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Apologies for the 6-day hiatus everyone: my 3 year-old daughter Alice caught Swine Flu from someone in her kindergarten earlier last week, then my 1 year-old daughter Elizabeth from her, then my wife. Frankly, I’m amazed that I haven’t caught it myself yet.
Testament to my eating a clove of garlic everyday since November? Who needed friends anyway…
Seriously though, naturally I was a little worried when I first heard the news about Alice on Monday, and especially Elizabeth on Wednesday, small for her age. But fortunately all 3 are almost better (my daughters were put on Tamiflu), although Elizabeth is still coughing a little.
Meanwhile, now that things have settled at home, I’m able to concentrate on catching up with writing posts and responding comments and emails and so on. That will take a lot of work though, so I’ve decided to skip adding more by forgoing this week’s open thread sorry. Merry Christmas until the next one on the 26th though!^^
p.s. For those of you wondering when my Korean Gender Reader posts will restart, apologies for the delays, and that will be on Monday the 4th!
The Grand Narrative 
Did the doctor actually test for Swine Flu or determine from symptoms only? US-based CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson spent several months investigating the emergence of Swine Flu in the US and the government’s response. The CDC refused to cooperate, so she filed numerous Freedom of Information requests and got data from state and local agencies. She found that back when hospitals and clinics were still testing to verify suspected cases of Swine Flu, the vast majority of cases with flu-like symptoms were not any flu at all but other respirartory illnesses. Below are actual statistics:
– In Florida, 83 percent of specimens that were presumed to be swine flu were negative for all flu when tested!
– In California, 86 percent of suspected H1N1 specimens were not swine flu or any flu; only 2 percent were confirmed swine flu.
– In Alaska, 93 percent of suspected swine flu specimens were negative for all flu types; only 1 percent was H1N1 flu.
I’m sorry to hear that your family has taken ill and sincerely hope everyone recovers.
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Thanks for your concern, and everyone’s okay now. VERY surprised that I got it through it myself with just a big cold sore to show for it!
My two daughters just had the mucus from their runny noses tested, which took 15 minutes, and my wife has just confirmed that that was only a test for flu, but not which strain (confirming it is Swine Flu and not general flu takes several days and is expensive the doctor told her). Seeing as the treatment for children is the same though, and Alice (the first to catch and spread it) threw up on the day we took her to the doctor – the first time she ever has when she had a fever, and a classic symptom of Swine Flu I read later that night – we had no hesitation in giving it to her and then her sister!
But of course, it may not have been Swine Flu, and is worrying if Tamiflu’s overuse is causing resistance.
Back to my garlic…냠냠냠…
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Glad to hear everyone is better. If it’s any consolation, prior exposure to Swine Flu may confer immunity against future strains. Data for the US population shows that risk of illness drops off dramatically for people in their 30s and 40s, and older people in their 50s and 60s have even lower infection rates. It’s thought that people alive during the 1976 and 1956? 57? strains acquired some immunity from exposure. You almost certainly inhaled or ingested the virus, but your body’s immune system was able to fight off the infection.
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I’m so glad your family is better! Now they all have lasting immunity to the flu right? This is good! Rest well!
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