A Q and A on HINI flu and how it affects children

Officials have been telling us for months that the H1N1 virus is, unlike seasonal flu, more likely to hit young people than old. Now a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 36 children 18 or younger were among the 477 swine flu deaths reported between April and Aug. 8. That's about 1 out of every 13 deaths.

However, the CDC said there were complicating factors in most of those child deaths.

"In two-thirds of those, the child had at least one severe underlying illness or underlying disability -- cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, long-standing respiratory or cardiac problems," CDC Director Thomas Frieden said during a news teleconference last week.

"There were some children who didn't have an underlying condition and who did become severely ill, and they were generally infected also by bacteria," Frieden said. "When you get the flu, your immune system can be a little weakened. ... That's an important message for doctors to know that if someone has the flu, they get better, then they get worse again with high fever, that's a clue that maybe they should be treated with antibiotics."

But most children -- and most adults -- who get H1N1 have mild symptoms and recover quickly without treatment, Frieden said.

Here are questions matched with advice from Frieden:

Q. Schools and colleges and universities across the country are reporting H1N1 outbreaks. Should I keep my child home if the virus hits his school or campus?

A. Not unless he is sick, in which case he will recover faster and also help contain the spread of the influenza if he stays home.

Q. Should the schools shut down during outbreaks?

A. Carnegie Mellon University weathered a sizable outbreak without closing down, and that's the kind of response the CDC is recommending.

Q. We've been told to avoid going to doctors' offices or emergency rooms unless absolutely necessary. When would it be absolutely necessary?

A. For most people with the flu, there's no reason to see a doctor or go to the emergency department unless you're severely ill. For example, you have trouble breathing or you have an underlying condition, such as diabetes, pregnancy, heart disease, lung disease.

Q. Vaccinations scare me. You always hear about negative after-effects.

A. We are also looking very closely at the possibility of reports of adverse conditions. We know that every year, there are cases of paralysis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, there are women who have miscarriages, there are people who have sudden death. In all those situations, we need to know very clearly how many we would expect if the vaccine doesn't cause any problems whatsoever.

Q. Even if there are no "adverse numbers," I'm afraid to vaccinate my children. What is Dr. Frieden going to do?

A. My kids will get the flu vaccine when it becomes available, and I would recommend that all school children get vaccinated.

Pohla Smith can be reached at psmith(at)post-gazette.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com

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