Swine flu and me
May 17, 2009 11:59 AM   Subscribe

How worried should I be about Swine Flu on a business trip this week?

I'm required by work to travel to Denver from New England and back this coming week. We have an 11 month old daughter at home, and my wife is very concerned about the possibility of my returning with Swine Flu and giving it to my daughter. While i'm concerned, this seems like a very remote possibility. She wants me to cancel the trip, which will be difficult for me to do. Is there real reason to be concerned, or is it reasonable to think all will be well if reasonable precautions are taken? If I go, she wants be to quarantine myself on my return. This seems *way* over the top. Thoughts?
posted by taubman to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)
 
This doesn't just "seem" way over the top. It's way over the top, and then some. Why would you get swine flu in Denver and not New England? Why isn't she quarantining you after a trip to the gas station? I mean. Just. No, just go. She's being excessively unreasonable.
posted by billysumday at 12:08 PM on May 17, 2009 [3 favorites]


Is there real reason to be concerned, or is it reasonable to think all will be well if reasonable precautions are taken?

Undoubtedly, the latter. I actually got the swine flu after an extended trip to Mexico City and then having friends from Mexico city visit me at my home (this was just before the news broke). I had many discussions with medical professionals while dealing with the flu and they uniformly said it wasn't that big of a deal and that it was simply another strain of flu, somewhat stronger than a normal flu. So, if you take the same precautions you would take to avoid contracting a normal flu (washing your hands, avoiding obviously sick people, etc.) you should be fine. I definitely do not think it is a reasonable justification for not traveling for work to New England.

That being said, the h1n1 flu was no fun at all and ended up giving me pneumonia when it was all said and done, so in the very unlikely instance that you do get sick, definitely avoid contact with your young daughter (as you would anyway with any sort of flu).
posted by rooftop secrets at 12:12 PM on May 17, 2009 [1 favorite]


Go read this page on the CDC website. It shows that there have been cases of H1N1 in 47 states. Colorado has had 55 confirmed or probable cases, which is a real number, but one-tenth of the number of cases in California, which is where I live with my 15 month old son. We are going about our lives normally, washing our hands frequently as always, but not living in a bubble by any means.

Go on your trip. Wash you hands a lot. Odds are you will be fine. For heaven's sake don't quarantine yourself when you get home.
posted by ambrosia at 12:14 PM on May 17, 2009


Also it's not really transmissible until you become symptomatic so there's really no point "quarantining" yourself unless you actually feel ill.
posted by so_necessary at 12:44 PM on May 17, 2009


In the last three weeks, I spent 15 hours on transcontinental flights, 4 hours on domestic US flights, and many more hours in airports and shuttle buses surrounded by all sorts of travelers. I didn't catch swine flu or anything else. I did wash my hands often. A quick jaunt to Denver doesn't seem risky to me--at least no riskier than, say, going to a crowded party down the block.

Re the quarantine: If you develop a sore throat or other flu symptoms, yeah, stay clear of your daughter. But a "guilty until proven innocent" quarantine seems excessive. Maybe some medical types here can explain whether the flu would be communicable before you show any symptoms.
posted by PatoPata at 12:44 PM on May 17, 2009


If your wife is this concerned she's unlikely to believe you or a load of strangers on the internet - suggest she call your family doctor for their guidance. She'll be told the risks associated with your trip are no higher than you are all exposed to going about your normal routines but she may believe the trusted family doctor when she doesn't believe you.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:48 PM on May 17, 2009


As of today, WHO is reporting there have been 4 H1N1 deaths in US in the last 3 weeks. To put that in perspective, about 5 people are struck and killed by lightning each month in the US. (62 per year) Maybe comparing the statistics to something less sensationalized will let your wife see things with a more relaxed perspective. You could also show her similar stats for TB or some other killer that is not as scary as H1N1 despite actually being more deadly.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 12:55 PM on May 17, 2009


Your wife is not crazy. When someone (especially a mother) doesn't have enough information to make a truly informed choice, but there are scary stories out there AND people are calling something "pandemic" AND we know that in airplanes, you're sharing air closely with many other people AND we've specifically been told to practice "social distancing" -- based only on this information, her attitude makes sense.

What you both need is more information. A doctor is a good choice, or a CDC statement on travel.

Don't say her attitude is ridiculous; it's not. Caution can seem extreme when the tendency of 99% of the world is to just go along with what everyone else is doing, but that's exactly when caution can pay off the most. You just have to know when to trust your own judgment, and you can't trust your own judgment unless you have as much information as everyone else -- including much of the information that authoritative sources have.
posted by amtho at 1:30 PM on May 17, 2009


It's not true that the trip is as or less risky than staying in New England. You are choosing to put yourself in an enclosed space with people who are more likely to have been exposed to Swine Flu or Foreign Germs than your grocer down the street. That's the sign of the variable, but the magnitude is very very small.
posted by gensubuser at 1:37 PM on May 17, 2009


According to the CDC, about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes every year. As of May 15, there were 4 US deaths from H1N1. Does your wife have these fears during every flu season? Or is this a result of the media frenzy around H1N1?

I'm guessing the latter. Have her check out the CDC website. It put my incredibly germ-phobic, nearly-hypochondriac mother at ease. Surely it'll comfort your wife. The statistics just don't hold out that you'll need to be in quarantine when you come home. Just wash your hands a lot (which you should ALL be doing regularly anyway, what with the toddler and all) and you'll be fine.
posted by cooker girl at 3:41 PM on May 17, 2009


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