Achoo!

I first taught my daughter to sneeze into the crook of her arm about a year ago so that she would not spread her germs when she played with the toys at summer camp or held hands with her buddies. I also sent her with a pack of tissues in her pocket. She did not have a fever at any point and she played and ate normally, thus I knew it was a common cold and not the flu. The CDC has been very resourceful these past 2 weeks about getting information out to the public and to health care professionals. Here is a list of other common symptoms of the flu to look for and what to do if you notice them.

Even with two young children at home and a husband with asthma, I did not panic with all of the hype surrounding the pandemic swine flu (sorry H1N1 flu virus). I have been receiving email updates from the CDC, WHO, FDA, thank goodness for large storage capacity in cyberspace, but I have decided to just stay alert about the situation and not let it change our routines. The seriousness of the situation is real, but I felt like we, as a country, were living like a season of the show 24, only things happened over more than 24 hours. However, the intensity, drama, and ridiculousness of some of the reactions to the updates about the flu are the same. Now schools can reopen and guidelines have been released as to when schools should be closed. Sadly, some kids in some states have lost the opportunity to expand their knowledge because school trips have been canceled. Admittedly, we ARE getting mixed messages. First we're told not to panic, then some states declare emergencies even though there were only a handful of cases.

Seriously, let's just calm down, breathe, and take the normal precautions we usually do to avoid getting sick or getting others sick. If you want to prepare for the pandemic flu alert, the CDC provides a checklist. Actually, it's a pretty good list to go through to prepare for any emergency. Finally, teach your kids to wash their hands frequently (a thorough wash is to use soap and warm water and sing "happy birthday to you"), sneeze into the crook of their arm or use a tissue and throw it away immediately, stay away from others who are sick, and keep them home if they are sick. If the flu is suspected, though, do call your child's pediatrician; antiviral medications do shorten the course of illness if started soon after infection. The American Academy of Pediatrics has quick tips.

I bought some more alcohol-based hand sanitizer to keep in my bag and I'm doing laundry using hotter temperatures, but those are not drastic measures. How have you changed your routine because of the swine flu pandemic?