Chicago reports nation's 12th death from swine flu

[Siegfried X]

First swine flu death in Chicago

Health officials say a Chicago-area resident is the first person in Illinois to die of swine flu.

Illinois Department of Public Health director, Dr. Damon Arnold, said today that the person who died had underlying medical conditions.

Arnold said the victim's family has requested privacy and no more information about the death would be released.

There have been 896 confirmed cases of swine flu in illinois. Most have been mild. The virus has been blamed for a number of deaths in the United States.

Arnold advises people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, lung disease and pregnancy to remain particularly cautious

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Swine flu death in Chicago

May 25, 2009 US/Central

Chicago-Area Patient Is State's 1st H1N1 Flu Death

A Chicago-area resident has died of complications related to the H1N1 flu virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Monday. The patient is the first Illinois H1N1 flu-related death.

The patient had underlying medical conditions, according to IDPH Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold.

"With as many cases of H1N1 influenza that have been reported in Illinois, we have been concerned that there would be fatalities. We know the virus is still circulating in the state and I would like to remind everyone, especially those with chronic medical conditions, to continue taking steps to keep from getting the flu," Dr. Arnold said in a statement.

These steps include following the three C's:

• Clean – properly wash your hands frequently
• Cover – cover your cough and sneeze
• Contain – contain your germs by staying home if you are sick

There have been 896 confirmed cases of swine flu in Illinois. Most have been mild. The virus has been blamed for a number of deaths in the United States.

Symptoms of H1N1 flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting as well, the release said.

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/chicago.swine.flu.2.1018780.html

[Siegfried X]

New strategy?

The governments said very little about this Chicago death, and about the recent, second New York death. This could be deliberate, part of their strategy to downplay the flu.

In some of the deaths before these, reporters ridiculed the governments for saying things like psoriasis were "underlying conditions" which killed the flu victims. Families of the victims also argued.

[Lizw]

Re: New strategy?

In some of the deaths before these, reporters ridiculed the governments for saying things like psoriasis were "underlying conditions" which killed the flu victims. Families of the victims also argued.

I don't see how gout could be considered an underlying condition, but severe psoriasis certainly would be. One of my children has been in and out of the hospital her whole life with this, and now suffers from psoriatic arthritis and heart problems. Anyone with an autoimmune disease is going to be more vulnerable both to flu and to secondary viral or bacterial infections.

[Shiloh]

Chicago reports nation's 12th death from swine flu

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...MM_EQD98DHA3G0

Chicago reports nation's 12th death from swine flu

By CARYN ROUSSEAU ? 1 hour ago

CHICAGO (AP) ? A Chicago-area resident has died of swine flu, the first death in Illinois and the 12th nationally, from the illness, health authorities said Monday.

Authorities in Mexico, where the swine flu outbreak was identified in April, announced three more deaths, raising its total to 83, and Canada reported its second death.

"With as many cases of H1N1 influenza that have been reported in Illinois, we have been concerned that there would be fatalities," said Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state lists 896 confirmed cases.

Before the latest reports, the World Health Organization tallied at least 91 deaths around the globe from more than 12,500 swine flu cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 10 deaths and 6,700 cases in the U.S., most of them mild. But New York health officials reported another death over the weekend.

Arnold said in a statement that the victim had other medical conditions, but authorities released no other information about the person.

Arnold said that although public attention to the outbreak has waned, people with high risk medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, lung disease and pregnancy should remain particularly cautious.

"We know the virus is still circulating in the state and I would like to remind everyone, especially those with chronic medical conditions, to continue taking steps to keep from getting the flu," Arnold said.

When the flu first was reported last month, the reaction was swift in Illinois and other places.

Students from colleges to kindergartens were told not to shake hands to avoid contracting the disease, and many schools were closed, sidelining hundreds of students.

But many of those precautions stopped after health officials said the flu didn't appear to be as virulent as first feared.

In Canada, officials said Monday that a Toronto man who had swine flu but also suffered a chronic medical condition died Saturday. Dr. David Williams, Ontario's acting chief medical officer of health, said in a statement the coroner was investigating to determine what role swine flu played in the fatality.

Mexico announced three more deaths tied to swine flu, and officials there unveiled a $90 million campaign aimed at luring back tourists. The government-funded push will feature ads with opera singer Placido Domingo, champion golfer Lorena Ochoa and other national heroes.

Tourism is Mexico's third-largest source of legal foreign income, but worries over swine flu have stemmed the flow of visitors and pushed hotel occupancy to a record low.

In the Mexican port of Veracruz, a sculptor is putting the finishing touches on a bronze statue of a 5-year-old boy who is the country's earliest confirmed case of swine flu. The boy, Edgar Hernandez, recovered after being treated with antibiotics, and state officials said the statue will be a symbol of hope.

A spokesman for Veracruz state, Jorge Brandy, said the statue would be erected in the central park of La Gloria, a pig-farming village in the mountains where scientists trying to learn where the epidemic began are taking blood samples from residents and pigs.
On the Net:

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu
* World Health Organization: http://www.who.int

[Siegfried X]

Re: Swine flu death in Chicago

Psoriasis and autoimmune disorders are not on the CDCs at-risk list for flu, so even though it is a condition, there's no reason to assume that it would make the flu worse. Immune suppressive disorders are on the list.

[prepdeb]

Re: Chicago reports nation's 12th death from swine flu

Chicago swine flu death confirmed: It's the first one in Illinois
Illinois ranks 2nd only to Texas in number of confirmed and probable swine flu casesBy Carlos Sadovi
Tribune reporter
May 26, 2009


A Chicago resident became the first person in Illinois to die of swine flu, a reminder of the virus' continued circulation throughout the state even as publicity -- and fears -- about it have waned.

The Illinois Department of Public Health would only confirm that the person was from Chicago and died over the weekend. Spokeswoman Melaney Arnold declined to say what day the person died, or give the victim's age and sex, citing confidentiality and the wishes of the family.

The victim had underlying medical conditions, but Arnold said she did not know what those conditions were.

Officials have been in contact with close family members of the person who died, and the Chicago Department of Public Health will follow up, Arnold said.

The announcement marked the nation's 12th confirmed death of the virus, including a New York casualty over the weekend.

With 896 confirmed and probable cases in Illinois, the state ranks second only to Texas in swine flu infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though most local cases have been mild, the sheer number increased the likelihood of a fatality, experts said. Illinois is now the seventh state to tally a virus-related death.

"With as many cases of H1N1 influenza that have been reported in Illinois, we have been concerned that there would be fatalities," Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the state health department, said in a statement.

Although media coverage of the outbreak has ebbed, Dr. Arnold said people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, lung disease and pregnancy should remain particularly cautious. He urged the public to practice common-sense measures to help prevent the flu's spread.

"We know the virus is still circulating in the state, and I would like to remind everyone, especially those with chronic medical conditions, to continue taking steps to keep from getting the flu," he said.

The flu, which has hit 46 countries, was met with hypervigilance when it surfaced last month. Educators closed nearly three dozen area schools after probable cases were reported, and youth sports events were canceled to prevent the virus from spreading.

Those precautions disappeared after officials suggested the virus didn't seem as dangerous as first feared. Officials said the Chicago death does not signal a new threat in the area or require additional steps.

Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair contributed to this report.

csadovi@tribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-flu-death-26-may26,0,2308910.story