Swine flu is coming, it will spread, don’t lose sleep over it, doc says

If Douglas Finch isn’t overly concerned about the H1N1 virus, then you probably shouldn’t be either. He is an infectious disease specialist.

And he’s the father of an elementary-school-age child.

And he remains confident that the H1N1 virus, at this time, is not something that should be keeping parents awake at night, worrying.

“It seems to be a little more infectious than the regular seasonal flu,� he said.

For anyone with flu-like symptoms, “probably the best thing to do is follow the CDC recommendations and those of the department of health about how long to stay home from school or work.�

There are many flu clinics scheduled in the area right now, and he recommended getting a seasonal flu vaccine. The H1N1 vaccine is available now in limited quantities.

The regular flu shot, he noted does not offer any cross-protection against H1N1.

Parents who are concerned about a child’s health should think about keeping their youngster  home from school if he or she has a high fever (over 101 degrees, he said).

“And if there are a lot of upper respiratory symptoms, a lot of coughing and sneezing,� he added. “That’s when you should think about keeping your child at home.�

As an infectious disease specialist, he’s fairly calm about infections spreading among school children.

“It’s gonna happen,� he said.
“All the kids are together in a room, playing with the same toys and sharing everything. There’s more of an opportunity� for germs to spread.

The H1N1 virus is different from many other flu viruses in that it seems to be more dangerous to children than to older adults.

Finch is uniquely poised to study the impact of H1N1 in the coming months on different-aged populations. He has a young son but he spends much of his day with older area residents. He is an internal medicine consultant at Sharon Hospital, in particular the senior behavioral health unit. Infectious disease, he noted, is a specialty within internal medicine.

“And I’m on staff at all the local nursing homes,� he said. “I am the attending physician to people there for short- and long-term rehabilitation.�

Finch and his wife, Tracey Donner, and their son moved here in 2005. From 1999 to 2003, he was the infectious disease specialist at the Bronx Veterans Administration hospital. From 2003 to 2005 he was the medical director at Hoffman-La Roche, the pharmaceutical company.

As many have decided, Finch and Donner realized after their son was born that “the quality of life in New York City is not right for raising a family.�

Their friend Mark Marshall, also a physician at Sharon Hospital, invited them up for a visit, and they moved up not long after.

“We love it here,� Finch said.

In addition to the many hats he wears here, he also consults on travel medicine. Students at area boarding schools often travel abroad and need vaccinations before they go. Older area residents often take vacations in distant locales and need vaccinations or pills to protect them from, for example, malaria.

“The Internet information on what you need is very confusing, and it changes all the time,� he noted. “You need some medical knowledge to interpret it all.�

A travel consultation is $75. For more information or to make an appointment, call 860-364-4276.

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