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It is a lingering question on most parents’ minds : how do they protect their kids from swine influenza till the vaccine is widely available? The H1N1 virus has likely infected thousands of children across the nation, but deaths among children aren’t common.

Last week alone, there were nineteen new reports of children who died, according to the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 76 swine influenza deaths since April this year compare with 68 pediatric deaths from seasonal influenza since September 2008. Because kids appear so exposed to it, “every medical epidemiologist in the country is tracking how it has effects on them”, claimed Dr Susan Gerber, an associate medical officer for the General Public Health Department in Cook County, Illinois . “Most children will recover, but it’s still very concerning and should be studied terribly closely” Gerber said. Dr Kenneth Alexander, the University of Chicago’s Head of Pediatric infectious diseases, related there are common signs to show when both types of influenza turn deadly. Flu viruses can damage cilia, the hair-like fibers lining the breathing tract that move bacteria and mucous where it is possible be able to cough them out of the lungs. That will make people at the mercy of pneumonia and other bacterial infections an eventuality blamed for many influenza deaths in otherwise healthy children and adults.

Authorities urge parents to seek immediate help if emergency warning signs develop. In children, these are: Fast or troubled breathing; bluish skin color; lack of thirst; failure to wake up easily or interact; irritability so that the child does not want to be held.

In such cases, influenza patients regularly seem to improve, but then fever and a cough return. Folks should also seek medical help if influenza symptoms develop in children most exposed to influenza complications : those younger than five or with high-risk conditions, including asthma and other lung issues ; cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other neurological sicknesses ; heart, kidney or liver problems ; and diabetes.

Authorities are walking a fine line between making sure parents are vigilant without raising undue alarm. That implies children should get vaccination shots for both standard flu and swine flu when the vaccine is available, and stay home from school if they are sick.

“We definitely do not want to suggest to someone that has a particularly sick child that that kid should be at home. But at the same time, we do not need lots of children with mild sickness showing up in emergency rooms or doctors’ offices, keeping doctors from treating more needier patients ” said Dr Michael Landen, New Mexico’s Assistant State Epidemiologist. He claimed “it is a troublesome message for health officers to clarify, and is very challenging for parents to get this right”.

Braniff Watson writes a number of articles on the topic of the H1N1 virus. To obtain more knowledge on the H1N1 virus, visit the H1N1 website .