Tweet
possible H1N1 death in Humboldt
Donna Tam/The Times-Standard
Posted: 08/25/2009 01:24:14 AM PDT
Humboldt County public health officials announced the county's first possible H1N1-related death on Monday, saying a middle-age woman who had tested positive for the virus recently died.
Officials said the 58-year-old woman, who died at Redwood Memorial Hospital on Friday afternoon, had tested positive for H1N1, but also had significant underlying health conditions. The exact cause of her death is still unknown.
Humboldt County Public Health Officer Ann Lindsay said the woman got sick at the end of July. After being admitted to the hospital she tested positive for H1N1 on Aug. 9. The test took four days to be completed.
Lindsay said no other information about the woman's case would be released out of respect for the privacy of the woman's family and friends.
?I don't think there's any ongoing risk because of her,? she said. ?We're not aware of anyone that's been exposed to her that's sick.?
Humboldt County Coroner David Parris said he has not examined the body since it was transported from the hospital to the mortuary, and could not comment on H1N1's possible contribution to her death. Parris said the woman was 58 years old.
Courtney Hunt-Munther, a spokeswoman for St. Joseph Health System Humboldt County, which includes Redwood Memorial Hospital, said the hospital couldn't comment on the specific case, but did say that the hospitals follow the H1N1 guidelines directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is the first death in Humboldt County believed to be related to H1N1, also known as swine flu. Since April, the county has had five H1N1-related hospitalizations. Statewide, 115 people have died since the outbreak began and 1,153 have been hospitalized.
The county's announcement comes on the heels of a report assessing the federal administration's preparations for this fall's expected resurgence of the H1N1 flu.
While the federal government's preparations are well-organized and scientifically grounded, they could be accelerated or improved, according to a report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
According to a press release from the White House Office of the Press Secretary, the report concluded that the current strain ?poses a serious health threat? to the nation.
?The issue is not that the virus is more deadly than other flu strains, but rather that it is likely to infect more people than usual because it is a new strain against which few people have immunity. This could mean that doctors' offices and hospitals may get filled to capacity,? the release said.
Lindsay said she anticipates that the amount of cases could increase in the fall -- the traditional flu season -- but it will depend on how vaccinations are handled. The federal government is providing the county with $110,000 for vaccinations. Lindsay said those funds should be here in about two weeks, with another $20,000 for surveying and lab expenses on its way. Residents will have to go through two rounds of vaccination. Those are expected to be administered in October.
She said Humboldt's best defense is to administer vaccinations to those who are most susceptible. These groups include school-aged children, pregnant women, infants and the parents and caregivers of children, individuals up to 24 years old, health care and emergency response employees and people aged 24 to 64 years old who have chronic diseases.
?It adds up to almost half the population in Humboldt County,? Lindsay said, adding that school children were at the top of the list. It is estimated that up to 30 percent of school-aged children could get sick unless vaccinated.
Kim Cobine, the assistant superintendent for student programs and services at the Humboldt County Office of Education, said the office is working with Public Health as well as school nurses to determine how to best proceed. She said each district has its own policy on addressing issues surrounding the flu.
?We are now in the process of trying to talk about what we think is best going to be done within the schools,? Cobine said.
Donna Tam/The Times-Standard
Posted: 08/25/2009 01:24:14 AM PDT
Humboldt County public health officials announced the county's first possible H1N1-related death on Monday, saying a middle-age woman who had tested positive for the virus recently died.
Officials said the 58-year-old woman, who died at Redwood Memorial Hospital on Friday afternoon, had tested positive for H1N1, but also had significant underlying health conditions. The exact cause of her death is still unknown.
Humboldt County Public Health Officer Ann Lindsay said the woman got sick at the end of July. After being admitted to the hospital she tested positive for H1N1 on Aug. 9. The test took four days to be completed.
Lindsay said no other information about the woman's case would be released out of respect for the privacy of the woman's family and friends.
?I don't think there's any ongoing risk because of her,? she said. ?We're not aware of anyone that's been exposed to her that's sick.?
Humboldt County Coroner David Parris said he has not examined the body since it was transported from the hospital to the mortuary, and could not comment on H1N1's possible contribution to her death. Parris said the woman was 58 years old.
Courtney Hunt-Munther, a spokeswoman for St. Joseph Health System Humboldt County, which includes Redwood Memorial Hospital, said the hospital couldn't comment on the specific case, but did say that the hospitals follow the H1N1 guidelines directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is the first death in Humboldt County believed to be related to H1N1, also known as swine flu. Since April, the county has had five H1N1-related hospitalizations. Statewide, 115 people have died since the outbreak began and 1,153 have been hospitalized.
The county's announcement comes on the heels of a report assessing the federal administration's preparations for this fall's expected resurgence of the H1N1 flu.
While the federal government's preparations are well-organized and scientifically grounded, they could be accelerated or improved, according to a report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
According to a press release from the White House Office of the Press Secretary, the report concluded that the current strain ?poses a serious health threat? to the nation.
?The issue is not that the virus is more deadly than other flu strains, but rather that it is likely to infect more people than usual because it is a new strain against which few people have immunity. This could mean that doctors' offices and hospitals may get filled to capacity,? the release said.
Lindsay said she anticipates that the amount of cases could increase in the fall -- the traditional flu season -- but it will depend on how vaccinations are handled. The federal government is providing the county with $110,000 for vaccinations. Lindsay said those funds should be here in about two weeks, with another $20,000 for surveying and lab expenses on its way. Residents will have to go through two rounds of vaccination. Those are expected to be administered in October.
She said Humboldt's best defense is to administer vaccinations to those who are most susceptible. These groups include school-aged children, pregnant women, infants and the parents and caregivers of children, individuals up to 24 years old, health care and emergency response employees and people aged 24 to 64 years old who have chronic diseases.
?It adds up to almost half the population in Humboldt County,? Lindsay said, adding that school children were at the top of the list. It is estimated that up to 30 percent of school-aged children could get sick unless vaccinated.
Kim Cobine, the assistant superintendent for student programs and services at the Humboldt County Office of Education, said the office is working with Public Health as well as school nurses to determine how to best proceed. She said each district has its own policy on addressing issues surrounding the flu.
?We are now in the process of trying to talk about what we think is best going to be done within the schools,? Cobine said.
