It seems that my family has finally succumbed to the swine flu. With one child in school and the other in child care, it was only a matter of time. While my various members of my family have been sick at different times during the last two weeks, we only pieced it all together this week.

On Monday there was a notice on the child care centre door that one of the children had tested positive for swine flu. When my wife came home from the doctor on Tuesday and said the doc thought she had swine flu, we began to piece it together.

My youngest had become sick about two weeks ago. At first we just thought she was teething. A fever and runny nose. A little later she developed a cough. My older daughter got sick at school the Tuesday after. She came home that afternoon and lay down. Fortunately the following day was the Ekka (show day) public holiday, and the day after was a student free day at school. My oldest was lethargic on Wednesday. By Thursday she was perking back up, and by Friday she could have gone to school but we let her stay home (prep year attendance is non-compulsory).

My wife started to come down with it on the Thursday. She has had it bad and been quarantined in the bedroom until yesterday. Mind you, she managed to give it to me.

I had the bug on Monday and spent most of the day resting. On Tuesday I was back on deck, although still not 100%. If the sickness I had was indeed swine flu, then it is probably the mildest flu I have ever had. A slight fever, minor aches, and a cough. No big deal really, but still and inconvenience not to be feeling at the top of your game for several days.

The normal yearly flu kills a couple of thousand people every year. Swine flu seems to be doing the same. What is the big deal?