Oct 22, 2009 4:46 pm US/Central
Family Copes With Daughter's H1N1 Illness
The Raimondes Have Useful Tips To Offer If Your Child Is Infected
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Maria Raimonde, 6, is recovering from the H1N1 virus and will return to school next week. Her family members have taken steps to stay flu-free.
CBS
What's it like to live with H1N1?
An Elmwood Park family knows all too well. Their 6-year-old daughter likely has the virus. Now her mother is fighting to keep the rest of the family healthy.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports on the lesson you can learn from the Raimonde Family.
Perhaps the biggest lesson is that when someone in your family is sick with the H1N1 flu they should be isolated from the rest of the family.
And everyone should wear a mask when they're in close contact with the sick person, to prevent the spread of the virus.
Lying in her bed, Maria Raimonde described her early symptoms.
"Well, I had a headache, and when I took the blankets off, I got cold," the first-grader said. "When I put back on the blankets, I got sweaty."
Her achy head was accompanied by a fever of 103 last weekend. By Monday morning, Maria had been diagnosed with a probable case of H1N1.
"I was very, very upset," Maria's mom, Gina Raimonde, said.
But her fears were calmed when the pediatrician explained that Maria didn't have a severe case of the flu. Her lungs were clear and she didn't have any underlying medical conditions. However, because of the possible diagnosis, Gina advises any house guests to wear a mask.
The Raimondes have also taken extra precautions to try and keep the rest of the family from getting sick. Maria sleeps in the family room, instead of the bedroom she shares with her 7-year-old sister.
"I wash my hands if I touched her," the sister, Arianna Raimonde, said. She would wear a mask if she played with Maria.
The family has also increased their use of hand sanitizers. They're constantly cleaning, and Maria drinks her medicine and anything else out of a paper cup that's immediately disposed of.
Maria plans to return to school next Monday. The biggest lessons she's learned this week?
"Wash my hands," she said.
Her mom is stressing another lesson that is a little tougher to practice.
"All the little children, they have to really keep their fingers out of their mouths, away from the eyes -- those are all entrance ways for the flu," she said.
Maria is able to return to school on Monday because by then she will have been without a fever for three consecutive days.
She will also have finished taking her medicine and will no longer be contagious.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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