Swine Flu Symptoms ~ Something All Of Us Should Know

If you are confused about the symptoms of the Swine Flu or just need to know more about them, I recommend looking at both of these short videos. They're only about 30 to 60 seconds long, but very informative.

Kathryn Edwards, M.D., Vanderbilt University
{ For some reason this link is not sending you directly to the video. Once you click on the above picture it will send you to ABC's website. Once you see the above picture, click on it to view the video. }

William Schaffner, M.D., Vanderbilt University

Swine Flu Vaccinations & Horrifying Statistics for This Flu Season

I had heard that the Swine Flu was going to hit us pretty hard this year, but these numbers are down right frightening! We neeeed the vaccinations now, and I hope that anyone of any age can take them. Apparently the vaccination will be a series of two shots spread 3 weeks apart. If you don't follow through with the second shot, you're not protected. They also said that this flu is effecting young adults and children more so than other age groups. This really worries me because we can't be with our children 24/7 to make sure that they're fully protected and washing their hands and sanitizing throughout the school day. An Update to my previous post, another child had passed away in about 4 days as well after contracting the Swine Flu and the autopsy showed that she in fact did not have an underlying condition.

Up to half of the population of the U.S. could come down with the swine flu and 90,000 could die this season, according to a dire report from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

The report, which claims as many as 1.8 million people could end up in the hospital seeking treatment for the H1N1 virus, comes as government officials push drug companies to make a vaccine available next month.

"It's a plausible scenario that we need to be prepared for," said Marty Cetron, the Center for Disease Control's director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

The report says that under a worst-case scenario, between 60 and 120 million Americans could get sick with the swine flu and another 30 million could contract the virus but not show symptoms. Between 30,000 and 90,000 could die -- more than twice the annual average of deaths associated with the seasonal flu.

To view the video report from the CDC click here or the picture above.

5-Year-Old Max Gomez Dies From the Swine Flu in Just 4 Days

I can not stop thinking about this boy's parents and what they must be going through right now. Our family is just getting back on our feet after having the flu for the last two weeks, and it had me on pins and needles the entire time. The swine flu is always in the back of our minds.

Little Max had just started Kindergarten and had gone on a Church fieldtrip to the zoo on Friday. That is when he first started to show signs of being sick. By Saturday he had a temperature of 102, not alarming, but enough to make you concerned. Surprisingly, the next day he was fine again showing signs of improvement and the fever had actually gone away, but to be safe, his parents kept him home from church. Monday came around and he had the fever back but this time with chills so his parents took him to the hospital where he died just three hours later. In a matter of 4 days Max went from being perfectly healthy to going to heaven. This is unimaginable to me, and so very frightening. My heart goes out to the Gomez family. May God give them strength.

Our schools and local news media are really hyping up this years' flu season to be at an all time high, in particular, with the Swine Flu. Everyone in our family washes their hands when we come home from public places, and sanitize directly after washing, but this is still not enough to protect ourselves from contracting the virus ~ and that is scary!

Of the 36 children who have died so far of the H1N1 virus, two-thirds have had some underlying medical condition that made them more susceptible to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But until Max fell ill that weekend, he was a perfectly a healthy child. An autopsy will be performed to see if Max also had an underlying condition such as asthma for example. If nothing is found, then Max's death will certainly raise many questions.

On a final note there was one factor that Max's mom had mentioned that raised a few brow's with doctor's, and that is the fact that Max had a fever twice during his illness. He had a fever on Saturday, it was gone by Sunday, and had returned by Monday. Doctor's feel that this might be a key factor in determining if it is a specific symptom of the Swine Flu. I'm definitely going to keep my sponge bob thermometer next to my kids when their sick this flu season.

To see Max's story on Good Morning America click here or the picture above.