Flu doesn’t have to scare off trick-or-treaters

SPECIAL REPORT: Swine Flu

Fear of the swine flu is no reason to be scared off of Halloween.

Parents, children and neighbors can say "Boo!" to the flu this Saturday if they use some simple hygiene measures, public health experts said.

"People need to continue their activities and just be smart about it," said Virginia Commonwealth University's Dr. Robin Foster.

Because children are the prime victims of the H1N1 influenza and its main means of transmission, Foster offered some tips to help keep children safe from the potentially deadly strain of flu:

• Drop candy directly into children's treat bags rather than handing it to them.

• Both trick-or-treaters and the people they visit should use hand sanitizer after each encounter.

• Don't eat the candy while trick-or-treating. Packages can carry the virus for hours.

• Throw out any candy that has been removed from its original package.

• Make sure the children have a good dinner before they go trick-or-treating. That will reduce the temptation to gobble candy as they go from house to house.

• Avoid Halloween party games such as bobbing-for-apples that could spread the virus.

• Don't go out scary-making with a sick child.

"People need to make sure their kids are well if they take them out treat-or-treating," cautioned Foster, associate professor of emergency medicine and director of pediatric emergency services at VCU Medical Center. "One of the big messages is if you're sick, stay at home," agreed Dr. Michael Edmond, chairman of the VCU School of Medicine's division of infectious diseases.

Children also should be taught to cover their sneezes and coughs and to wash their hands frequently, said Dr. Kay Rankin, director of the Crater Health District.

"These hygiene measures are important," she said.

At private preschool Rainbow Station's locations, teachers and nurses are focused on sanitation and doing daily health checks of their young charges, said the president and CEO, Gail Johnson, who is a pediatric nurse.

"We have stepped up our scrutiny of children with potential symptoms," Johnson said.

Rainbow Station locations have on-site infirmaries -- the Get Well Place -- to provide emergency backup care to working parents when their children are ill, and special rooms to isolate children with respiratory illnesses.

Though the H1N1 flu vaccine has been slow in coming, more than 22 million doses are available now nationwide, and most Americans should soon find it easier to get their dose, U.S. health officials said yesterday.

"We're beginning to get to significant increases in the availability," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a briefing.

Richmond-area health departments have little if any vaccine but expect additional shipments this week.

Last week there were just 14 million doses on hand, despite initial predictions that as many as 120 million would be ready by mid-October. The government later slashed that estimate to 45 million. The slow supply trickle has frustrated Americans, who have stood in line for hours in some parts of the country. The shortage has probably increased demand, Frieden said.

"It's quite likely that that too little vaccine is one of the things that's making people more interested in getting vaccinated, frankly. When we have shortages, we see an increase in demand," he said.

Over time, the government expects to have as many as 225 million doses of the new vaccine if needed.

CDC officials estimate that the swine-flu virus, first identified in April, has killed at least 1,000 Americans and caused at least mild illness in many millions of others.

Contact Peter Bacqué at (804) 649-6813 or .

The Associated Press contributed to this report.