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  • Indiana Reports 2nd Death

    Source: http://www.indystar.com/article/2009...+from+H1N1+flu

    Indiana reports second death from H1N1 flu

    Posted: July 17, 2009

    Indiana now has two deaths related to the H1N1 flu, state health officials announced today.

    A Lake County resident died from complications related to the disease, also known as swine flu, State Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe said in a news release. The previous death was reported last week in Dearborn County, near Cincinnati.

    Monroe said the health department will release no information about the second victim, citing confidentiality concerns.

    ?It is a sad reminder influenza has the potential to cause serious disease or even death,? Monroe said in the release.

    State health officials are working with the Lake County Health Department to investigate the case, the release said. Officials have already communicated with close contacts or healthcare providers who may have been exposed to the disease, according to the release.

    There have been 283 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Indiana since the end of April. Marion and Lake counties have seen the bulk of the cases, with 107 and 111, respectively. Nationwide, there have been at least 37,246 cases and 211 deaths.

    Forty Indiana residents who have contracted the illness have been hospitalized.

    The only other Hoosier fatality was Matt McIntosh, 19, who died July 5. His sister, 26-year-old Katrina McIntosh, Dillsboro, also has the disease and was in critical condition at University Hospital in Cincinnati
    "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

  • #2
    Re: Indiana Reports 2nd Death

    posted on another pandemic flu forum


    Officials are mum on swine flu death
    * Victim identified as '38-year-old female' with 'respiratory problems.'


    July 29, 2009
    By Brian Hedger, Post-Tribune correspondent


    State and local health officials remain tight-lipped about the death of a Lake County resident who was recently confirmed to have had the Novel A H1N1 "swine flu" virus.

    Despite the county leading the state in per capita infection rate and overall confirmed cases, no further information will be released about the person's age, gender or other medical conditions, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

    Lake County Health Department health officer Susan Best, contacted on Monday, said the resident was a "38-year old female" who went to the hospital with "respiratory problems" and died in the spring.

    Best also said she doesn't know if the H1N1 virus was the root cause of death, or if the person had other medical conditions that could have contributed.
    A spokesperson from ISDH declined to confirm or deny any of that information and said the anonymity policy stands for all who contract the illness.

    The reason is twofold, state health commissioner Judy Monroe said. The state first aims to protect confidentiality, she said, and also hopes to avert a "false sense of security" about the virus.

    "If we say 'This person died of (H1N1), and this is what else they had,' then the 24-year old who's perfectly healthy says, 'I don't have anything to worry about,' and they go out and get it, and end up in the intensive care unit," Monroe said.

    This policy is different than in other states where deaths associated with Novel A H1N1 influenza have occurred. The state of Washington, for example, released general information in May about an H1N1-related death there -- including the person's age, gender and pre-existing medical conditions that were believed to have made the man more susceptible to H1N1 infection.

    "There probably is some variability from state to state as to what the policy is on releasing information," Monroe said. "If a family wants to go forward, that's their prerogative. This way, we're not releasing any private information. We can't be in a position where we've released anything where somebody's confidentiality is compromised."

    James Howell, ISDH director of epidemiology, said the testing process could have lasted several months and that it's realistic that the person died several months before the confirmation was announced by ISDH on July 17. On Tuesday, ISDH said that a third person in the state died with H1N1 complications. A 26-year-old southeastern Indiana woman hospitalized with swine flu has died three weeks after her younger brother died of the disease.

    Mindy McIntosh of Dillsboro, Ind., died Monday at University Hospital in Cincinnati.

    Family friend Mike Dittmer says McIntosh had been improving before a blood clot in her lungs and a rapid change in blood pressure led to brain swelling.

    Her 19-year-old brother Matthew McIntosh died July 5 from the virus at University Hospital. The siblings lived with their mother about 30 miles west of Cincinnati and were hospitalized after falling ill in late June.

    The Indiana State Department of Health says those deaths and that of a Lake County resident have been the only ones in the state linked to the swine flu outbreak.

    The H1N1 virus has been classified as a pandemic outbreak across the globe by the World Health Organization. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site's H1N1 flu tracker, as of July 18 the virus had killed 302 in the U.S. since it was first detected in April. That number does not include the two most recent deaths in Indiana.

    Officials still point out that the virus, in its current circulating form, is relatively mild in severity when compared to the seasonal flu virus -- which kills an average of 36,000 in the U.S. every year according to CDC data. Monroe said a big difference is that seasonal flu is typically much more dangerous for the elderly, whereas H1N1 tends to be more of a risk for younger people.

    Health officials are also concerned that this H1N1 strain could take on a more potent form during the Fall and winter flu seasons.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.


    http://www.post-trib.com/news/168941...ne0729.article

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Indiana Reports 2nd Death

      Died in the spring. If we interpret the worlds "several months" as meaning "more than 2" that would mean this woman died in April. When exactly is anyone's guess, but this could have been the first U.S. death.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Indiana Reports 2nd Death

        Originally posted by appleblossom View Post
        Died in the spring. If we interpret the worlds "several months" as meaning "more than 2" that would mean this woman died in April. When exactly is anyone's guess, but this could have been the first U.S. death.
        Our first confirmed case was posted by CDC on April 29; so it's probably safe to assume there were other cases prior. Here in Elkhart, there was a lot of sickness going around at the beginning of April. I've often wondered if those weren't some of the first cases for our area.

        Lake County is the home of Gary, Hammond, Whiting... I haven't been through there for a number of years; but the air is so polluted I could never understand how people can live there. It's no surprise to see the high numbers of flu cases there.
        The salvage of human life ought to be placed above barter and exchange ~ Louis Harris, 1918

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