So of course they do a frantic U-Turn and go hurtling back to the zoo, penguin in tow, and have to march kid and penguin off the bus to go and return the penguin to the zookeepers.
I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but BWAH!
And now for an article that made me go DUH: Antipsyochotic drugs cause weight gain. I gained 10 lbs on Abilify and my sister gained
25 in six weeks
on Seroquel.
ION, holy shit Fay! A penguin!
Okay, given our ongoing H1N1 vaccine discussion, I just found out that Ft. Carson (where we live) is giving out near-secret vaccinations tomorrow afternoon. I am planning on taking the kids out of school/daycare to take them over.
Frisco had the flu two weeks ago and I'm certain it was H1N1, but he wasn't tested. I don't know if I should get him vaccinated or not. I hate to take someone else's vaccine, but I want him protected.
I think teachers should be immunized primarily for the students protection, not their own. An adult with a strong immune system could easily be a carrier for influenza without experiencing symptoms strong enough to keep them from coming to work.
That's actually what I meant. And parents send their kids to school sick all the time, and teachers push themselves to go to school when they shouldn't. It's just a bad idea for everyone involved.
Which is why I'm home again, because I woke up with a shiny new symptom: puking. Whee. Where's House when I need him?
ETA Fay, you story just slayed me! OMGWTFPENGUIN!
I think teachers should be immunized primarily for the students protection, not their own. An adult with a strong immune system could easily be a carrier for influenza without experiencing symptoms strong enough to keep them from coming to work.
I don't think it works that way.
How long is a person with flu virus contagious?
The period when an infected person is contagious depends on the age and health of the person. Studies show that most healthy adults may be able to infect others from 1 day prior to becoming sick and for 5-7 days after they first develop symptoms. Some young children and people with weakened immune systems may be contagious for longer than a week.
[link]
It doesn't look like there is much contagion
before
symptomizing. And then once you are, even if its mild, you know that sneezing and coughing expose other people to your germs whatever they may be.
Do sick people who
aren't
expectorating infect other people without non-intimate contact? I guess that's the question. It doesn't look like they do:
How does the flu spread?
The main way that influenza viruses are thought to spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. (This is called "droplet spread.") This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled (generally up to 3 feet) through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. The viruses also can spread when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object and then touches their own mouth or nose (or someone else’s mouth or nose) before washing their hands.
Where's House when I need him?
Uh-oh - do you think it might be sarcoidosis?
Penguin! That's just too much fun. Except not for the teachers. The kids must have had a riot, though.
I can't think of a USian equivalent
Hmm. I want to say Yonkers, but that's not right. Nope, can't think of anywhere. Particularly not anywhere with quite so classy an accent...
do you think it might be sarcoidosis?
It's not lupus.
But I do hope you feel better soon, Kristin!
Social worker was lovely. Not too on-the-ball. There are several breeds of social worker. You want one who knows stuff, but doesn't know too much. This woman knew nothing. All the same, she was sweet.
Ha! Illness spreads like wildfire through schools. We always know which varieties are currently circulating because 25% of our students or more end up having them over the course of a week.
I'm trying not to freak out about the fact that I can't get either vaccine from my doctors. I'm going to look into pharmacies and urgent cares.
Fay, that story is hysterical. I can't stop laughing.
Illness spreads like wildfire through schools.
This. What I do not miss about teaching: spending every day of every holiday in bed with a heavy cold. That's just how you want to spend your holidays.