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.

Wait, the CDC bit you quoted *does* say that's how it works. Basically, an infected person is contagious for close to a week. If the infected person comes to work even though their symptoms only qualify as "weak," or could be mistaken for cold symptoms, then they can spread the virus.

What baffles me is that daycare workers are considered a high-priority group, but teachers are not. Kids don't suddenly stop wiping their nose on every available surface just because they've hit kindergarten!

H1N1, for the most part, has presented in two ways - either it puts you in the hospital, or it's mild enough that you might mistake it for a cold. And most teachers don't have the luxury of taking sick days for colds.

Yes, but when they do they wash their hands and cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze. I don't think H1N1 is proving to be super-congateous.

And I'm not sure where you're getting your data on the "presented two ways". Is that an impression or is there a study? Because my impression has been otherwise -- healthy people can be good and sick for weeks without going to the hospital.

My co-worker's daughter has H1N1 and I called my OB just to make sure I was okay going into the office since he was still coming into work. She told me that you can only get the virus if you come into direct contact with someone with symptoms. So it was fine for me to go to work. They said to worry if the co-worker has symptoms. FWIW.

Oh, God, Seska, the accent!

That is the only accent I can think of from pretty much ANYWHERE that I find absolutely resolutely unsexy. I mean...there's just nothing hot about a Dudley accent. At all. The hottest bloke or bird on the face of the earth could come stalking sexily out of the surf in a skimpy swimsuit, beads of water sliding down over their toned flesh...but if they opened their mouth and a Dudley accent came out - instant bathos.

Meanwhile, on the subject of cute kids, have you all seen this 3 year old girl explaining Star Wars? Proto-Buffista? God, she SLAYS me.

I don't think H1N1 is proving to be super-congateous.

Um. It's HUGELY contagious. That's why all the worry currently (not [just] in b.org, but everywhere) about the lack of vaccine.

And I'm not sure where you're getting your data on the "presented two ways". Is that an impression or is there a study?

It's not possible to conduct a study on the presentation of a novel virus type, which this version of H1N1 is. I *just* edited a big article about it over the weekend, so I *do* actually know what I'm talking about.

I can explain why it's not possible to conduct a study on a new virus, or you can trust me when I say that it's just not possible.

However, I tend to take the word of the thousands of healthcare workers who have described their patients with H1N1.

Wait, the CDC bit you quoted *does* say that's how it works. Basically, an infected person is contagious for close to a week. If the infected person comes to work despite having *strong* symptoms, then they can spread the virus.

BEFORE symptomizing? It looks to me like its a DAY before symptoms and then 5-7 after. And then only with symptoms. So the fear of typhoid teacher walking around thinking s/he's healthy and spreading the flu seems like an unlikely scenario.

So the fear of typhoid teacher walking around thinking s/he's healthy and spreading the flu seems like an unlikely scenario.

Not if the symptoms are mild, as they are in the majority of otherwise-healthy adults.

t edit Say you're a teacher. You don't have many sick days to begin with. You get what seems like bad allergies, or maybe a moderate cold. You take some drugs, suck it up, go to school. If it is, instead, H1N1, you're spreading the virus. It's pretty simple. You spread the virus regardless of whether your symptoms are deceptively mild or whether they're bad enough to land you in the ICU. That's how infectious diseases work.

Um. It's HUGELY contagious. That's why all the worry currently (not [just] in b.org, but everywhere) about the lack of vaccine.

I phrased that wrong. Super was a poor choice. I don't think its proving to be contgeous without droplet or fluid contact. I think some things are -- like typhoid mary not having symptoms and giving the world her cooties -- but H1N1 isn't one of them.

Like Gloom's OB said -- she's safe around someone who doesn't have symptoms even if she's exposed, there aren't silent carriers, are there?

Yes, but when they do they wash their hands and cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze. I don't think H1N1 is proving to be super-congateous.

I have innumerable times witnessed *adults* sneezing into their hands and not running off to wash them. Even otherwise intelligent friends of mine some to whom I've gently suggested that they might want to cough or sneeze into their elbow. Even people you know, Trudy. And in this case, I posit that the plural of anecdote is in fact data. But in case you want an actual study, here: [link]

Much poorer habits were revealed as fewer indicated they always washed their hands after petting a dog or cat (42%), after handling money (21%), and, most shockingly, after coughing or sneezing (32%).

And this is via self-reporting, in which my understanding is that people over-report responsible behavior.

Jesus. People are "bug-chasing" H1N1. [link] Scroll down to "What is CDC’s recommendation regarding "swine flu parties"?