doctor mommy

okay -- i have to put on my mommy hat now. in light of the fact that avian flu is waiting around the bend, we need to be smart in order to deal with it.

the deadly virus has now shown up for the first time in europe (italy and greece) and the middle east (turkey), making its inevitable trek to the americas. it still hasn't turned into a human-to-human transfer situation, but apparently that's coming.

1. go to http://pandemicflu.gov/planguide/checklist.html and read this info to familiarize yourself with the types of things you want to start keeping fully stocked in your house. kind of like when there are blizzardy-type conditions, you keep your tank filled no lower than 3/4 all the time. or i can e-mail you the doc file if you prefer.

2. go to http://pandemicflu.gov/planguide/familyhealthinfo.html for a brief form that you will fill out and keep in your wallet/purse. this actually should probably be on our persons at all times anyhow, but especially for you who travel a lot, or live far away from your parent's home.

prevention: wash your hands a lot; cover your mouth when you sneeze and stay away from people who don't; stay away from farms, zoos, and open-air markets; don't crawl on the ground, pick up bird droppings, or touch dead birds; stay home.

when you get this flu: you may have a sore throat, fever, and eye infection (conjunctivitis), and maybe a cough and muscle aches. then you will have lung problems, severe asthma problems, and pneumonia, possibly organ failure.

treatment: within two days you need to take Tamiflu or Relenza and those meds will be in short supply in the U.S.

so ... stock up and be vigilent. if you start to feel bad, be sure to call me and i will come take care of you!

i feel -- concerned