H1N1 Obsessed? Join the Club: How H1N1 Anxiety is Affecting the Lives of Canadian Parents

Every parent I know is H1N1 obsessed right now. And, judging by these newspaper headlines, the parental obsession is pretty much country-wide. Here's a quick snapshot of how H1N1 anxiety is affecting the lives of Canadian parents from coast to coast.

Newswire

The Toronto Star: Got Baby Brain? Your Vaccine Guide, Simply Put
The Toronto Star 's Catherine Porter translates the lingo of Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, into messages a pregnant woman can deal with, without hitting the panic button.

The Globe and Mail: The H1N1 dilemma: Parents Agonize Over Vaccinating Kids Yes? No? Maybe? Yes?
Parental pillow talk across the country is dominated by the pros and cons of vaccinating children against swine flu reportsThe Globe and Mail's Erin Anderssen.

Vancouver Sun.com: Doctors' Offices and Walk-in Clinics Overwhelmed by H1N1 Demands
Doctors’ offices and walk-in clinics in B.C. are being inundated with calls from people demanding the H1N1 vaccine but they don’t have enough doses to meet the demand in the first roll out of the national vaccination program.

Montreal Gazette: Parents flood ERs for H1N1 testing
Authorities at two Montreal hospitals are holding a news conference this morning to address parents' concerns about H1N1 flu.

Halifax Daily News: Influenza Assessment Centre Opens Today at Noon
In Halifax, health authorities are opening an influenza assessment centre to ease congestion and help prevent the spread of flu or other communicable diseases in hospital emergency departments. 

Edmonton Journal: Schools Scramble for Teachers as H1N1 Tightens its Grip
The wave of germs that is keeping a growing number of Edmonton area students at home sick now appears to be thinning the ranks of staff at some schools, the Edmonton Journal reports.

CBC.ca: Nunavut Starts Swine Flu Shots Nov. 1 
The H1N1 shot will be offered to everyone eligible to get it (as opposed to priority groups such as pregnant women and those with chronic conditions), starting November 1. Nunavut expects to "be able to finish its vaccination program ahead of most other provinces and territories," chief medical officer Isaac Sobol told the CBC. 

Related:

Healthzone.ca: Where to Get Your Shots in the GTA
An interactive map that is updated as information changes.

New Scientist: Swine Flu: Eight Myths That Could Endanger Your Life
New Scientist magazine went back and looked at the research -- and found that even some government  agencies are missing the mark on a few key points.

Resource Swap

How is your family dealing with the H1N1 issue? Have you blogged about it? Do you have a useful resource to share? Please comment below so that others who are struggling with this issue can benefit from your insights and experience. Thanks.

Comments

[Celia]

We've been battling the flu at home, with two sick kids and me, a sick mom. We had planned to get the H1N1 shot the second day it was available but kids got sick the Saturday prior. My husband did get the shot. Allowing lots of distance and continuously cleaning seems to be keeping him healthy. My son is better now and back to school today. My little girl and I are still sick. Not surprisingly, conflicting information from reliable sources has been my biggest challenge. In particular about when to get medical attention, and how long to stay away from others. My seemingly most reliable sources for info have been http://www.cdc.gov and our provincial health authority. Biggest challenges with this bug for us: we seem to be improving and then get worse.

[woman in downtown toronto]

I am in my late 50s ... never get the flu and I hate all this media pressure ... if I am not prone to be sick in the first place I am not going to jinx it by getting any flu shot

[Elizabeth McLennan]

My two young sons are just coming out from under H1N1 today. It has been a super long week and a frustrating one, but we've muddled through.

The hardest bit (aside from the inevitable cabin fever) has been the NOT knowing: how high does a fever have to get before it's too high? How long should one reasonably expect this bone-rattling cough to go on? Seriously, you want us to stay inside for HOW long?

I blogged about it here: www.lifewithbellymonster.blogspot.com, creating my own "H1N1 Survival Guide" Enjoy!

[coffeewithjulie]

Hi Ann - Yes, I've been blogging about H1N1 too. The most recent post provides an overview of WHO's latest release. It's here: www.julieharrison.ca. Thanks for creating this resource swap! Julie

[Tara]

Hi Ann, I just want to Thanks you for helping us out there that are trying to make an informed decision on whether to vaccine or not and learn more about H1N1. It is nice that you have put a bunch of info together for us in one spot. Thank You again.

[Patricia Stokes]

Hi Ann- What a great topic, I just wanted to tell parent's that I have a 10 year old daughter that just got over the H1N1 flu, she was very sick... much like the regular flu, However my youngest daughter myself and my husband did not get H1N1. Our family decided not to get the H1N1 flu shot and are still happy with our choice we just didn't feel there was enough information to go on... lots of hand washing,eating healthy and drinking plenty of fluid's worked for us.

[Ann Douglas]

Thanks for all the comments you've posted over the past few days. (I'm still in catch-up mode after being away.)

Celia: I agree with you about the quality of information on the http://www.cdc.gov website. It's the first place I turn to for information. I have been turning more to local health unit websites for information (which, in turn, throw to specific pages of the Ministry of Health website) as opposed to searching the Ministry of Health website directly. Glad to know you've found it very useful. Sorry to hear your family has been so ill.

Woman in downtown Toronto: Thanks for your comment. We all have to make up our minds for ourselves.

Just as an aside: I was talking to an MD about the entire H1N1 situation today and he said that one thing people who are in low-risk categories themselves might want to consider is that they have the opportunity to (1) protect the rest of the population; and (2) prevent subsequent waves of the pandemic from becoming more severe.

Elizabeth M: I agree that information with more specifics would be most welcome at this point. It's frustrating when you can't find an answer to a question that you really need an answer to -- particularly when your child's health is on the line. Thanks for letting us know about your blog post on H1H1.

Julie: Great to have you drop by -- and thanks for letting us know about your blog post, too.

Tara: Thanks very much for your comment. I have been really worried about this issue, too, so I was happy to share my research with other parents. (We're all in this together.)

Patricia: Thanks for sharing your family's experience. Did you end up keeping your 10 year old away from the rest of the family while she was really sick? One of my sisters is in this situation and that's what the doctors have suggested to her (keep the healthy child away from the seriously ill child).

[Heather]

Hi Ann:
I think this is definitely a personal decision, everyone's situation is different. My kids and I have not got the H1N1 shot. We've never had the regular flu shot either. I feel that they've rushed things on this one, it hasn't been tested properly and it's scary not knowing the side effects of it. I feel bad for the people who have lost family, both children and adults. I do feel however, that the media has really blown this one out of proportion.
Heather

[Ann Douglas]

It's definitely a personal decision -- as is any important health decision involving your kids and yourself. It's important to do your research, discuss the situation with people you trust (and who are well informed about the issue), and then make your own decision, given the best facts available to you at the time you need to make your decision.