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For Mt. Diablo school board trustee Sherry Whitmarsh, the message to be vigilant about the spread of swine flu couldn't be more clear.
Whitmarsh's 11-year-old daughter, Ariana, was diagnosed with the dangerous H1N1 flu strain Sunday, after attending a weeklong summer camp, then playing in a weekend soccer tournament in San Luis Obispo.
And Whitmarsh herself also may have contracted the virus.
"I had a cough," Ariana said Wednesday, as she leaned against her mother. "My ears hurt. My stomach hurt. My nose and head were congested and my throat was sore."...
When the family returned home Sunday afternoon, the girl's fever measured 103.5, according to their home thermometer. Alarmed, Whitmarsh rushed Ariana to a doctor and learned that the fever was actually 105.3.
"When I found out her fever was so high, that's when I freaked," Whitmarsh recalled. "Ariana looked at me and said, 'Is that high?'"...
Six people in Contra Costa County, including a 9-year-old Concord girl, have died after contracting the virus. But Ariana made a quick recovery after taking Tamiflu.
Still, Whitmarsh was annoyed to learn that her insurance company would not cover the $90 cost of the flu medication for patients under 13...
She has notified the pastor of her church about Ariana's illness, because about 30 kids from the congregation attended the five-day Christian Camp in King's Canyon. No other children from the camp or from Ariana's soccer team have reported being sick, Whitmarsh said.
When Whitmarsh told Oak Grove Middle School officials that Ariana had been sick with H1N1, she was surprised they were unsure whether it was safe for the girl to start classes Aug. 31. Health officials had said people should stay home for one week, but now say it is OK to leave home 24 hours after a fever goes away without the use of medication...