Stop The World, I Wanna Get Off!

This article, published yesterday by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is freaking me out making me rethink, SERIOUSLY rethink, Austin's Fall/Winter therapy schedule, which I published yesterday as well. Now that I have read this study a million times I just want to find a giant bubble and hide out.  This does not fit into my schedule!!!

I consider myself big on preventive medicine; Austin has a Trach and Chronic Lung Disease so we do lots and lots of hand washing and a bottle of sanitizer is in virtually every room in this house, no lie.  Over this past year I have asked a more than a few people to wear masks when they have had a cough or cold and MUST be here (as in, they live here.)  I have been known to send out emails to family, friends & potential visitors threatening asking them to consider flu shots. I  have a red sign hanging on Austin's stroller asking strangers not to touch him if they have not washed their hands; any mother of a preemie will tell you, that is "RSV 101". And yes, Austin gets his monthly Synagis shots (preventative for RSV), here at home from October through April by a visiting nurse. And.It.Sucks.Every.Single.Time.  But you gotta do what you gotta do. Still none of that is going to stop H1N1 from wreaking havoc on my peace of mind until it is GONE!

As I read this article I searched high & low for a positive spin. I needed one, desperately. What I came up with is this:

Because of this increased risk, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has prioritized influenza prevention and treatment for children aged <5 years and for those with certain chronic medical and immunosuppressive conditions.

Great, we have priority status!

The part I am still freaking out about is this:

Twenty-eight (78%) of the 36 children whose deaths were associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection were in at least one of two groups previously found to be at increased risk for complications from seasonal influenza: children aged <5 years and those with a high-risk chronic medical condition (1--3). The percentage of children with high-risk medical conditions (67%) in this series is higher than the percentage reported in recent influenza seasons.

Believe me when I say I know the flu is inevitable and normally (aside from the above mentioned) I do not hit the panic button on such things, but reading down the list of "underlying complications" that 28 of these 36 beautiful children had makes me very worried. And at the same time very sad for their families; after all these are children are not just statistics, they are someone's baby.  As my dear friend, Sarah, said tonight, "the list was so informative, but so depressing at the same time."

That is exactly how I feel, privileged to be informed, but so, so sad.  Now of course, I am worried about my own baby.  I want to steam clean Austin and wrap him in sterile gauze. At the very least, I am now considering canceling ALL center based therapies AND non-essential hospital/clinic visits until further notice.  Please excuse me while I go have a panic attack!

-----------------------------------------

Family, Friends and Dear Blog Visitors (aka Peekers): I know some of you are endlessly tired of hearing about H1N1, but please Get Informed!  Pretty please, not just for you or for me, but for kids like Austin whose lives may depend on it.

CDC has some great resources and information on H1N1 for specific groups such as parents & caregivers, pregnant women, schools & child care centers and much, much more. They even have some informative videos for in ASL for the DHH crowd posted on their site. And it doesn't stop there, they have H1N1 Social Media campaigns with Buttons, Widgets, Twitter, Facebook, even Image Sharing on Flikr (if you MUST see this flu for yourself), you name it, CDC is out there with info just waiting for the public.


Thanks for peeking,