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As friends and family gathered to mourn the death of a Cary High School senior from H1N1 flu, health officials said the tragedy serves a reminder that the strain can still be lethal even for healthy young people.
When the novel virus hit in 2009, college-age people seemed especially vulnerable. The age group is generally less inclined to get vaccinated or to seek treatment when sick.
"One of the reasons we see severe disease in young adults is it may be their body's reaction to the virus," said Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at UNC-Chapel Hill. "It's not the virus itself - it's having a vigorous response, and some of the damage may be from their own immune system."
In the case of Katie Taylor, an 18-year-old from Cary who aspired to attend Meredith College next fall on her way to becoming a veterinarian, the virus damaged her heart. Family and friends gathered Friday for a memorial service to celebrate her life.
Her father, Roy Taylor, said Katie seemed to suffer mild flu symptoms - a runny nose and coughing - for about two weeks, but then became dehydrated and developed achiness and pain.
She went to WakeMed last Wednesday and was admitted.
The next day, her condition worsened, and she was driven by ambulance to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.
Katie, who did not have any pre-existing conditions, died that night as doctors battled to stop oxygen deprivation caused by her failing heart.
Her father said her death from flu was so unexpected. Even a car accident, he said, which is tragic, is something you half expect a teenager might suffer, but not dying of flu.
"It was very fast," Roy Taylor said. "I want to make people aware that this is a very serious strain and they shouldn't take it lightly."
