Swine Flu

Madison County closed its schools today due to two potential cases of swine flu found in Madison. I'm undecided how I feel about this decision. I guess at the heart of the matter, I feel relieved that I am at home with both kids away from any possible exposure. The catch is, if they discover more and more cases in our area, when will school ever start again?

At first glance, I thought the decision to close schools was unnecessary panic. But, I felt better when I learned that the County was adhering to a CDC requirement. That showed me it wasn't a knee-jerk reaction concerned solely with liability. I can see why isolation early will contain any potential outbreaks. Most importantly, it will protect Mya and Lucas.

I realize that my family is likely not in the high risk group and if we did contract swine flu, it would be the flu and it wouldn't kill us. However, we have all been sick and coughing for weeks so maybe we are more vulnerable than I realize.

Both Craig and I are a bit nervous about his trip to Alberta on Saturday. Going to work in Huntsville is one kind of exposure - flying in airplanes and visiting airports is another. It doesn't seem right to cancel his trip, but I guess it points to that fine line between panic and caution. He needs to be careful and smart, he doesn't need to panic and cancel his whole life. Same goes for our whole family. I want us to be smart, but not afraid. Keep you posted on how the Alabama cases develop.