Swine flu and kids with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays

Hope everyone's enjoying the long weekend! Max is back to school tomorrow. He shakes his head when I ask if he wants to go to school; the kid's had an entirely too-fun summer. He's gained a few pounds, and I'm sure it's from all the chocolate ice-cream; it looks way better on him than it does on me.

I'm a little worried about that damn flu and all the lovely germs that will surely be flying around school. As a kid with cp, Max is in the high-risk category; a report came out this week that kids with "neurodevelopmental conditions"—including epilepsy, cerebral palsy or developmental delays—are at higher risk for getting it. I'm feeling a little envious of homeschooled kids right now.

I've already gotten both kids the regular flu shot, and I've made sure Max will be at the top of the list when the swine flu shot arrives at the doctor's office, supposedly sometime mid-October. To quote a doctor from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, kids with underlying medical conditions "are at the front of the line for vaccination when it becomes available."

So, I'm concerned, but I'm not panicking; most kids get only mild cases. The CDC is saying complications from the H1N1 virus are similar to ones from the typical seasonal flu. The main difference is that the swine flu has a higher rate of affecting kids five and older.

A while ago, I did a post on how I'm not germphobic. On Saturday, I went to Costco and got The World's Biggest Bottle of Hand Sanitizer. I'm not going to bathe the kids in it or anything, but you can bet I'll be slathering it onto their little hands and mine pretty regularly.

Like we don't have enough to worry about!!!