. He tells his grandma and his mommy he feels good :( Quite worrisome indeed!

His little sister is strong as a horse and NO problems!

[LizW]

9. That is frightening

It is so stressful when young children are sick. My son had flu when he was just 8 month old and ended up in the hospital on a ventilator. He was in intensive care for seventeen days after complications from a drug he was given. He was so sick for so long that when he got out of the hospital he could no longer crawl or even sit up alone. He has had residual learning problems, including very late speech development. He's nine now and just in the last two years has seemed to "catch up" to the other children his age.

His illness came on in just a matter of hours. He got cranky and feverish and started wheezing about 6 p.m. and by 10 we were at the emergency room.

I feel for all parents who are dealing with this illness in their children. Also praying that the flu shots work and mine don't get it.

[PaDUer]

15. My grandson also

has been sick, he's 6yr old, temperature of 103.4 and said his legs hurt also. It's probably going to go through the entire house..His sister is 4 and the baby sister is 3mos old. I'm just hoping that they're over it for the holidays..They weren't able to make one of my sons 23rd birthday party last nite either, but maybe it's better that they didn't come because we don't need anything illness here especially since I have autoimmune illnesses. I feel I'm way too young to be pushing up daisies!

[PaDUer]

16. Change of weather

the culprit? Those few "warmer" days did it, or shall we say * did it, when did he know?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. my 14 year old is home from school & in bed with 104 fever as i type

unset of flu lastnight :scared:

[bicentennial_baby]

5. Thinking good thoughts for you

If you feel like he's getting a lot worse, please take him to the ER. This flu, when it hits hardest, comes on fast.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. bicent..thank you and i will take him to ER at first sign of any distress

[leftchick]

7. wishing your child a fast and full recovery...

There have been many cases in both of my sons' classes of the flu. I pray daily they do not contract it. They are 6 and 8 and both would be considered at higher risk for complications if they get it. I am scared... :scared:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

11. thanks...and wishing yours are protected from getting it

17 year old girl died here yesterday from complications from the flu...Albany, NY

[PaDUer]

17. Heaven help us!

Pray for everyone.
BTW, has anyone else noticed an INCREASE of deaths in their newspapers lately? We've been having 3 full pages..

[amazona]

8. by my math 92 is still more than 36

Kids are not being hit especially hard; the flu has hit earlier and will no doubt run its course earlier. 36 kids have died; usually around 92 kids die each year in the U.S. from flu.

I remember all the hoopla when I was a child about "the new math," but I am fairly confident that what I was taught -- 92 is greater than 36 -- is correct.

Borrowing trouble and creating hysteria is, of course, a great way for the media to cause more flu deaths. A child with a cold who would normally just be watched at home for a day or so will now be rushed to an ER where she can be exposed to other children -- some of whom will actually have real flu viruses to pass on.

If anything, the flu seems milder than usual this year in my area. If it exists at all. A matter of coughing for a few hours in the cases I'm aware of...and I suspect those coughs are not really flu but a mild cold combined with media-induced hysteria. Just too mild to be flu.

On Edit: To all who are affected by the flu, please let me extend my wishes for a speedy recovery. I'll be thinking of you and yours. I honestly believe the odds are much better than we've been led to think. Take care, and get well soon.

I am no doctor so take my two cents for what they are worth!

[Tippy]

10. 92 is still more than 36

True enough but we have already had 2 deaths localy, one an otherwise healthy teen...the other a baby...Our schools were closed at the end of Mondays session until after the first of the year...less than half of the students were in school Monday...Our local hospital has been issuing masks to everyone who comes in.

Problem being many who were actually diagnosed with the flu...had mild cases and went back to school to early....

[Jen72]

13. The Flu is not mild, it has taken me two weeks to shake off....

is still have a cough. I caught after being in someones company for ten minutes, who was sickening for it.

[TheStateChief]

14. This is the worse I've seen in decades

This week I've taken a different child to the doctor every day. Starts out as a scratchy throat and then the kids just tailspin into serious headache, high fever and horrible cough. All three are hovering around 102 and seem to get better than worse then better than worse. Another peculiar aspect of this year's flu is that each of the kids didn't start vomiting until 3-4 days into it. It is very scary out here in California - going to the doctors office is starting to give me a glimpse of what a pandemic would be like. Doctors and nurses are out sick and they're actually locking the doors two hours early to keep the flow of people from overwhelming the clinic that I go to. Unfortunately, people don't seem to realize the value of health care until they need it and it isn't there.

[PaDUer]

18. TheStateChief..

Welcome to DU. Hope your enjoy your stay. :-)

[TheStateChief]

27. Thanks

I've been an avid reader for years but just now got around to posting.

[Norbert]

19. We just had a two year old girl in our town die.

She was okay last Friday and even Saturday morning but by Sunday night she was dead. They wouldn't conclude the cause of death but she did have that strain of flu.

Very heartbreaking.

[tlcandie]

20. Am sorry to hear all who are dealing with this ...

May peace rest upon your hearts and help you through this time. I'm not hysterical..just aware! My step-daughter had tried to get the shots for my two grandbabies but they were always out.

Bradley is still fighting with temps and throwing up along with cough now too.

The two year old is just toddling along like nothing is wrong thank goodness.

Mom is fighting it off as well possibly. I've told her to take good care with immune building herbs during this time, but I don't think she has...too many late nights and stress are getting her down :(

We will be there on the 30th. At least we will be coming home after our visit there in case we get sick as well. I scheduled us to stay in a hotel, so I hope that helps our chances as well.

[NickB79]

21. 24 yr old friend just went to the ER last night

Fever of 102-104 for the past few days, she'd been to the doctor already, but yesterday she started coughing up blood. That did it, back to the ER with her! The wait to see a doctor was 3 hrs though, very packed with other flu sufferers. Locally, a small school had to cancel classes for a few days after 20 of their 80 teachers, and over 200 of the students, all called in with the flu. I'm just crossing my fingers I stay healthy. It's really looking bad around here.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

22. now i have 2 down with it both kids 14 and 11..103 temps..my 22 year old

just called from down state and she's got it too...she woke up with her mouth and nose full of dried blood...i told her to get to the ER...i'm waiting to hear from her :scared:

[LifeDuringWartime]

24. is this the flu we're talking about here?

:wtf:


i thought my flu symptoms from a month ago were bad (total body pain and discomfort, awful coughing for 2 weeks afterward, etc etc) but that is…i dont know what it is.

[tlcandie]

30. My thoughts are with you and hopefully it will be okay ...

Maybe it is just a small vessel that burst in the night from the dryness of the heat.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

34. yes ...blood vessels broke from dry air...she now has cold mist humidifier

...my husband just took my other 2 to the doctors office...my son was having halusinatiopns last night due to high temp...i called the Dr and he said to bring them in right away...3 days high fever and awful coughs and difficulty breathing (short rapid breathing)...i wanted to go but had to stay here with the grandchildren...so far they haven't come down with it...

stay healthy and out of malls and crowds...finish your holiday shopping online and wash hands constantly..i bought Purell hand sanitizer

[CO Liberal]

25. Reminds Me of James Dobson

He's in favor of hitting kids, too........

[FDRLincoln]

26. frightening

My son caught this last weekend....5 years old, ran a fever of 101-104 for three days. He's fine now though. My wife picked it up and is still sick, going on 7 days for her.

Somehow I have been spared, even though I've been tending sick people all week and once my son coughed directly into my mouth. I either have a kick-ass immune system or am already immune to this strain or am just real lucky.

[diamond14]

28. hope everyone remembers shrub's health care failure as they

WAIT for care in an emergency ward....so much of this could be prevented by properly spending money on healthcare in AMERICA, rather than spending $ 160 BILLION dollars in Iraq (for nothing much other than haliburton and other war profiteers)....

if bush* had spent money on America, there would be NO MEDICAL CRISIS now....over 40% of American children have NO health insurance, and therefore, get little healthcare at all...same children that play and go to school with YOUR children....and YOU work with their parents...inadequate healthcare AFFECTS EVERYONE...even insured people must now WAIT for care....rich/poor/everyone....

Our emergency wards are a NIGHTMARE...and once you get there, you may indeed catch a worse disease...this is primarily bush* and his minions fault...the medical care that YOU receive is ridiculously unacceptable, if you do get any care....and you'll be paying 5 times more than you should pay for your prescriptions...many people are dying under shrub's healthcare policies, and if you get sick with the flu, you're about to find out how the deaths happen....

the Center for Disease Control has no money...CDC just got their 'emergency flu center' up and running YESTERDAY (it should have been up and running TWO MONTHS AGO !!!)....there is a shortage of flu vaccine...and it should be FREE...instead, shrub's policies made sure we didn't have enough, and NOW, many more will DIE....real incompetence...typical of shrub...

worse, now, America is importing UNAPPROVED flu vaccine from foreign countries (all while bush* refuses to allow Americans to buy Canadian drugs, yet shrub will import drugs from Europe, who approved thalidomide, while America prevented it from being imported)

remember shrub's policies as you WAIT in your overworked understaffed emergency ward...shrub's total incompetence caused this health care crisis... BOOT BUSH in 2004....

[haele]

29. The kidlet seems to have had a bit of a relapse from last week

Last week she had three days of flu symptoms - the fever up to 101.7, headache, nausea, diarrhea, congestion. After forcing her to drink liquids, Alkaseltzer Cold, and Theraflu and keeping her cooled with alcohol/water soaked hand towels, she was up to her bouncy 11-year old brat self -

And two days ago she just started coughing without a fever for about 12 hours, then she got a fever and chest pains, and has been wanting to do nothing more than sleep. We just managed to get the fever down from 101.6 to under 100 degrees an hour ago, getting liquids in her is the hardest, she doesn't want to drink anything. She smells like Vicks. Still no sniffles or congestion yet.

I'm wondering if when she overdid it (against our orders) with her friends earlier this week and developed pneumonia or bronchitis; we're just going to have to keep a watch on the fever and breathing. I'm going to start up a steam bowl with some herba-tussin tea soaking in it and see how that affects her. If her temperature starts spiking up again or she starts to have trouble breathing, she's going to Urgent Care.

What's really troubling about these resperatory infections that have been going around is that so far, the only local flu death we've heard about in the media was a 12 year old girl, who had been "home treated" by getting anti-biotics in Mexico four days before she died because her parents apparently weren't able to get to a real medical clinic or doctor's office.

Haele

[tlcandie]

31. Thoughts are with you too!

Just so sorry to hear that so many are affected :( Wish they had a flower emote/icon/smiley face! This will have to do ..

:grouphug:

[haele]

32. Thanks...

What's weird about this is the fever/strength issue - it's two hours after my initial post, and her temperature suddenly dropped to 99.7 from 101.2, and she's sitting up and currently beating her dad at "Super MonkeyBall" on her new Christmas gift - a Gamecube. The steam seemed to work, as well as the meds and liquids.

I'm still worried though; this is the second go-through with some sort of resperatory infection, and she's so stubborn when it comes to doing what she wants, I'm afraid she'll just get herself sick yet again once she feels she's well enough to go out and see her friends.

I'm wondering if that's a major part of the deadliness of this illness - the "on again/off again" fever and exaustion faking out those who have it - they think they're getting better, when they're really in a sort of break before a final or secondary infection stage and should still be taking it easy.

Haele

[neomonkey]

33. Flu

The flu hits hard and fast.

The last time I caught one, 1997, I was OK in the morning. In the afternoon I started coming down with a dry cough. It was about 3 or 4 days before Christmas, and we had a departmental lunch party. As the hours went by, I felt worse and worse. I managed to have a couple of pieces of pizza and drag my sorry ass home. I swear it was so bad I could feel my body deteriorate by the minute. By the time I walked into my apartment, I felt like utter shit. I grabbed a thermometer and stuck it in my mouth...104 degrees. Yikes.

Climbed into bed and stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights. To compound matters, that was the winter that the scary "bird flu" surfaced, the first time chickens transferred influenza to humans. It happened in China. All I could think was that I was ground zero in the U.S.!

Read in the news recently, that same flu H5 flu is springing up in South Korea now.

We are overdue for a pandemic. Scary stuff.

[SoCalDem]

35. My friend's 2 yr old has it, and she is scared to death

The doctor said NOT to take him to the ER, and actually made a house call so that she would not have to expose him to other sick people.. He only charged her the regular co-pay.. He is still running a fever, but seems to be better now.