I'm not starting this thread to scare anybody, I just want to make people aware. I just came from the doctors office and my child was confirmed with a case of the swine flu. He attends GBEMS. And apparently there was another case confirmed today from the same doctor of a student that attends PCHS.

There appears to be so many children who are sick and parents aren't taking them to get them checked out by doctors. PLEASE, PLEASE take your child to a doctor if they are experiencing any symptoms.

My child got sick on Sunday with severe stomach pains and vomiting. By Monday, he was coughing, had a fever, stuffy nose and severe body aches and extreme fatigue.

Needless to say, he is not allowed to attend school, and we have been instructed to keep him away from babies, elderly people, anyone else who is sick (for any reason). To keep him hydrated, let him get as much rest as possible and to keep a very close eye on his fever and back and abdominal pains.

I have already disinfected the entire house and we are all washing our hands thoroughly with soap and water or alcohol based hand rubs. Also, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue in the trash. And avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way very quickly.

Good luck to everyone and if you think you or a loved one may have H1N1, please see your family physician or go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible. It's better to be safe than sorry.

I am sorry to hear that your child is sick. I hope that he starts feeling better soon. This is also a wake up call for our little area, that we are not immune to outside illnesses or other things. I used to think that nothing ever comes around this county, but that is just not so. Please everyone, be sure to wash your hands, cover coughs and sneezes and if you feel sick, go to the doctor. This flu is nothing to laugh about. It is serious and is not only making people sick, but also taking lives when left untreated.

Thank you yada yada. We all hope that he gets better soon too. He is usually a very healthy child and very rarely gets sick at all. Which is actually a good thing so that his body is fighting strong against this. We are just hoping to keep it contained so that his sibling doesn't get it, or anyone else that he has been in contact with.

And I agree with you. Nobody ever thinks that things like this will happen here, but it does. We have NO idea how he got it, but the fact now is that he does have it. And things like this (among many other facts of life)----it doesn't choose who you are, who you know, where you live, color, race, religion, etc. It just happens.

I just hope that this is a wake up call for those who think "that things like this will just NEVER happen here". Because guess what---it has.

I hate to hear about your child, and hope and pray that they get better very soon.

Do you know if they 3 step tested for swine flu, or did they do like PCMH, and GV are doing and cataloging everything that tests positive for Flu Type A as swine flu. Common flu is Type A. I know since Friday there has been 9 cases of swine flu in this county alone(Insider information). Of course They were done with the umbrella type test.

So there is a good chance that your child doesn't have the dreaded H1N1, but the common seasonal flu. I advise everyone to ask what kind of testing there using, to get a actual correct diagnosis. The way they are doing it in our 2 counties, we will have a few thousand easy. And almost all will be common flu, but will be labeled swine flu. I think it horrible what they are doing, spreading undue fear like this.

To hmmmmmmmmm---thanks for your concern also. The nose swab that is inserted deep into the nostril and then put into a solution for approximately 10 minutes to see what color the swab turns is how it was confirmed, with blood tests as well.

I know several children that have the plain old flu and have been to the doctor and told to take motrin and drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest so lets dont label this flu and cause a panic situation.

That is how they test with the swap. What they do is test to see if the strip turns a certain color, which defines if it is a flu Type A, B, or C. If it shows A they are suppose to test the specimen further to determine if it's one of the sub categories. And swine is one of the sub categories. But since they don't test further, then common flu can be diagnosed as swine.

People should ask if they are testing the sub type A flu, and not just grouping all Type A together. It's for your own well being. Since flu's have been starting to show up here in America, we have more cases of swine flu than all other countries combined. I would have to guess it's because they are not testing it further, and cataloging all Flu Type A as swine flu. And since they are doing it that way we will be in pandemic mode very soon. I figure since our little hospitals and Dr offices are doing it, the larger hospitals are doing it as well.

It's fear mongering at it's best. And I think it's very wrong, both on our government and our healthcare providers.

If you watched the YouTube video of the soldier, lumping all the flu into one description would certainly futher the government's agenda, wouldn't it? I know in NY they don't even test for the swine flu anymore, they just label anyone with the flu as having it. I am not sure what is scarier, the flu itself or the misinformation and possible government backed creation of mass hysteria!

Have you notified the school so that they can disinfect everything in case that is where your child came in contact with the bug? Good luck and I hope your child gets better.

From what I've read, there isn't too much need to panic if it's H1N1. It really isn't a real serious flu (other than pregnant females).

Most of the time when people get sick they call it the flu and it isn't. Common flu will most likely make you feel worse than H1N1. H1N1 is very contagious.

As soon as I got my child back from the doctors office, yes, of course I went to the school and notified them of the diagnosis. I wanted to make sure that they were aware that other children may have come in contact with my child.

I do not know who the student at PCHS is that was also diagnosed because of course that is confidental information, but hopefully they let Mr. Sanders know also.

Again, thank you for the well wishes. This is a very nasty flu and my child is really sick but he's getting a lot of rest and fluids and we are disinfecting everything constantly.

I have been told by school officials that this was not a case of the serious swine flu.sounds like some of this is misconception of what is really considered swine flu.if this was a real case the state health dept. would have to contact the school and there would have been announcements in the newspaper and on radio .please get your facts straight before coming on here and worrying all of the parents.there have only been 4 cases of the swine flu in WVa and all were in Putnam CO.

That is not true because I know 3 that were diagnosed and confirmed to have swine flu here in the county. And there is one woman from belington who got flew to Morgantown yesterday in a coma and they said they didn't think there was any hope for her.

And I'm telling you that I had my child in the doctors office and was told that they had the swine flu. I then thought I was doing the right thing by informing the school of the situation. I do have my facts straight and can hear quite well and know what I was told about my child and was given a whole booklet of papers about H1N1.

Parent...apparently you do not read the papers for WVa. There are 43 cases of swine flu just in Morgantown WVa.

There have been 4 people die in Cabel County from the swine flu.

I think before they can actually confirm swine flu..the test has to be sent to the state lab and may be back in 10 days..to my knowledge, they can't confirm it in the office..they are swabbing for the type A I think..

Flu tracker from the WHO says as of today:

http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com/
Confirmed/Probable Cases: 4351
Fatal Cases: 4

How there diagnosing it, take that for what it's worth.

I've been watching this site and the those numbers have just been added in the last week. There was 347 cases(or 346, but I know it was in the mid 300's) last Tuesday.

If people would have read the threads about swine flu and how they are testing it, they would know. Unless you go to one of the big hospitals like Charleston, Huntington, or WVU; it takes between 3 to 5 days and up to 7 days to get a test result back from CDC to confirm swine flu. The regular Flu Types A, B, C can be diagnosed in the office. Sub types have to be sent off. And only 3 hospitals in WV have the equipment to test for swine flu. All others have to be sent off.

If anyone goes to the Dr and they are diagnosed with swine flu that day, they are kinda lieing to you. You have a flu, they just don't know what kind, they are just telling you the whole a truth. They are told to group all Flu Type A cases as swine flu. And have to by law. Alot of healthcare givers are really mad over this. I think the government want mindless terror, and mayhem. Probably to pass healthcare, or even call martial law. There is no reason to get people in a hysterical state, and people are. Just watch the news. It's horrible.

So everyone, unless your Dr. sends off your test results, it probably not swine. More likely it's the common flu we all have had before and will again. So don't buy into the fear.

shhhhhhh and hmmmmm are making the most sense of this I will contact the state health dept tomorrow as they are supposed to be notified of any CONFIRMED cases of the swine flu and advised them a doctor in this county is supposely telling people their child has the swine flu without doing all of the proper testing and are worrying everyone without proof and advise them to check this site

I have relatives that work at the state health dept in Charleston. The only way to get a CONFIRMED case of swine flu is for a nasal swab to be sent to the state lab. This takes approximately a week to get a confirmed case. Doctors are doing influenza A tests in the office and if it is postive for a, than they treat it as if it is swine flu. If you want the most up to date info on swine flu go to www.cdc.gov. The treatement for swine flu and regular seasonal flu is the same. both make you sick and most people recover within a week or so. The trouble with swine flu is that people with underlying health conditions can develope serious complications. My family member also told me that all deaths in WV are people who had underlying health conditions such as heart trouble or bad immune systems. Swine flu is bad, but no worse that regular flu.

Calling the WVHD or your Dr. will do any good. It's the CDC, and WVHD that told the hospitals and Dr. offices to do this. They are just doing what they are being told. The ones you need to be mad at are those government agencies. They are setting these rules that are making people go crazy. They are working toward something. Noone tries to make the populas fearful unless they are planning something.
Watching the nightly news ismlike watching a horror movie. People getting sick, places banning children from visiting, manditory quarantine if you have just signs. It's fear for nothing.

http://flutracker2.rhizalabs.com/cbi/snapshot/page?concept=~fd000a02514f427d6c114918049a5efc175eb4803e9d9cf73e9f Check this out then tell me there is only one case in the state.

H1N1 flu causes unusual damage to lungs: studies By Reuters - Thu Oct 15, 11:42 AM PDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new pandemic H1N1 flu may cause blood clots and other unusual damage in the lungs and doctors need to be on the lookout, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.


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Two studies published in the American Journal of Roentgenology show the need to check X-rays and CT scans for unusual features, and also point out swine flu can be tricky to diagnose in some of the sickest patients.

H1N1 flu is causing a pandemic, and while it is not particularly deadly, it is sickening many younger adults and older children who usually escape the worst effects of seasonal flu.

"It is therefore essential that clinicians be able to recognize possible cases of pandemic H1N1 influenza in high-risk groups so that they order the appropriate diagnostic tests, begin specific antiviral therapy, and prepare to provide intensive supportive measures as needed," Dr. Daniel Mollura of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Maryland and colleagues wrote.

One middle-aged man who died was not diagnosed until after death, but unusual findings on his X-rays may be able to help doctors save other, similar patients.

Mollura's team found irregularities called ground-glass opacities in the patient's lungs using a CT scan. Although the patient was severely ill and had a fever, he tested negative for flu and doctors did not treat him for it.

The man died five days after he went into the hospital and the autopsy confirmed he had swine flu. The lung lesions seen on his CT scan matched lung damage done by the virus, Mollura and colleagues said.

In another study in the same journal, CT scans of patients with severe cases of swine flu showed many had pulmonary emboli, which block the arteries in the lungs, a team at the University of Michigan found.

Anticoagulant drugs can break up these clots and save lives.

Dr. Prachi Agarwal and colleagues examined 66 patients diagnosed with H1N1, 14 of them who were in the intensive care unit. All 66 got standard X-rays, which can show if a patient has pneumonia.

They performed enhanced X-rays known as computed tomography or CT scans on 15 of the patients, 10 of them who were in the ICU on ventilators to help them breathe. Five of the ICU patients had the blood clots in the lungs, Agarwal reported

"Our study suggests that patients who are severely ill with H1N1 are also at risk for developing pulmonary emboli, which should be carefully sought for on contrast-enhanced CT scans," Agarwal said in a statement.

"The majority of patients undergoing chest X-rays with H1N1 have normal radiographs (X-rays)," she added. Pulmonary emboli are also not normally seen in flu, she said.

"CT scans proved valuable in identifying those patients at risk of developing more serious complications as a possible result of the H1N1 virus, and for identifying a greater extent of disease than is appreciated on chest radiographs."