Kinnelon deals with the spread of H1N1 swine flu.

In Kinnelon NJ where I live the H1N1 flu has been spreading for a few weeks now and shows no sign of wearing out. I have kids in 3 schools here and so far it seemed that one school was affected the most. Now it seems that the community as whole is experiencing it rather than isolated to a single school.

I just saw this article at CNN "WHO to declare Swine Flu a PANDEMIC" and as a parent I am quite concerned. The official policy in Morris county where I live is that there is no more testing going to on to confirm any new cases. So even though the virus keeps spreading there are no new numbers added to the count. The reality is that I am surrounded by families who have kids who are experiencing flu like fever and symptoms and it is spreading fast and furious, even though the official reported numbers do not reflect that.

I am conflicted by the word Pandemic and lack of serious attention towards preventing its spread. Perhaps if it is declared a Pandemic more effort will be put towards preventing its spread. Also the big fear in my mind is its potential for a return in a mutated form in Sept. Is it helpful in that case for Kinnelon / Smoke Rise to have dealt with this supposed milder form of the flu virus so that our bodies may be better prepared to deal with its more powerful relative in the future? Nature has a strange way of working itself out that we don’t always understand. In the meanwhile there are about 2 more weeks of school and I still have to get the kids dressed and out the door to deal with what ever comes their way. Too bad there is no cocoon I can wrap them in and keep them from all they have to deal with.

At the rate it is spreading and the distances it has reached since it began in Mexico so many months ago, there does not seem to be an end in sight in the near future. I hope that we have made enough progress in the medical field so as to be able to prevent catastrophic damage that previous pandemics have caused. We just have to keep doing the basics, washing your hands, taking your vitamins etc and hope that the authorities working on this huge task can work out a way of keeping us all safe and healthy.

Flower car lady - Have a happy and colorful day