Back to School with Swine Flu: Are You Prepared?

Posted by: Lauren Young on September 01

Okay, I admit it. I’ve been on summer vacation from Swine Flu, which means I’ve given the H1N1 virus little thought. But did someone declare today National Swine Flu day?

The airwaves are buzzing today with talk of the Swine Flu epidemic now that kids are heading back to school. Here in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg briefed city officials on important Swine Flu prevention measures. And President Obama strongly recommended getting the vaccine to prevent the flu. This morning I also received an email from our pediatrician about swine flu precautions.

In the five years that my son has been a patient in the practice of Michel Cohen, I do not recall receiving an email about a medical issue, so his message about Swine Flu caught my eye. (Cohen’s book The New Basics is a must-have for new parents.)

Cohen, who is known for a no-nonsense approach, says parents have no reason to be alarmed about swine flu-yet.

“The virus causes about four days of very high fever but few other symptoms. The kids who caught it fared surprisingly well, and in our practice, all of them recovered without any complications.”

While the regular flu vaccine won’t protect us from the H1N1 virus, the Center for Disease Control is developing a separate vaccine with pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, which they say will be widely available. “Its effectiveness won’t be guaranteed, however, because there’s not enough time for extensive clinical trials,” Cohen says. He doesn’t recommend the vaccine, which will be offered for free to New York City primary school-age children, because kids “tend to fight the flu very well.” In addition, Cohen is worried the vaccine will prevent children from developing natural immunity against the flu, thereby creating more resistant strains. (Note: My colleague Cathy Arnst has written about the vaccination debate extensively.)

That’s the medical side to consider. The bigger issue is what happens if my son gets a temperature that forces us to keep him home from school for days? Most likely, I’ll be the parent who needs to stay home until our regular sitter shows up. What about other working parents who have no such safety net? Nearly two-thirds of low-wage workers in New York City, for example, have no paid sick days, Dan Cantor writes in the Huffington Post.

How are you preparing for Swine Flu? What measures, if any, have you taken? Do you have a childcare back-up plan if illness strikes?

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