mc_squared Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Parents 'organising swine flu parties to ensure their children contract the virus before winter' By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 11:41 AM on 30th June 2009 Comments (26) Add to My Stories Parents are being urged not to take their children to swine flu parties due to the 'severe side effects and occasional death' caused by the virus There are fears that parents are taking their children to ‘swine flu parties’ in the hope they will catch the disease now and build up immunity. Discussions over whether parents should take steps to acquire immunity before the main flu season in the winter, when the virus is expected to be more potent, have taken place on family website mumsnet.com. One user posted: 'Great idea. Get it now while it's mild and there's plenty of tamiflu. There could be a swine flu party.' It follows the practice of parents deliberately exposing their children to playmates with chickenpox in order to allow them to have the once-only disease at a convenient time. But today British Medical Association expert Dr Richard Jarvis warned against taking the same approach with swine flu. His warning came the day after news emerged of the first death of a child with swine flu in the UK. Sameerah Ahmed, believed to have been a pupil at the Mayfield specialist school in Birmingham, which caters for children with learning difficulties, died at the city's Children's Hospital within the past few days, health chiefs said. She is the third person with swine flu to die in the UK since the start of the outbreak, but it is not yet known if the disease contributed to her death. A spokesman for NHS West Midlands said Sameerah had 'other serious underlying health conditions' and tested positive for swine flu following her death. The West Midlands has been declared a hotspot for the disease, with 2,104 confirmed cases so far, more than a third of the UK's total and more than two-fifths of all the cases in England. More... Girl, 6, becomes first child in Britain to die of swine flu virusSwine flu pandemic 'caused by accidental leak from laboratory' Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that she had heard rumours of 'swine flu parties' taking place. 'There is an awful lot of discussion from people who have come up with a fairly rational conclusion that it might be better to pick this up now, given that we all think it might mutate to a more virulent strain in the winter,' she said. 'We have heard of people saying "Can we come round to your house when you get it?" There's definitely a prevailing view that it might be better to get it now and some people are not despairing if there is a case in their school.' But Dr Jarvis, the chairman of the BMA's public health committee, told Today: 'I think parents would want to take into account that the flu - although this particular strain is relatively mild for the most part - is something that will knock people off their feet for a few days and we are seeing appreciable morbidity, severe side-effects and sadly the occasional death. 'My advice to parents would be to take this into account before taking any child along to a flu party.' However, he insisted there was no need for parents to panic. 'It certainly isn't something we should be scared about,' he said. 'There is absolutely no cause for panic. The UK is extremely well prepared for this and the response so far has been extremely good. 'We are now moving from what we term containment - which is pressing very hard on all known cases so we can prevent transmission - to outbreak control and treatment. 'Obviously the numbers are going to increase. This is something which nobody has immunity to, so large proportions of the population are going to get it at some point.' Since Friday, 1,604 swine flu cases have been confirmed in England, taking the country's total to 4,968 and the UK's total so far to 5,937. Last week health officials said the West Midlands, along with London, which has 1,564 confirmed cases so far, would adopt a policy of outbreak management, with swine flu cases being clinically diagnosed rather than being confirmed by laboratory results. The new policy means swabbing will take place only for a small number of cases to keep track of the strength of the virus. Doctors will also use the drug Tamiflu more selectively, targeting only people with symptoms. The drug is unlikely to be handed out to everyone who has come into contact with a swine flu sufferer as a precaution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberryswinger Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 i know some parents of children who let them swallow their dirty hands and eat things that had fallen to the floor, to make them build up immunity. at first it seems stupid, but it ain't that bad, i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twizted Logik Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Again, freaking out over a swine flu that is not nearly as bad as people portray it. More of these kids will probably end up dying from cigarettes than from swine flu. So should they get the kids smoking now, to build up an immunity to the tobacco? Stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 So should they get the kids smoking now, to build up an immunity to the tobacco? Well that's what they're doing in China, it seems.......................... :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twizted Logik Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I hope that's another lame joke and there's no truth behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 I hope that's another lame joke and there's no truth behind it. See for yourself!!:rolleyes: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59192 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twizted Logik Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Wow. That kid's gonna live long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RICK8 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 It's a huge over reaction,as it has been proven this one is no worse than regular flu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkus Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Swine flu is so two months ago. :P But seriously, this is not a good idea. I've heard of "Pox Parties", which are for getting chicken pox out of the way early in life. But while they happen sometimes, a "swine flu party" is an entirely different matter. For one, swine flu can kill at any age, while chicken pox is rarely deadly at a young age. Second, chicken pox isn't a freaking pandemic. This is a disease that international organizations are trying to keep under control. Not to mention countless millions less people have caught it than have caught chicken pox, which could only add to the crisis. People shouldn't panic over this disease, but while they're at it, they should also use their freaking heads. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RICK8 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Some may not possess a head,what do you recommend for those? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobalt Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 A parts replacement. Swine flu parties = bad idea. At the moment it's only people with underlying conditions dying but that could change rather quickly. Authorities are trying to keep the cases down, and parents want MOAR cases? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Invader Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 *facepalm* bad idea *facepalm* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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