Swine flu. Anyone else weary regarding their kids? (Deer Park, Mexico: 2009, home)

[littlepawsinn]

Hi. Am I being too paranoid? I have been regularly taking my babies to Orlys and other play areas like in the malls, outdoor playgrounds, etc. Wanted to also take them to LI Children's Museum and other places but have been holding off. Since the swine flu scare, I have not taken her out say for the occasional outings with me while I do errands. Anyone else keeping their kids at home, and unsure about where it is safe to take them or if it safe to take them to their regular play places? Eventually I will take her once again to her favorite places and to new places, but when and is it wise to do it yet? I myself and being weary of going anywhere myself, like out on weekends with friends to the city, etc, because I know that if I contract this, my children can get it from me. Confused about this whole scare. My fear is that they will get this.

[hotkarl]

Life would be much better if there were no news programs.

[OldLongIsland]

Hysteria over swine flu is the real danger, some say

There are 300+ million people in the United States and there are something like 250 documented cases here. Still that worried? Just remember to wash your hands. Don't forget the regular flu that so many of us get every winter is responsible for roughly 36,000 deaths a year in this country. The swine flu has yet to kill a single American.

[amyla]

Since my little ones were born there has been the bird flu, west nile virus and now this. I tell them-when I remember- to wash their hands when they come home from school or coming home from public places. They say that is the best protection anyway. Besides, I know a lot more kids who have strept throat than the flu. Imagine, the "epidemic" we would have if they started testing for that. Don't make yourself crazy-you will make your kids worry-and just try to follow the same rules you would while not trying to catch colds and other illness.

[sickofnyc99]

I second all three of the last posts.

[LocalX]

The normal flu kills over 38,000 a year, the swine flu is missing many variables to make it deadly.

[omigawd]

When they announced the little girl in Deer Park had it, over 300 kids were kept home from school (at the junior high) the following day. Absurd.

If you're generally in good health, you have nothing to worry about. It's the flu. A different strain of flu. That's it. Plain and simple. The reason so many in Mexico have died from it is because they don't have the access to health care the way we have it here.

[ResearchMom]

The main worry is the mutation, as this is not a regular flu. The four strands of the swine flu virus come from pigs, humans and birds, should it mutate further, say with the HIV virus, we'll all be staying home.Swine flu-HIV could devastate human race - UPI.com

[OldLongIsland]

Swine flu no worse than regular flu, Napolitano says

""What the epidemiologists are seeing now with this particular strain of U.N. is that the severity of the disease, the severity of the flu -- how sick you get -- is not stronger than regular seasonal flu," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday"

[vlorak]

we're staying put here for a while, see how things go. i am in no hurry to get the pig flu nor the regular flu. got some of those hands gels and yes we wash a lot, but it can only protect you so much. airborne is what scares me. so you're not alone in this.