Speaking of Havelock i just dont understand how the Flu Shot was distrubited last week on October 30th. Her i am standing in line with my 14 month old and wife knowing i was not able to get the shot and neither her. Which i can deal with but we were unsure that our3 year old could get it due to a reaction when she eats eggs, she breaks out in Hives but has no breathing difficulty. Tries calling the 800 number no help there so talked to the Nurse when we were getting my son his shot and she states that she would be able to becuase all her other previous vacanations for children all have egg embryo in them. So i thought perfect it is 8:30 (clininc open till 9pm) i will go get her and get her the shot as i only lived down the street and the nurse informed me they were done for the night as there was one other group of people coming in an that they would be out of vaccine. So in walks a police officer that i know and his child and hiws wife and all three of them get the shot, Pfft

I think it is irresponsible reporting to start this off with "The H1N1 flu appears to be making inroads into city schools" and not backing that up with FACTS. If there are CONFIRMED cases of H1N1, then give the numbers. Otherwise, this "update" is just adding to people's irrational fears. If there are confirmed cases in my kids' schools, the parents sure as heck haven't been notified and I think we have a right to know so we can decide if we want to keep our kids home for a week or so to minimize contact with other kids. You know darn well parents are keeping kids home because they coughed once or had a runny nose because they are acting irrationally (thanks media!), which is adding to the absentee rates. I think the rates are highly skewed and not at ALL representative of how many kids are actually SICK, whether it be seasonal flu, H1N1, or any other of the various illnesses that float around the schools each year.

I think folks are just being a bit more vigilent and responsible. I know that many times folks send kids off to school with sneezing, coughing and sniffles and many more head off to work in the same state.

This year, thankfully, people are behaving a bit more responsibly and keeping kids home and staying home themselves... it probably ISN'T H1N1 but it is an illness that COULD be and COULD infect others.

I look at it as a nice reason to work from home or spend a bit more time getting to know the kids.

That's great, for you, Ella, if you have the ability to work from home. Unfortunately, most of us don't have that option and some of us don't get paid for taking days off work that haven't been scheduled in advance. I honestly DON'T think it's responsible to keep your kid home if they have a simple cough or a sneeze. Higher absentee rates may cause the district to close down the schools, which is FINE if the number of confirmed H1N1 cases warrants it. However, closing schools because people kept their kid home due to a runny nose, or out of their own paranoia, is nothing more than an inconvenience to people who work outside of the home (either taking time off work and not getting paid for it, so close to the holidays...or having to pay a babysitter that you normally don't need because the kids are in school all day). I believe in keeping a kid home if they are actually SICK with something, not because "oh no, he coughed. better keep him home!" We can't let paranoia run our lives.

I agree W.Sider.... some of us don't have the option of working from home and if we do have to stay home with our kids we don't get paid for it, and it really screws everything up if you are the only income coming into the house. So, I don't think that you should be keeping kids home just because they have a little cough or a sneeze. If they are really SICK, Fever, Sore throat, aches and pains etc. then for sure keep them home. But,if they are so concerned with the % of absentees then maybe school kids should be top priority on the list for vaccine.... oh that's right they have run out, after they said that there would be more than enough for everyone. The government really needs to get their act together and become better organized it's really pathetic the way they have been running things over the last couple of months.

Ella, I usually agree with your comments but I think you are a bit off the mark with this one. Not everyone has the luxury of working from home and if everyone stayed home that would add to the panic. The absentee rates at the schools are probably more to do with people over reacting than actual illness. I'm not implying that this isn't a real threat and that it hasn't killed people but we have to try and stay calm and get through the winter.

I agree, if the option is there to work from home, then that is great, but far many more people do not have that option than do.

There are some many people out there who don't get paid if they don't show up, that it is not funny.

I think kids that are sick should stay home. My daughter attends Bayside Middle School. and has tested positive (yes, they did an actual swab) for H1N1. Its because of parents who think its inconvenient to keep their sick kids at home that my daughter ended up getting it. Yes, I understand that some people can't really afford to take time off work to stay at home with their kids when they're sick, but sick kids need to stay home. H1N1 is spread through droplets, if people are sneezing and coughing at school its bound to spread.

And you have proof it was caught at school, Laura?

If people are sneezing, or are coughing and producing mucus, then it's not H1N1 they are spreading, FYI. Dry cough with no mucus production, possibly. Fever, possibly (and who makes their kid go to school with a fever, honestly?). Sneezing, stuffy snotty nose, and sore throat are not associated with H1N1 and these are the very things some of the parents I know are keeping their kids home with. That's a cold, and kids get colds all the time. People are ignorant of the REAL symptoms of H1N1 and THAT is why we have the absentee rates...not because 35% of the kids in a particular school have H1N1. The rates are skewed and inaccurate because of ignorance, period. The media is irresponsible in their reporting methods, which was my initial beef to begin with.

My youngest had a fever yesterday. I kept her home from daycare. 5 hours later the fever was gone and she is completely normal today (normally home on Wednesdays). She'll be going to daycare tomorrow and we'll take it day by day.