Big Stone City Family (4Her's) Among Those Leaving State Fair

Lady Hawk reports that she and her three girls were among those who were diappointed in the Minnesota State Fair as a result of an outbreak of the H1N1 Flu outbreak. They were part of the group quarantined and are in the process of leaving the fairground site.

In a Minneapolis Tribune article said, Penny BayBridge, of the Ortonoville 4-H, had three daughters in the entertainment program. She said, “When we met the girls this morning they were in tears. They look forward to this all year long. But in a case like this, you have to do what you need to do.”

Lady Hawk told us in a telephone conference that the good news is that test results revealed Type A the strain that appears to have milder symptoms than other strains.

I am sure we will hear more from Lady Hawk.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/56924807.html?elr=KArksUUUU

We (The 4-h Arts-In and Ambassadors) of the 2009 MN state fair were officially informed at 6:30 AM Thursday morning that there were 4 confirmed h1n1 cases in the 14 that were sent home earlier in the week.

At the same time, we were informed that we would have to leave as quickly as possible, before the next 4-h encampment arrived at the 4-H Hilton.

At first, we thought maybe that we would have two final performances that day before leaving, but we didn't.

We had all worked so hard, and it was very sad, and deeply disappointing that our work had to be cut short hardly more than halfway through the fair by something that we had no control over.

So sadly, there is no more "Magic" at the MN state fair 4-H building for the rest of this year.

But we respect and understand the decision of the State Fair, the Health Board, as they were erring on the side of caution by sending us all home.

After we left, the dorms were sanitized and made ready for the new encampment.

So don't worry, it's perfectly safe to visit the great MN get together and the 4-H building. Just remember to use common sense. Like washing your hands, coughing into your sleeve not your hand, and staying home if your are sick.

I was not quarantined as I was not staying at the 4-H dorms. What has happened at the state fair will be a picture of what is to come. There is a strain of flu that children seem to be more affected by. Anytime you put a group of kids together you will have them spreading the germs. The 4-H was quick to respond to the situation when they saw that it was spreading.

You should know that colleges have been preparing for this since last spring and are setting up dorms where students can go to if they get sick in order to contain it so that it won't spread.

Use common sense in their daily activity. You cannot avoid exposure. Germs can be in any public place and it just makes sense to keep your hands clean and carry some hand sanitizer with you. I went to a Vikings game and noticed that everyone was holding the railing as they went up or down the stairs (as did I). I made a point of washing my hands in the bathroom as soon as I came down the stairs.

My children got mild cases and are on the mend. Once school starts parents need to pack sanitizer in the school backpacks for their kids and encourage them to not share food and to keep their hands clean. When it is cold we can all see the vapors that come out of our mouths when we talk. When the weather is warm we don't see it but they are still there. You don't want to have people with symptoms breathing on you. So keep a normal distance in your conversations. It isn't a point to be paranoid about it but take extra precaution and to be alert.

One of the "Arties" told me that she went downstairs to perform and when she got there she realized that if she went on stage she would have collapsed. She went back up stairs and went to bed. This really knocks these kids out. They need alot of rest. If you have any of the symptoms listed then do stay home and rest. We can all do our part to keep this thing from going to far.



CDC symptoms

There are many web sites, radio and TV information, etc. with common sense things people can do to that will curb the spread of various infections.

One thing I would like to see churches do is to eliminate shaking hands at the service. When the minister says to stand and 'greet' your neighbor -- give a wave to your neighbor, or simply say 'hello'. Skip the hand shake.


Do it for yourself as well as everyone else.


nascargirl