First death due to H1N1 in Rhode Island

[Gert van der Hoek]

First death due to H1N1 in Rhode Island

Victim is a Kent County teenager

Updated: Wednesday, 17 Jun 2009, 5:17 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 17 Jun 2009, 5:17 PM EDT

Melissa Sardelli
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The Rhode Island Health Department has announced the first death in Rhode Island linked to the H1N1 virus.

Health officials say the victim is a teenage girl from Kent County that had underlying medical conditions.

More than 86 cases have been reported in the Ocean State.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/local_wpri_h1n1_first_death_in_ri_kent_county_teen_20090617_mds

[appleblossom]

Re: First death due to H1N1 in Rhode Island

More info, looks like she may have been a special-needs student

Health officials say the victim is a teenage girl from Kent County that had underlying medical conditions. According to the Department of Health, the victim died earlier this week and was not attending school when she was symptomatic.
Health officials received the test results from this case Wednesday. DOH is not releasing the name of the victim or where she went to school, although Meeting Street issued the following statement:
"Meeting Street learned late in the day today after school was dismissed that a second Meeting Street student has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus . The student, a child with special needs, passed away Sunday. Both children diagnosed with the H1V1 virus were out of school since June 6th."

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_n...n_20090617_mds

[Chuck]

Re: First death due to H1N1 in Rhode Island

http://www.projo.com/health/content/ri_swine_flu_death_06-18-09_2EEOSPH_v11.3cd5ec5.html

Swine flu virus claims R.I. girl

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, June 18, 2009

By Richard C. Dujardin

Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE ? A teenage girl at the Meeting Street School has become the first person in Rhode Island to die from the swine flu, state health officials confirmed yesterday.

Annemarie Beardsworth, spokeswoman for the Department of Health, declined to release the identity of the student but confirmed that the teen, a resident of Kent County, was attending Meeting Street, which caters to students with special needs. She said that as far as can be determined there has been no active outbreak of the virus at the school.

The teenager died Sunday at Hasbro Children?s Hospital, but it was only on Wednesday that the Health Department received test results confirming that the girl had tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Beardsworth said it usually takes 24 to 48 hours to get a test result after a swab has been taken.

She said the girl did not show any of the symptoms associated with the swine flu while she was in class.

As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, 94 cases of swine flu were reported in the state, according to Beardsworth, including 23 people who have been hospitalized. Beardsworth said those infected ?cover the entire age spectrum.?

As was the case of the student who died, most of the Rhode Islanders who have been hospitalized have had underlying medical conditions that put them in higher risk, Beardsworth said.

As a matter of policy, the Health Department has advised school departments that they do not have to shut down a school when a student develops swine flu symptoms. The department has asked school nurses to be on the alert and to monitor absenteeism on a daily basis for signs of a possible outbreak.

Beardsworth said that as far as she knew the Meeting Street student did not have a travel history that would have taken her out of the country, but now that the swine flu virus has spread across the country health officials no longer deem that question relevant.

Previously all samples were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to be tested; the Health Department now conducts the tests locally.

?While this is sad news for us, following the trends in other states, we weren?t surprised by this,? Beardsworth said.

She said Rhode Islanders are urged to help prevent the spread of the virus by washing their hands frequently with soap and warm water, or with an alcohol-based hand gel, and coughing or sneezing into their elbow.

She said anyone who has a flu-like illness, such as a fever with a cough or sore throat, should stay home for seven days after the symptoms begin or until the symptoms have stopped for 24 hours, whichever is longer.

School closes early

?The Greystone School in North Providence received special permission Wednesday from the Rhode Island education commissioner to end its school year Thursday. The school year will end after 176 days ? four days short of the mandated 180-day minimum ? due to an emergency closure of the school earlier this month. Officials ordered the closure to prevent spread of the H1N1 virus.

rdujardi@projo.com

[Diane Morin]

Re: First death due to H1N1 in Rhode Island

<TABLE id=tblArticleHeader cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Hospitalized girl is first in R.I. to die of swine flu </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><!--Authors--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=basicSmall vAlign=top></TD><TD class=basicSmall vAlign=top> Published on 6/18/2009 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Providence - A teenage girl who had been hospitalized is the first swine flu death in the state.

The girl, from Kent County, had other medical conditions that increased her risk for serious illness from the virus, said the state Department of Health. Her name, age and hometown were not released.

Agency spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth said Wednesday that the girl attended the private Meeting Street School in Providence but had not been symptomatic while at school. She said health officials have been in daily contact with the school and there hadn't been an active outbreak, which is considered to be three or more confirmed cases.

The girl was hospitalized at Hasbro Children's Hospital, said Beardsworth, who couldn't immediately answer how long she was in the hospital or when she died.

Director of Health David Gifford said most swine flu cases in Rhode Island are mild but people with underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes or pregnancy are at increased risk for more serious complications.

There have been at least 94 confirmed cases of swine flu in the state and 23 hospitalizations due to the illness.
"Regional"