Parents weigh caution, flu fears/ To fight germs, moms and dads limit

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Dec 15, 2003 by CARY LEIDER VOGRIN

Tonya Bjurstrom has never been what she calls a "germaphobe."

The mother of two young children has debated how far she should go to keep her family healthy during this flu season while trying to keep things normal.

That is a question on the minds of moms and dads all over Colorado during what's been a deadly flu season.

"As parents, you're always struggling to find that balance between being an alarmist and appropriate caution," she said.

Unlike some parents, Bjurstrom hasn't taken her kids out of day care, which they attend a few days a week while she works part time.

"We wash our hands even more so than we did before," Bjurstrom said. "I have the disinfectant wipes and lotion. When we're done, their hands and face get wiped down."

Although the family was vaccinated long before the flu made news, Bjurstrom said she has cut back on "kid on kid" interactions and opted out of some play dates.

Still, she took her 3 1/2-year-old son and 1 1/2- year-old daughter to a popular play area last week.

"A friend and I did take our kids to McDonald's, and it was just empty, and it was right smack in middle of lunchtime. It's those moments that make you stop and think of how scared people are right now."

Parents have taken their children out of school to have them vaccinated, sometimes waiting hours in line for the flu shot.

The Colorado Department of Public Health has confirmed that 11 children have died of the flu, and 7,600 cases have been confirmed in Colorado - a number that equals that of the past three flu seasons.

It's not uncommon now to see parents wiping down restaurant booths and grocery cart handles. Antibacterial gels and wipes have never been so popular.

At the Chapel Hills play area last week, Michelle Mitchell, a nanny for two young children, reminded the kids' mother they needed to make a trip to the other end of the mall.

"We have to stop at Kmart and get sanitation wipes," Mitchell said.

Health officials say parents don't need to change daily routines, but they encourage frequent hand-washing and the common-sense practice of avoiding sick people.

Patrick Wright, an emergency room nurse at Penrose Hospital, sees the flu first-hand. "It's unbelievable. I've never seen it like this in 13 years," he said.

He and his wife have five children, the youngest age 2. The couple has tried to keep the kids out of public places as much as possible.

The holiday season poses special challenges.

"It's difficult to keep them under wraps like that because there are so many activities going on this time of the year," Wright said. "They want to go to the light show at the zoo, and they want to go do breakfast with Santa and things like that. And it's difficult to tell them 'no' on those things."

David and Candy Mills - who have six kids - have taken precautions a bit further.

They pulled Joshua, 4, and Isaiah, 3, out of preschool until after the holidays.

The decision was made before 17-monthold Noah came down with the flu.

The family had been passing germs back and forth for weeks, Candy Mills said. There was a stomach bug, ear infections, upper respiratory virus, colds and now the flu: "just the gamut of what's out there."

She said her sons' preschool is wonderful, but these days there are just too many germs being passed among children.

"They would get better from whatever they had, I would send them back for like one or two days, and they would catch something else. Their immune systems are just too run down. I'm just going to make them all the way better," she said.

Schools across the Pikes Peak region report they have stepped up efforts to keep things clean.

At Lewis-Palmer District 38, custodians at all school campuses are on high alert for germs. There's extra cleaning of the bathrooms, disinfecting of door knobs and desks and spraying of rooms with disinfectant, said Ted Belteau, executive director of administrative and community services for D-38.

"I think every teacher has a can of spray Lysol in the room," Belteau said. "Every classroom I walk into seems to have one sitting there."

Belteau said he hasn't received calls from parents concerned about sending their children to school. "We have not had people on a fear factor," he said.

Day-care centers report similar efforts.

"We've had some parents that have volunteered to help with sanitation and so on, and we've taken them up on their offer," said Caroline Plumber, director of Children's University, which offers care to infants through age 12.

"We're just stepping up sanitation, making sure that the children and teachers are washing hands when they come in. Just a lot of washing hands."

Holly Price, a mother of three, said she, too, is focusing on cleanliness.

"We bought more sanitizer," she said while sitting in the play area at Chapel Hills Mall last week. "I think I got real scared in the beginning and now realize just to take some precautions."

As her 6-year-old daughter, Stephanie, climbed on the play structure, Price said she did have fleeting thoughts about being in a play area with other kids.