What's Up With Kids and Pneumonia?

When we're told not to panic or worry via a press release we start to believe there may well be something to worry about. Such is the case with the recent press release barrage indicating: It's okay to keep the kids at home with pneumonia. Update: we are also being told to stay home with MRSA.

• Home treatment for childhood pneumonia as good as hospital stay-Daily Times, Pakistan
  
• Scientists: children with pneumonia can be treated at home-Xinhua, China
• Severe Pneumonia Can Be Effectively Treated at Home-Voice of America
• Home care for pneumatic children as effective as hospital-Hindu, India

It sounds like we're trying to avoid hospital guest over-booking as was recently seen in Wichita, KS. According to a recent MSNBC article: "A respiratory virus outbreak has Wichita hospitals at capacity. It's a dangerous virus that is causing the worst outbreak Wesley Medical Center has seen in three years...Wesley [Hospital] is shuffling adult patients to other rooms to make space for all of the sick children. If more come in Wesley may have to send children miles away for treatment." Well, this has just a little tinge of scary too it; doesn't it? While the bird flu pandemic awaits in the wings, it sounds like a pandemic may have already appeared on center stage and, as usual, on the back page of your local newspaper.

We're putting the warning out here at The Apocalypse Times that this may just turn into a huge problem for families and our hospital system. You may walk in to the emergency room with a very sick child and be told, "Sorry, you'll have to take them home...we have no room! Here is a copy of a news release that assures you everything will be just great at home." This media blitz of stories is a warning and don't take it lightly. The research comes from a study in Pakistan where:

"The group examined 2,037 children between 3 to 59 months in seven areas in Pakistan. About half of them were given antibiotics and sent home while the other ones got intravenous antibiotics in the hospital. Both groups were found to show equal progress in healing off [sic] the illness."

What virus is causing the problems? According to Wichita doctors it's RSV or Human respiratory syncytial virus which typically is a respiratory virus affecting the lower respiratory tract and is not uncommon. It appears this year, however, it is particularly dangerous. For more information on RSV visit the CDC. In the meantime do your best to keep yourselves and your kids healthy for you may be playing doctor...at home! Better yet, call your doctor and see what advice he may have for you.