Swine flu diaries: Week 1

Swine flu will kill 65,000 people. That is the stark assumption made by leading health experts. As the pandemic reels in more victims, people in Shropshire and Mid Wales are changing the way they live to make sure they emerge unscathed. We asked three typical families to write about their experiences of swine flu. Here are their Swine Flu Diaries.

Jools Payne

Mum Jools Payne, 50, runs Jools Payne Partnership communications consultancy in Oswestry and lives with her partner Ian, 51, and three children Max, 16, 13-year-old Holly and Naomi, 18.

Jools writes. . .

Whilst I am definitely a "glass half full" kind of person, not particularly given to hypochondriac tendencies, I have to confess I am just beginning to get a teeny bit alarmed by this swine flu pandemic.

My nervousness stems from the fact I have succumbed to rheumatoid arthritis again after being in remission for years.

I've been on a course of steroids for nearly a year now whilst wrestling with another complication that meant I've been unable, up until six weeks ago, to take the big grown-up rheumatoid drugs.

Steroids suppress the immune system and this puts me in the "at risk" category.

I cannot help but twitch when I hear that phrase "underlying health problems" when reading of another death. Gulp!

In contrast my three teenagers seem unfazed by it all – despite my protestations to them that they wash their hands more.

Not helped either by an e-mail from the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce today calling for case histories of swine flu crisis strategies.

John Kertland

John Kertland, 47, a college lecturer and boss of record label Caroline True Records, lives in Castlefields, Shrewsbury, with his wife Daphne, 48, son Seb, 21, and stepson Titus, 19.

John writes . . .

Swine Flu has not really impacted on our lives just yet, but I suppose that as the summer draws on it may be wise to be vigilant. My father-in-law is a leading authority on avian flu, and I must ask him what he thinks of this strain that is apparently thriving.

My wife has had a group of Chinese student teachers cancel their trip to her university. This is a blow, as the institution the students are from send a group annually.

She's just told me a group from Japan has also cancelled today. Certainly, this indicates a distinct economic impact on our region.

At my college there is a very thorough and watertight contingency plan that has been in place for a few weeks now. I don't really know as to what stage it may be taken, and I'm naturally dismissive of worst case scenario media forecasts.

It was interesting to read . . . the breakdown of current cases of swine flu into age and location categories. I know the West Midlands has an above average spread of confirmed cases and that younger and older people are more liable to contract the virus.

I've checked which medicines are available on the internet and suspect there will be some people who will profit from this. Simple precautions such as washing hands may go a long way in stifling the virus.

Steve Tyrer

Public sector worker Steve Tyrer, 34, lives in Lawley, Telford, with his wife Collette, 39, and their children, Dayna, six, and twins Jorga and Kiera, three.

Steve writes . . .

When we watched the news back in April I caught a report about Mexico and a strain of influenza H1N1 also called swine flu. People in Mexico were contracting the virus and some people were dying from it.

We went on holiday to Bulgaria for two weeks and while we were there we heard the news that the first case was diagnosed in the UK – Scotland.

Over the next few days we heard of it spreading down the UK and the first case in the Midlands was announced, closely followed by the first UK death.

I think it was only when we received a letter from Dayna's school saying a case of suspected swine flu had been reported that it hit home – plus Dayna came home upset saying her friend was not in school as she had swine flu.

We spoke to other parents and I found it was a friend's child that was suspected of having it. I contacted the mother that night and asked if she was ok and what the symptoms were so we could look out for the same symptoms if one of our children were going to get it. I also asked if she required anything from the shops as she was not able to go out.

That night I purchased lots of children's medicines and researched it on the internet just in case our girls caught it – were we over-reacting? Only time will tell.