Is Anyone Else Converned About the Swine Flu?

I'm not concerned about the regular flu season. We get shots every year. But I am very concerned about the swine flu. I just read about an 18 year old from Hingham who went to college, got the swine flu and died. My son is 21, just started college, and has health issues. If a healthy 18 year old can die from it, what would my son's chances be? When the vaccine is available, the 2 of us will get it. I know there are questions about the vaccine, but I don't see that I have a lot of choices in my situation.

Will get kid shot! L.

We all got the flu shot here....I have never had the flu, but I work in health care. So it seemed like a prudent thing to do. I don't want to bring anything home to my girls. As far as H1N1, it has been around before. Anybody born after 1980 is at greater risk, because they have virtually no immunities to it. There will be vaccines for those born after 1980, who are immunocompromised. Then it will be open to everyone.

Hi M.
I am taking my 2 Reliv shakes daily to keep my immune system strong. My family is doing the same! If I am around increasing illness-I will take an extra shake. No side effects or danger to my family.Safe for ALL ages.
J. H

Hi M.,

I am not concerned because my children are pretty healthy. When they do get sick, it isn't for long. Those who need to be the most concerned are those who have children who are constantly getting ill, have a medical condition that causes them to be ill most of the year or all of the time.

In my house, to start with, we all use our own toothpaste. Sick people do not share hand towels with well people and are encouraged to wash their hands often.

I have on hand electrolyte drinks (Pedialite, coconut juice, you can also make your own homemade electrolyte drink - there's a recipe on the web), Tylenol Meltaways, and ice packs in the freezer. That way, should anyone get sick, I have the supplies I need and don't have to run out of the house to get them if someone becomes ill.

I always encourage hand washing. Be sure to use lotion after washing! Dry skin harbors germs! They live in the cracks. Wash up and use lotion. Next time you wash your hands, you know you've done a good job washing when you feel the lotion wash off.

Keep your home hydrated. We use humidifiers during the winter. Germs survive better in dry conditions, so I've heard on the news. If there is water condensation, turn off the humidifier until they dry off. Too much humidity allows mold to grow - that just causes another health concern!

: ) Maureen

WE aren't concerned about it. We will be getting our seasonal flu shot but will not get the h1n1 shot because I feel it was rushed and they had awful side effects from it when they tried in the 70s our ped isn't offering it until its been available for awhile so the govt has time to track side effects. I lysol my son's backpack and jacket and have him wash his hands as soon as he comes home and we don't use the antibacterial either because its technique that matters. I also spray dh's things down when he comes home. He installs cable and is working the big E to promote sales I can't imagine how many people he's shaking hands with.
Edited: Just wanted to let those of you that aren't familiar w/ melaleuca in on a little secret their hand sanitizer has the exact same alcohol content as other brands actually even more then some brands and that internet article was proven to be a fake. Melaleuca is over priced generic cleaner w/ tea tree oil thrown in it as safe as they make it sound it can cause kids to get very very very very sick if ingested. They contain the same ingredients as my bottle of MR. Clean (just went and checked) w/ the exception that mr. clean doesn't have the tea tree oil and sol-u-mel stinks worse then a litter box!

I am washing my hands often and having my child wash her hands often, especially immediately upon her return from school; I'm spraying down my phones, light switches, door knobs, toilets, and sinks with Lysol; I am teaching my child to sneeze or cough into her elbow and am doing same; if the vaccine becomes available, I'll probably try to get it for myself and my child; and above all, I'm not panicking. It's easy to get caught up in the alarmist hype, but for generally healthy people, statistically speaking, the swine flu is less dangerous than seasonal flu.

My whole family will take a multivitamin during the flu season, but more importantly we will eat tons of organic fruits & veggies & a variety of whole grains. Soups, smoothies, raw, whatever. Good nutrition is so important! We will make sure to consume lots of garlic, raw honey, kefir and other natural immune boosters. Don't just rely on vitamins as they are not as good as getting your vits & mins straight from the source. Exercise often and cry when you need to; both allow the body to get rid of stress hormones (thru sweat and tears) which can build up in your body and make you vulnerable to infection and disease. Get outside when you can and let the sun touch your skin, even on cold days.