Influenza A(H1N1) possible pandemic

lamazeteacher · Jun 13, 2009

what disturbs me is that we aren't testing people who have fevers etc and sore throat/cough/vomit/diarrhea at our facility. Our state has below 100 cases and two states surrounding us are near 2000 and 3000. We can't not have just as many. If they aren't testing, that means we aren't isolating these patients or protecting ourselves with PPE. That angers me very much. People just shake their heads at me--like why are you so worried. Uh hello, people in their prime of life are dying, who may have simple allergies or seasonal asthma. I have that. Almost everyone I know has an 'underlying med prob." People aren't taking this seriously. I don't want them to have to say later, to me, in ICU that they should have done more. The time is now.

The Pandemic has just been declared, so "possible" needs to be removed from the title of this thread, and it could be joined to another one.

It's possible that there are more military bases in your neighboring states, which would explain why their stats are higher than yours....... Traditionally, civilian doctors prefer to treat patient empirically (by guesswork), rather than on the basis of test results, when the illness is mild. I had a test done for H1N1, that was negative and cost Medicare (you taxpayers out there) $82. It was done on the second day of my symptoms you described, which made it timely for Tamiflu to be started, as it's most effective in the first 48 hours of that illness. Doxycycline was also prescribed for me, and I was symptomatic for 2 1/2 weeks, due to preexisting risk factors (asthma and anemia). :cry:

However, the sticking point is that the culture/test is usually negative earlier than the third or fourth day of symptoms, which is almost a week into the contagious term of it (adding the 2 days before s/s appear, but the person can spread the disease then). The likelihood that others could be protected from it through knowledge of confirmation of a person close to them having flu caused by H1N1, is not great, and during this mild wave, it's not reliably predictive of a need to know for the next wave. So that's why the test isn't used extensively now. :icon_roll

The military is a better resource for more accurate stats on its incidence, to aid in predictions of the next wave. They test everyone (under orders) who is symptomatic, and soldiers are known to be more hesitant to report illnesses generally, :smackingfso their reluctance to seek medical care brings them to clinics on the third or fourth day of symptoms, when the test can be positive. It's easier to track and isolate military people through their COs and they are a "captive" group to be studied. However stats are hard for civilian amd military researchers to acquire, as it's never wise to have your enemies aware of any weakness in the country's defenses..........

It's not necessarily now that revealing the stats could be harmful if revealed, but in future more dangerous waves of it when mortality rates could be a greater, that knowledge of it would endanger our nation. It's not clear yet if those who suffer from it now, would be more likely to get the next wave, or not. Certainly the fact that seniors who haven't exhibited predisposing factors aren't becoming ill with H1N1 is reassuring. That may indicate lack of susceptibility due to having had it (or something else) at an earlier time in their lives.

RedWeasel, RN · Jun 13, 2009

I see what you mean. The thing is if we are going to protect ourselves then we should at least place people on isolation when s/s present themselves...so, okay if we don't test for the flu....but I want to protect myself. I could use PPE but the others around me won't unless it is made policy...negating any PPE I use. This is going to be bad. I don't want the flu. My sis in law is pregnant and I don't want to take anything to her.