Doctors provide parents with warning signs of severe swine flu

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MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's doctors are urging parents to watch for warnings signs that their child is having a bout of flu so severe it requires medical attention.

The Minnesota Medical Association says those symptoms include trouble breathing, bluish skin, not drinking enough water, not waking or interacting, a fever with a rash and being so irritable that the child does not want to be held.

The assocation also says to watch for flu-like symptoms that improve then return with a fever and worse cough.

The association recommends that children get vaccinated for the swine flu, what scientists call the 2009 H1N1 strain. That vaccine isn't widely available yet, but is expected to be in coming weeks.

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