H1N1

With H1N1 flu right at the door, what are parents to do? As flu season is already here and kindergartners bring home their first fall colds, parents are finding there is something more contagious than the flu germ - FEAR. Unprecedented national and regional shortages of H1N1 flu vaccines have made headlines. In response, schools are preparing for incoming students and sending out permission slips for students to get a volunteer vaccination for the H1N1 flu. The problem is, they are now telling us there is a shortage and the shots will not be ready until late October. The flu is already in the Tennessee Valley and schools are not closing down as they did in the Spring. What should parents and educators do to prevent the spreading of the flu virus? Teach your child to cough and sneeze into their sleeve and to wash their hands after coughing, sneezing, or using the bathroom with hand sanitizer or warm soapy water. Most importantly, keep your child home if they are running a fever or show flu like symptoms. They should not return to school until 24 hours after the fever is gone without medication, diarrhea stops, and vomiting stops. Take your child to the doctor to make sure they don't have the H1N1 flu virus. Schools have already given the faculty and staff the cleaning and preventive procedures for keeping surfaces and door knobs clean. Hopefully, this flu virus will not spread as quickly as the medical professional have predicted. Hopefully, the vaccine will be enough to protect those most likely to have a fatal reaction to this flu. Good health to you all.