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[johnyarrington]

Has anyone had recent, first-hand experience with this virus? I thought our story would be useful to others, and I had a couple of questions.

Our 2-year old "presented" with a sudden, slightly high fever last week. My brother-in-law is an orthopaedic surgeon at Bac Mai hospital in Hanoi. He suggested we take her to the attending pediatrician there, so we did. After examining her, the attend. ped. said we should take her to the......"special unit". Unclear what this is, but when we got there (it's a spawling hospital, covering several blocks), ALL patients, visitors incoming and outgoing, even security personnel, were wearing protective masks. We were required to wear them also.

After examing the child, the attending Dr. there asked us many, many questions: How high has the fever been? How long has it been this way? Has she exhibited any other symptoms?: Aches and pains? Stuffy nose? Runny nose? Difficulty in breathing? Dihorrea? (sp??) Any lethargy? Sore throat? Coughing?

And many more: How long has the child been in Vietnam? What airline did she take, flight no., and where did she come from? ("America.") Which STATE in the U.S.? Did anyone on the flight complain of any of the above symtoms? Was anyone "detained" upon arrival, due to flu-like symtoms?

In typical Vietnamese (interrogative-like) fashion, these questions were asked several times. Finally, we were told, "Right, here's what's going to happen: The child will be tested for H1N1. During that time, the 4 of you (baby, mother, brother-in-law, and me) will stay until the results are in. It takes about 24 hours. IF the test is negative, you can all go home. If not, ALL of the brother-in-law's family, ALL of the staff at the hotel where you're staying, and anyone else with whom the child has had direct or indirect contact, will also be required to come to the hospital, and stay until all people test negative."

"Shocked" would be an understatement of my reaction. In the end, they took the blood they needed to, and we were allowed to go home. This was in part because of the STATE we came from (New York, not Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, or California--all bordering Mexico, and they DO know the difference), because the fever wasn't too high for too long, and in part because my brother-in-law is well-known and well-liked. The next day, the results (THANK GOD!!) were negative.

But it got me to thinking about 2 things......(and I'll have to finish this in another posting soon.......) My baby needs attention AT THIS MOMENT.......