Truth About H1N1

By Parents
Nov. 23, 2009

The following up-to-date information on the H1N1 flu virus and vaccine are essential must-knows for any parent. Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News Senior Health and Medical Editor, pediatrician, and previous director for the Centers for Disease Control, answers basic questions on how this flu strain can affect you and your family.

Dr. Richard Besser knows a thing or two about the flu pandemic. This pediatrician was the acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this year when H1N1 first emerged.

Here, he answers your flu questions and explains why you and your children need to get the H1N1 vaccination.

 

Q. How is H1N1 different from other strains of influenza? Is it worse?

A. This illness looks like any other flu. The flu itself isn’t any worse. What makes this flu different is that this particular strain hasn’t been seen before, so there is no natural immunity.

Older people appear to have some protection probably from exposure to similar strains before 1957, but young people are pretty much unprotected. With H1N1, we’re concerned for children.

 

Q. It’s often reported that children are at greater risk, but what does that mean? Are they at greater risk for getting H1N1 compared to seasonal influenza, or does it mean there is a greater risk for death?

A. The answer to both questions is yes. With H1N1, there is a greater risk of becoming ill, and there is also a greater risk for death for children. Each year 36,000 people die from seasonal influenza and another 20,000 are hospitalized.

About 90 percent of those affected in a typical year are our elderly. This year we’ve already seen more than 80 H1N1-related deaths in children.

That’s more childhood deaths than we see in a typical flu season, and it’s only mid-October. There are some estimates that say we could see between 30,000 and 90,000 H1N1-related deaths.

I believe those estimates are high, but the take-away is correct. We need to have a healthy respect for this flu.

 

Q. If I get H1N1, when am I contagious? How long should I stay away from people?

A. You are most contagious when you have a fever. The current recommendations are that you stay home until the fever is gone for 24 hours.

 

Q. If my child is diagnosed with H1N1, what should I be concerned about?

A. Every parent needs to know this: If the patient seems to be recovering and then gets a high fever, you need to go to the doctor as soon as possible. It could be a sign that a bacterial infection has started.

Watch for other danger signs as well. These include difficulty breathing or a blue or gray color change around the mouth. Parents know their children. If they look really sick, contact your doctor.

 

Q. Could I get H1N1 twice in one season?

A. If you truly had H1N1, meaning you tested positive for it with a good test, then no. You should not get it twice. If you were diagnosed with influenza but were not tested or if you didn’t see a doctor and think you had H1N1, then theres the possibility that you didn’t actually contract H1N1.

Anyone who falls in those categories should still get the H1N1 vaccination to protect themselves.

 

Q. Are infants susceptible?

A. Infants are susceptible. However, the vaccine is not for infants younger than 6 months old. I recommend having everyone who is in contact with infants under 6 months old get the H1N1 vaccination.

This includes parents, day-care providers, and any others who spend time with babies.

 

Q. What can parents do to protect their children from H1N1, especially those children who might have underlying medical conditions?

A. People who are sick end up with germs on their hands from touching their noses. When you touch infected hands or contaminated objects you can pick up those germs.

Then when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, germs can set up shop. Wash your hands often with soap or a hand sanitizer if you don’t have access to soap and water.

The temperature of the water isn’t as important as the amount of time you are washing with soap. The other thing you need to do is cover your cough or cough into the crook of your elbow.

Finally, stay home if you are sick. If you are in the high-risk category, talk to your physician about a treatment plan.

Your doctor might write you a prescription for Tamiflu that you can have on hand. (You would only fill it if needed.)

Second, you could fill the prescription and have an antiviral in the house, depending on the patient’s specific issues. There is a recommendation from the CDC to do this.

This response is more for a parent that has H1N1 and/or is high risk, not for how to protect your children.

 

Q. Who is considered high risk?

A. People 24 years of age and younger, pregnant women, healthcare workers, and people who suffer from underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, are all high risk.

 

Q. If I have been diagnosed with H1N1 and am high risk, what kinds of symptoms should I be concerned about?

A. Difficulty breathing, bluish coloring to the skin, dehydration. Also, take it very seriously if you seem to be getting better and then get worse. See your healthcare provider immediately.

 

Q. Tamiflu is the most talked about antiviral treatment. Is it safe?

A. The safety profile of this drug is very good. Relenza is also effective. The benefits of using antivirals when you are sick with the flu outweigh the risk of it for people who are at risk of severe illness.

I wouldn’t expect a miracle from Tamiflu, though. It shortens the illness by less than a day in adults and about 36 hours in children. As with all medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible drug side effects.

 

Q. Are there any preventive treatments?

A. Not medical treatments, but we recommend taking care of yourself and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. That means getting good rest and eating a well-balanced diet.

 

Q. Many parents say they are using probiotics and other supplements to boost the health of their children.

The hope is that these supplements will strengthen the immune system and make them more able to fight off illnesses such as H1N1. Where do you stand on that?

A. I haven’t seen good data on any of these products preventing the flu. But if a parent feels that this is good for their child and there are no risks, then it comes down to the parent’s comfort level. Discuss these approaches openly with your doctor.

 

Source: Parents

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Alexander: The Food Allergy Blues

By Alexander
Nov. 24, 2009 

 

 

Dear Alexander,

(Q) Sometimes I feel sad because I have a food allergy, so I pretend to be happy. What can I do to feel better?

 

(A) Lots of kids feel sad sometimes about having a food allergy, but it’s important to remember that having a food allergy is part of what makes you unique. So keep your chin up.

Don’t forget, there are over 12 million people in the United States who have food allergies, and 2 million of those are kids just like you.

Talk to your parents when you are feeling sad and let them know how you feel. Talking to them can help out a lot. Try keeping a journal of your feelings as this can help, too.

Positive thinking is the key.

Good luck!

Your friend,

Alexander the Elephant

 

 

Source: Food Allergy

 

Editor’s Note: The information above is not designed to take the place of a doctor’s instructions. Patients are urged to contact a doctor for specific information regarding guidelines for care.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Safety Tip: Protecting your Baby

By Safe Kids/PIO
Nov. 20, 2009

Fragile, helpless and innocent, your infant enters the world completely dependent on you.  From the moment you leave the hospital, you take steps to keep her safe.  You buckle her tenderly into a rear-facing child safety seat for the ride home. 

You check the bath temperature carefully before placing her in the water.  At night, you tuck her in to a new crib, with a label that assures you it meets national safety standards.  But could you be doing more? 

Although your home should be a safe haven for your baby, it can be dangerous.  Babies face a list of potential injuries – including choking, drowning, falls, poisons and burns – that can overwhelm any parent.  Yet each of these risks can be reduced or eliminated by taking simple, time-tested steps.  

The greatest gift you can give your baby is a safe environment.  Explore the links below to learn more.

To learn more about airway obstruction injury, falls and childhood unintentional poisoning read A Report to the Nation: Trends in Unintentional Childhood Injury Mortality, 1987-2000 (May 2003).

To purchase educational materials about specific risk areas, check out our Resource Catalog (off-site link). 

Source: Safe Kids

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

EIE: Safety Tips to Protect Our Children

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Nov. 21, 2009

Our goal at the Chronicle is to help parents raise their children, by giving them tools. We look for websites that can accomplish that goal. By no means are we trying to tell parents how to raise their children but to give them tools to help make it easier.

Being a parent is not an easy thing, there will be mistakes. Our goal is to help parents relieve some of the pressure that comes with being a parent. After all, we are not born as parents it comes with working at it.

This week, we found a site it is called Enough is Enough. We are joining as partners with them, to bring you tips, articles that can make your life easier.

We hope you will enjoy and be educated by the information that we provide you. We hope that you will also visit their site on a regular basis. They do need your support and input to make the site better.

After all, isn’t the goal is to protect our children from harm?

 

Enough Is Enough (EIE), a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it was created in 1994 as the national leader on the front lines to make the Internet safer for children and families.

Since their birth EIE has been a leading pioneered in trying to protect children from online pornography, child pornography, child stalking and sexual predation with innovative initiatives and effective communications.

Their goal is to make the Internet safer for our Children. They are also dedicted to help the public be aware of  Internet pornography and sexual predators, and advance solutions that promote equality, fairness and respect for human dignity with shared responsibility between the public, technology, and the law.

Each week we will provide to you safety tips to protect our children. This week: Safety Tips For Kids. This was published by Donna Rice
Hughes at protectkids.com.

 

I won’t give out my name, age, address, school, phone number, picture about myself or anyone else without my parent’s permission. This includes chat rooms, instant messages, email, surfing the net and even entering contests or registering for clubs online.

 

I won’t send my picture to anyone online without my parent’s permission.

 

I won’t meet with someone in person that I met on the Internet unless my parent has agreed and will go with me. I realize that people aren’t always who they say they are and that an adult can pretend to be a kid online.

 

If I receive or see something online that seems bad or weird, I won’t respond and will log off and tell my parents right away.

 

I will not open or accept e-mails, enclosures, links, URL’s or other things online from people I don’t know.

 

I won’t give out my password to anyone except my parents not even my friends.

 

I will follow my family’s rules for online safety at home, at school, at the library or at a friend or relative’s house.

 

Source: Enough is Enough   Protects Kids

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

We hope that you will visit their site, it is a worthwile site to protect your kids.

Nothing More Important Than God

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Nov. 21, 2009

Do you know what “Joylogy” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@youngchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist then would be one who studies joy logy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joylogy, and joyologis with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think, this is from an unknown reader. It is called: Nothing More Important Than God

 

 

By Unknown

I sat next to the bed of old man, a friend for over twenty years, and held his hand. Hal was dying. We both knew these next few days would be his last.

We spent time reminiscing about his long and fruitful career as a church pastor. We talked about old friends. We chatted about his family. And I listened as he offered sage wisdom and advice to a member of a “younger generation.”

At a lull in the conversation, Hal seemed to carefully consider what he was about to say next. Then he squeezed my hand, gazed intently into my eyes and whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, “Nothing is more important than relationships.”

I knew that this was somehow near the pinnacle of his life’s learnings. As he considered all of his experiences — personal, professional, spiritual and family, this one ultimate observation surfaced above the rest: “Nothing is more important than relationships.”

“Don’t get overly caught up in your career,” he seemed to be saying to me. “Likewise, don’t use people in order to achieve your goals, then throw them away. No project, no program, no task should be pursued at the expense of friends and family. Remember,” I heard him saying, as clearly as if he were speaking the words, “that in the end, only your relationships will truly matter. Tend them well.”

Writer Og Mandino puts it this way: “Beginning today,” he said, “treat everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”

At the end of a long life, my friend Hal would have agreed.

Source: Joyology

Tragic Discovery

Students Rights

By Apple 4 the Teacher
November 20, 2009 

If people are to exercise their rights and fulfill their responsibilities as citizens, they must understand those rights and responsibilities. Social studies teachers have a special role to play in shaping the lives of young United States citizens. Those educators can help determine whether students will know their civic rights and responsibilities and become politically involved adults.

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE AND CITIZENS’ RIGHTS

Students will be interested to learn that the Bill of Rights, which many consider to be a model civil liberties document, was the result of a compromise. It was offered to allay fears about the strong central government established under the basic Constitution. Some state ratifying conventions would not have approved the Constitution had they not been promised the Bill of Rights as well.

 

CRIMINAL LAW AND JUVENILE JUSTICE

Critics of the criminal justice system often ask why the state should have to supply defense attorneys for criminal suspects. To a person who has not made a serious study of the Constitution, it might seem odd that the government sometimes assists people who may have broken the government’s own laws.

The 1963 case of Gideon v. Wainwright stands for the proposition that a person cannot be denied equal access to justice simply because he lacks the resources to pay for his defense.

The questions of whether poverty justifies free legal representation and whether a poor person gets the same quality legal help as a rich person does provide excellent grounds for class discussion.

Anyone who has watched a television police drama in the last few decades is familiar with the litany known as the “Miranda warning.” Most people probably do not know who Miranda was or realize the full significance of the individual instructions.

What does the Fifth Amendment’s ban on compelling a person to be a witness against himself have to do with the Miranda case? An informed citizen should know.

Was the Miranda decision a necessary defense of individual rights? Or has it unfairly restricted police officers in their apprehension of criminals? Students should be challenged to debate this constitutional issue.

In some countries, citizens must carry identity cards and show them to public authorities on demand. In most circumstances in the United States, people going about their business do not have to stop and explain themselves to every passing police officer.

People need to be aware, however, that there are exceptions to this general rule. Administrative checks of automobiles and roadblocks to seek out drunk drivers on public highways have been upheld by the courts. Even on the sidewalk, police can stop people who are acting suspiciously, and frisk them when the situation warrants.

Where should the United States draw the line between the “let me see your papers” mentality of authoritarian regimes and the legitimate interest of governments in protecting the public from dangerous individuals? This critical question should be used to focus classroom discussions.

The Eighth Amendment bars the imposition of cruel and unusual punishment and prohibits excessive bails and fines. When is a punishment “cruel and unusual”?

When is a fine “excessive”? Much has been written about the relationship between the Eighth Amendment and capital punishment. Given a hypothetical situation about a death penalty case, a classroom may produce as many different opinions about the case as there are students in the class.

The law treats children accused of breaking the law somewhat differently from adult suspects. Prosecutors generally must follow a different set of procedures when putting juveniles on trial.

However, when facing the possibility of commitment to an institution, a juvenile offender must still be advised of the charges and of the right to counsel, the privilege against self-incrimination, and the right to confront prosecuting witnesses.

As in the case of an adult charged with a crime, the guilt of a juvenile accused of committing an act of delinquency must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Role-playing activities provide excellent means for learning about the United States justice system. Students will enjoy the drama of taking the part of a judge, lawyer, witness, or litigant.

Criminal cases and situations pitting a person’s individual rights against the authority of the government are particularly excellent situations for capturing and holding the attention of students.

 

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AT SCHOOL

The rules regarding search and seizure also apply differently to schoolchildren. School officials are free to search a student if there is evidence that the student committed a crime or violated a school rule, and if the search is reasonable at the outset and reasonably limited in scope.

One of the most significant United States Supreme Court decisions in history dealt with the issue of race in public education. Prior to the 1950s, African Americans were still barred from attending many public schools solely on racial grounds.

Long-standing court decisions held that “separate but equal” educational facilities for blacks were acceptable. In 1954, in the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the United States Supreme Court finally held that the “separate but equal” policy was inherently unequal.

In a follow-up ruling the next year, the justices ordered that schools were to be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.” Notwithstanding the ruling, school desegregation suits continue to crop up from time to time.

The cases and situations discussed comprise just a small part of the United States’ rich legal history. Knowledge of that history is of the utmost importance to those who are about to become adult participants in American society.

 

Article References and Resources

Source: Apples4theTeachers

 

Editor’s Note:  We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

National Zoo – Red Panda

By FNZ
November 19, 2009

Order: Carnivora
Family: Ailuridae
Genus and Species: Ailurus fulgens

 

Description:

Red pandas, which resemble raccoons, are about 42 inches long, including a long, bushy tail. They weigh between seven and 14 pounds. Their red-and-white markings blend in with the red mosses and white lichens that grow on the trees in which they live. Their soft, dense fur covers their entire body—even the soles of their feet. Red pandas use their long, bushy tails to balance when they’re in trees. They also cover themselves with their tails in winter.

 

Distribution and Habitat:

Red pandas live in the cool temperate bamboo forests in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in China, in the Himalayas, and in Myanmar. They share part of their range with giant pandas.

 

Diet:

Red pandas primarily eat bamboo leaves as well as berries, blossoms, bird eggs, and various plants’ small leaves. Their broad teeth and strong jaws allow them to chew bamboo’s tough leaves and stalks. They also have a small, bony projection on their wrists that helps them grip bamboo stalks. Giant pandas also have this thumb-like adaptation.

 

Reproduction:

After a gestation of about 134 days, litters of one to four young are born. Young stay in the nest for about 90 days, remain close to their mother until the next mating season begins, and reach adult size at about 12 months. Adult red pandas lead solitary lives.

 

Conservation:

Red pandas are endangered because of habitat loss. There are fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas.

Source: National Zoo

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Grade 3 Science

By Natalie Smith
November 19, 2009

There’s a lot to learn, from animal classification to weather patterns to the size of the atom

 

 

In third-grade science, grandchildren spend time designing and conducting experiments in their classrooms.

These investigations include multiple steps and go beyond the simple observations they carried out in earlier grades. In life science, third-graders learn about plants and animals and the structures that allow them to grow and survive.

They also learn about different groups of animals – such as mammals, reptiles, and amphibians – and where they are found. In earth science, children explore the properties of rocks, minerals, and soils, and learn the characteristics of different types of landforms –  mountains, valleys, and plains – and the geologic forces, including earthquakes, that affect them.

They also discover what causes Earth’s seasons. In physical science, students continue to learn about matter, and new terms, such as atom, are introduced. As they experiment, students practice measuring mass and volume using balance scales and graduated beakers.

They also study thermal energy, light, and force. In lessons throughout the year, students read and interpret simple graphs and tables.

 

Careers. Third-grade science textbooks introduce students to a variety of careers in science, including entomologists (who study insects); animal behaviorists; astronomers; and paleontologists (who study fossils and ancient life). As they learn, help science-minded grandchildren expand their imagination about the careers they might pursue and what they might do in those jobs.

 

• Peggy Christian and Barbara Hirsch Lember’s If You Find a Rock (Voyager, 2008) uses poetic text to celebrate rocks of many varieties. Your grandchildren’s understanding of these materials can help build a foundation for geology units to come.
• Third-grade science textbooks help students examine the life cycles of different animals. A book like Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman’s Insect Life Cycles (Crabtree, 2005) can illustrate these concepts for your grandchildren in an engaging way and help them build upon what they’ve already learned.

• Understanding the role oceans play in the water cycle is an important part of the third-grade science curriculum. For an animated look at the water cycle and how it works, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency online.

• Scientists often develop new technologies to solve problems or serve people’s needs. Charise Mericle Harper’s Imaginative Inventions (Little, Brown, 2001) will help grandchildren reflect on how a variety of inventions filled a want or need that people had.

 

Home Is Where the Hearts Are. Your grandchildren will probably study the human body in third grade, including the human heart. They might conduct experiments measuring their own heart rates at rest and after exercise. At home, have your grandchildren compare the heart rates of children (their own) with that of an adult (yours).

Before they start, ask them to make a hypothesis, or educated guess, about which heart rate should be faster. Then help them compare their results to their theory. (Typically, the smaller the organism, the faster the heart rate).
 
Which Way Does the Wind Blow?

Third-graders are likely to learn about weather sometime during the school year. One area they might study is wind, and its strength and direction. 

When you go for a walk with your grandchildren, point out compass settings to help the kids learn their directions, then ask them to try to identify which direction the wind is coming from.

 

Editor’s Note: Natalie Smith is an assistant editor at Scholastic News Edition 4 and a freelance writer based in New York City.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Source: Grandparants

 

Loving Both Grandchildren

By Adair Lara
November 20, 2009

We all know the feeling when our first grandchild comes along. In fact, every new grandmother you talk to appears to be on the same drug: “Why didn’t anybody tell me it would feel like this?” A friend of mine thought the most miraculous moment of her life was when she awoke after laser surgery on her eyes and could see the acacia trees outside her bedroom window. “How wrong I was!” she told me. “Six months later, I became a grandmother and learned what the word miracle really meant.”

I got my first sight of my first grandchild, Ryan, now 6, in the labor room at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, and thought, hmm. She was just a wet-haired little scrap of a thing. Any baby born that night up and down the hall of the maternity ward would have done as well.

That changed when I walked into my daughter Morgan’s kitchen a few days later, she handed Ryan to me, and I wiped a little drool from the baby’s mouth. The hot rush of feeling for her grew in me until I was once again, as I was with my own firstborn, not safe in a world where this child could come to harm.

Ryan, in her red glasses, sternly making everybody wear their own shoes (“Those are Mommy’s shoes, Bobbie!”), is so entirely herself that it is hard to believe that she was once not here, that only six years ago there was not a strict little personage climbing onto the back seat of my Mazda and scolding me for letting her eat lemon yogurt in the car, even as she demanded a spoon. I liked her so much I opened a stock account for her called “Miss Poopypants.”

 

Room for Two?

But what about the second grandchild? You are already a grandmother. It’s become old hat. And there is the first grandchild, still stealing your heart even as you reach for the warm wrapped bundle that is the newcomer. When Morgan had her second girl, Maggie, they quickly became a set, Ryan-and-Maggie. I rarely had Maggie alone — Ryan was always there to distract me. I loved Maggie but she was a minor player on my stage. The first-born still held the spotlight.

The same was true of my own children. Patrick was born 18 months after Morgan, and I took far fewer baby pictures of him. I was an experienced mom by then, and more casual. I didn’t feel as if I had to stay within earshot when he fussed before going to sleep. His sister still held my attention. She still does, in a way — especially now that she’s the one who so promptly, wonderfully, gave us grandkids.

And so I held baby Maggie with one hand, while I laughed at Ryan squirting peas out of her mouth at my husband, Bill. But here’s the thing: There comes a moment — perhaps you have experienced it — when the second-born says or does something, and again you fall, tumbling, irrevocably, in love. The heart catches up.

There’s one way I know to accelerate this process: Get the second grandchild alone, without the other one. I now take Maggie, just Maggie, on Fridays, while her sister is in school. She soaks it up, often making pointed, smug references to how Ryan isn’t there. And I form a separate love-struck relationship with someone who is not Maggie-and-Ryan, but Maggie.

Source: Grand Parents

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

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