H1N1: Common Sense for Parents

After closing schools and making headlines this spring, Novel H1N1 A (swine flu) is back in the news and stirring up parental anxieties anew. Of course, H1NI really didn’t go anywhere over the long, hot Texas summer; it quietly continued to infect kids in summer camps and at home. Most cases were not life threatening, with symptoms similar to that of seasonal flu.

But now that we’re starting flu season, what can we expect? Will H1N1 rebound this fall like the 1918 flu epidemic causing severe illness in many people, or will it be just another pesky bug that keeps us home this year?

“For the most part, it (H1N1) has been mild,” says Galit Holzmann-Pazgal, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, adding that there is no evidence that the virus has mutated into a different, more dangerous strain at this time.

That doesn't mean H1N1 should be taken lightly, Pazgal says. The virus has caused severe illness and deaths nationwide; much like the seasonal flu does every year. More than 1 million Americans have been infected with H1N1 and nearly 600 have died from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control's estimates. Severe illness is more common in persons with underlying medical conditions.

So far this fall, outbreaks of H1N1 have been worst in southeastern states, although cases are picking up in Texas. The volume of patients coming into the emergency room with flu-like symptoms has increased since school has started, says Pazgal, she also is medical director of infection control at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Parents can ease their anxieties by arming themselves with facts about H1N1 and using the following commonsense tips to get through this stressful flu season.

*Wash your hands after you touch...and Twitter

Washing your hands is the single-most important step to prevent the spread of H1N1. The virus is spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes as well as touching hands and objects contaminated with these droplets. H1N1 can survive on surfaces for two to eight hours. After contracting H1N1, you can be contagious up to 24 hours before becoming ill, and up to seven days after your symptoms first appear.

Younger kids spread the virus easily because their personal hygiene leaves something to be desired. But, your ultra-connected tweens and teens also can spread the virus when they handle each other's phones, computer keyboards, iPods and video games. Encourage your kids to use hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes after each use.

"Every kid should be armed with their own bottle of Purell and know when to use it," says Houston mom and businesswoman Gail Gerber Stalarow, who had H1N1 this summer together with her sons, ages 14 and 11.

*Know the symptoms