Monday, February 25, 2008

Flu update: Day 8

I blame Arb.

The flu I have is likely to be the Influenza A (H3N2) virus called "A/Brisbane/10/2007-like." Hooray for our buddies down-under. I swear the rumors about Arb and I swapping spit are highly exaggerated. But there was this blond who called herself "Cookie" who may have been an intermediary. She claimed I was her one and only. but she did have a lot of flat change.

From the CDC:

This season in the United States, an influenza A (H3N2) virus called A/Brisbane/10/2007-like viruses has been detected. This virus strain first appeared in Australia in February, 2007 and predominated in Europe and the southern hemisphere during their last flu season. The A/Brisbane/10/2007-like strain is related to, but is a “drifted” variant from the A/Wisconsin-like strain included in the 2007-08 vaccine. Most of the H3N2 viruses circulating this season have been A/Brisbane.

Here's what I wish I had known.

Tamiflu seems to work against this one, but you need to get it in the first 48 hours of the illness. Jane, feel free to jump in here with additional expertise. You are most contagious one day before you get sick and five days afterward. 38,000 people will die. Well, I guess I'm glad I didn't know that last fact.

I'm still sick, still home from work. I seem to have settled into a second tier of this illness, or perhaps a second illness. I got MUCH better from the first week's symptoms, but I seem stuck in this "bad chest cold" phase. I can eat, get around, go out for a couple of hours, clean up, etc, but I'm still sick.

Still. Sick. Day 8. This is starting the threaten the tranquility of my job. I have an awesome boss, but things are backing up.

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