Use Measured Firmness When Dealing With Pediatrician About Swine Flu Concerns

If you're like me and live in a large metropolitan area (Chicago) and have small children (18 months) in school or daycare (the latter), you may be a little concerned about the swine flu. There is no vaccine or cure, it is spreading quickly in crowded environments and it has proven deadly in the very young. I imagine that many pediatric and family practice offices are being inundated with calls from worried parents wondering if little Johnny's or Jane's sniffles could be related to this growing epidemic. I have to admit that I have visited the website of a well-known pediatric office here in Chicago to check on recommendations for dealing with this situation. Should I be stocking up on Tamiflu just in case? The answer, of course, is no for now. Frequent hand washing and avoiding obviously sick people is all one can reasonably do for the moment.

But what if your child starts to experience flu-like symptoms?

Take him or her to the doctor and request a test for the swine flu, aka the H1N1 virus. A quick test can be done at the doctor's office to determine if your child has influenza (flu). If that test is positive additional testing can be done to determine if it's the H1N1 virus vs. the garden variety flu. Do not allow your doctor to brush you off with comments like, "It's probably just a cold," or "I'm sure she's fine." I appreciate that physicians will likely grow weary of patient concerns about the swine flu, but there is simply no reason for such speculation, especially with regard to young children. Do not allow your concerns to be brushed aside. If your child has flu symptoms, ask for the test. Time is of the essence because Tamiflu, which can reduce the severity of H1N1 virus once contracted, must be given within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.