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4th Death Reported in Tennessee

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  • 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

    Source: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20.../90902005/1009

    September 2, 2009

    Swine flu claims life of Davidson County child

    A 5-year-old Davidson County boy died Monday from H1N1 influenza, the virus commonly known as "swine flu," the Metro Health Department said this morning.

    The boy became ill Friday and died Monday at a hospital. The health department said in a news release that it was "investigating whether any underlying medical conditions may have contributed to the death."

    ?Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this child,? said Dr. Bill Paul, Metro health director. "Even though most people who get H1N1 flu have a mild illness and quick recovery, this death is a sobering reminder that it can be a serious illness. We all need to pay attention and do what we can to help reduce the spread of the virus."


    - MICHAEL CASS
    "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: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

    Nashville Child Dies From H1N1 Virus

    5-Year-Old Boy Dies Monday Night

    POSTED: 9:31 am CDT September 2, 2009

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. --

    The Metro Public Health Department confirmed on Wednesday that a 5-year-old Nashville boy has died as a result of H1N1 influenza.

    The child became ill on Friday evening and died Monday night at a local hospital, according to a press release from Metro Health.

    Officials are looking into whether other medical conditions may have contributed to the death.

    "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this child," said Director of Health of Nashville/Davidson County Bill Paul, in a press release. "Even though most people who get H1N1 flu have a mild illness and quick recovery, this death is a sobering reminder that it can be a serious illness. We all need to pay attention and do what we can to help reduce the spread of the virus."

    Parents are urged to use the same judgment about seeking medical care that they would during a typical flu season - do not seek medical care if your child is not sick or if symptoms are mild, said the Metro Health Department.

    If your child has a fever and respiratory symptoms, including cough, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, please contact the child?s doctor for guidance before going to a clinic or emergency room.

    Health officials said parents should seek emergency assistance if your child experiences any of the following:


    Fast breathing or trouble breathing
    Bluish skin color
    Not drinking enough fluids
    Not waking up or not interacting
    Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
    Flu-like symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough
    Fever with a rash

    Health Department officials remind all adults and children to take the following precautions:


    Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
    Cover coughs and sneezes with the crook of your elbow or a tissue.
    Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.
    If water and soap are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
    Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
    Get the seasonal flu shot, which is now becoming available locally.
    Children and adults who are sick should stay home if they have symptoms of fever (over 100 degrees F) and cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea. Ill persons should not return to school or work until 24 hours after they are free of fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

    Watch Channel 4 News at Noon for more details.


    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

      Nashville boy?s swine flu death puts parents on alert

      Christina E. Sanchez, THE TENNESSEAN

      Posted September 3, 2009 at 7:09 a.m.



      NASHVILLE ? The death of a 5-year-old Nashville boy who had the H1N1 virus has put parents on alert to look for the slightest signs that their child might be sick.

      Max Gomez, who was a student at Henry Maxwell Elementary School in Antioch, became ill Friday and was admitted to Monroe Carell Jr. Children?s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Monday. He died the same day. The state testing lab confirmed Wednesday that the boy had the H1N1 virus.

      An initial autopsy did not indicate other health problems, though results will not be final for another 60 days.

      ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
      Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

      ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

        So sad. And this quote:
        Originally posted by Dutchy View Post
        [B][SIZE="3"]
        Max Gomez, who was a student at Henry Maxwell Elementary School in Antioch, became ill Friday and was admitted to Monroe Carell Jr. Children?s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Monday. He died the same day.

        http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/se...parents-alert/
        Is eerily similar to the quote about the young child that died in Alabama on Monday:

        Originally posted by Pathfinder View Post
        The Alabama Department of Public Health today confirmed that a Scottsboro child died of the new H1N1 influenza.

        The Huntsville Times today reported that Alex Garcia, 11, became severely ill over the weekend and died Monday at Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro.
        http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/09/...d_novel_h.html

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

          This sounds just like the following case in California where a healthy 20-yr-old began experiencing symptoms on Friday/Saturday and died the following Monday.

          http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=113015 See Post #22

          #7 San Diego County, San Marcos, 20 year old woman, Adela Chevalier, reported 6/16/09 *healthy, not a student and had not recently traveled, slight fever 6/13, respiratory symptoms 6/14, went to ER 6/15, died within 24 hours from respiratory complications without leaving ER, confirmed with H1N1 6/16
          "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

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

            Mom shocked after child's died from H1N1

            VIDEO LINK

            "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
            -Nelson Mandela

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

              From that video:
              "He has two younger sisters that have been ill recently with flu like symptoms, but doctors have told them they do not have the H1N1 virus."
              Now, I doubt these two sisters are in grave danger - statistically speaking (although there was that one case of siblings that both died). Still, these type of comments make me wonder. Why do the doctors think that? What kind of tests were performed? How long ago did the girls have symptoms? Is it possible that they had a Rapid Flu Test that was negative (which doesn't exclude H1N1 as a possibility)?

              The reason it bothers me is that it leaves the impression on people watching that "flu like" symptoms - even in a family with a confirmed H1N1 death - might still just be a "cold" - while I guess there is a possibility that is true, I think it is highly unlikely.

              I know three families that are sick - 2 families have, primarily, "cold" symptoms - and subsequently they feel no reason to isolate themselves (aargghh).

              I'm not saying those girls do have H1N1 - obviously I am not qualified to say, but I've noticed comments like this a lot lately - which might be best just left out altogether. Like, on the news last night, a school official was quoted as saying there was 'flu' at the school but it was just 'seasonal'!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee

                Nashville boy's swine flu death puts parents on alert
                Officials advise calling before going to doctor

                By Christina E. Sanchez ? THE TENNESSEAN ? September 3, 2009

                The death of a 5-year-old Nashville boy who had the H1N1 virus has put parents on alert to look for the slightest signs that their child might be sick.

                Max Gomez, who was a student at Henry Maxwell Elementary School in Antioch, became ill Friday and was admitted to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt on Monday. He died the same day. The state testing lab confirmed Wednesday that the boy had the H1N1 virus.

                An initial autopsy did not indicate other health problems, though results will not be final for another 60 days.

                Parents' concerns about how quickly he died after getting sick are raising questions about when people should go to the doctor. It wasn't clear whether Max went to a doctor before going to Vanderbilt.

                "It's really scary," said Nina Owelle, a Maxwell parent who heard Tuesday that Max died. "(My daughter's) teacher said she wasn't acting herself, and that's a sign she's usually sick. I kept wondering if she had it and what to do."

                Health officials' answer: Don't run to the doctor's office or the emergency room just because your child has flu symptoms. Call first.

                "There is a lot of flu going around right now, and we don't want everyone to rush out to the doctor," said Dr. Bill Paul, director of the Metro Nashville Health Department. "The recommendation is not to do anything different than you would for the ordinary flu."

                Vanderbilt's emergency room has been busier than usual, and most of the increase is attributable to people who have flu-like symptoms.

                "We have seen about a 50 percent increase over what we normally see this time of year," said Dr. Paul Hain, associate chief of staff at the hospital. "The vast majority of the people with the flu can be handled by the regular family doctor, and people will have a lot easier time getting in to see their doctor."

                People with chronic health problems should call a doctor if they believe they have the flu. Conditions such as asthma or diabetes "might reduce the body's ability to fight infection," Paul said. "We're still investigating whether that was a factor in this case. Often you do find something."
                The medical examiner's office performed an autopsy on Max on Tuesday, said Dr. Bridget Eutenier.



                "We are not aware of any underlying conditions prior to his death," she said. "Until we have all the results, we can't speculate what we will find."

                This appears to be the state's third death related to swine flu. The first was at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in July. Last week, a child was confirmed to have died of the swine flu at a Chattanooga hospital.

                The state testing lab does not require reporting of cases or that samples of suspected cases be sent for confirmation.

                Metro Nashville Public Schools have been sending letters home to parents about what to look for. The tips were reiterated to Maxwell parents when letters were sent home Wednesday about the boy's death, said Olivia Brown, district spokeswoman.

                "If your child is well, your child needs to come to school; if your child is sick, your child should stay home," Brown said.

                Maxwell parent Owelle said she would like to see the school sanitized every day before students arrive.

                "They've said a lot of kids have been out sick, but they didn't say if they had swine flu," she said.


                "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
                -Nelson Mandela

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee



                  Family Holds Funeral for Kindergarten H1-N1 Victim
                  Posted: Sep 05, 2009 8:16 PM CDT

                  NASHVILLE, Tenn.- It was a somber goodbye Saturday as family and friends laid a Kindergartner to rest today, who died of H1-N1.

                  Services were held for Max Gomez at Scales Funeral Home. The Maxwell Elementary student became ill last Friday and died Monday at Children's Hospital. On Wednesday the state lab confirmed Max had H1-N1. An autopsy was done to see if the kindergartner had any underlying conditions, but so far none have been found.

                  As more and more cases of H1-N1 are reported, stories like Max's, the Nashville kindergarten student who died this week, are sparking renewed fears.

                  The World Health Organization reports n the past week, nearly 650 people have died from the virus, and hundreds of new cases are being reported.

                  At a school in Memphis, nearly 200 kids, 20 percent of the school's population, were out sick with flu-like symptoms Friday. Parents all over the state say they're concerned with just how quickly the illness can spread.

                  A vaccine for H1-N1 is expected to be available next month.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 4th Death Reported in Tennessee



                    September 12, 2009

                    How did swine flu kill a healthy boy?
                    Kindergartner’s death leaves parents, doctors with questions

                    By Chas Sisk
                    THE TENNESSEAN

                    The most remarkable thing about the death of Max Gomez was that it could happen at all.Going into the last weekend in August, the Antioch 5-year-old was an energetic, independent kindergartner excited to be starting elementary school. Less than four days later, he was dead. “Max had gotten sick in the past. He’d had strep and ear infections, but he always came through,” his mother, Ruth Gomez, recalled in an interview with The Tennessean last week.“But this time, everything happened so fast.”

                    The death of Max Gomez, an otherwise healthy boy who became the state’s third fatality from swine flu nearly two weeks ago, could hold clues as to why a usually mild disease can sometimes turn deadly. Ruth Gomez described Max’s flu as progressing extraordinarily quickly — from a fever on Saturday to an apparent recovery on Sunday to hospitalization and death on Monday.

                    More than 1 million Americans are believed to have contracted H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, but only about 9,000 people, less than 1 percent of the cases, have gotten sick enough to require hospitalization. Fewer than 600 have died, according to figures published earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, Max Gomez’s case may be part of an even rarer group, in which the disease claimed the life of a child whose medical history gave no hints that he was vulnerable to swine flu.

                    State and local health officials say they are still conducting tests to determine how Max, an inquisitive boy who loved fishing and outings with his church group, could have died from the disease.Until those tests are complete, they say they cannot determine whether any undiagnosed conditions or infections played a role in his death. There is little evidence that the boy did not get medical treatment quickly enough, or that doctors did not do all they could to save him. Instead, it appears that Max succumbed to an unusual combination of circumstances that resulted in tragedy.

                    “Life is so fragile,” Ruth Gomez said. “You can never know. You never know what could happen tomorrow.” ‘A good kid’ The first few weeks of August were exciting times for Max, who was born in Nashville and had lived with his family off Bell Road for three years.He had started class at Henry Maxwell Elementary School, and unlike many children his age, Max embraced the chance to be independent.

                    While some kindergartners let go of their parents’ hands in tears, Max begged his mother to let him ride the school bus, and when his mother insisted on driving him instead, he begged her again to let him walk from the school’s front door to the classroom on his own. In the classroom, Ruth said, Max was already a leader, offering to translate his classmates’ Spanish for his teacher. “He really was a good kid,” Ruth said, sitting in the family’s immaculate living room, with peace lilies and memorials to Max clustered all around. “He was very happy, and he was very helpful. He had a good heart.”

                    When he fell ill on the weekend of Aug. 28, Ruth and her husband, Marco, saw little to fear. Max woke up with a fever that Saturday — a fever that peaked at just over 102 degrees, his mother recalled — but he otherwise seemed energetic. His parents suspected it was a routine childhood illness, an ear infection or a sore throat, one that would get better with a dose of Tylenol and rest.

                    Instead of attending their Seventh-day Adventist Church in Smyrna, the family decided to stay home from church that day, just to be safe. By Sunday, Max’s fever had subsided. To be cautious, the family decided not to let Max join a zoo trip with his church group, the Eager Beavers, but Ruth recalled he was playful that day and showed ample signs of recovery.

                    Monday, however, began worrisomely. Max’s fever returned, and he had chills. Ruth and Marco, an independent contractor, couldn’t afford health insurance for themselves, but they had enrolled Max and his two younger sisters in TennCare, the state’s health insurance program for low-income children, pregnant women and the disabled. Ruth took Max that day to a walk-in clinic in Antioch, where he was seen by a doctor and released. But by the time Marco came home from work at 5 p.m., Max’s perpetual energy had given way to unrelenting fatigue.The family rushed Max to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, where he was admitted around 6 p.m., Ruth recalled. The doctors seemed to sense the urgency of Max’s case almost immediately. Still, he was dead less than three hours later.“This happened so fast,” Ruth said.

                    “At the beginning, we couldn’t believe it, and looking back, we did question why, but we just feel like everything happens for a reason, that hopefully other people would learn from this. And we’re doing OK as far as spiritually.” Tests are being run. An autopsy has been performed, but test results will not be ready for about two months, medical officials said. Until then, they can only speculate as to why the virus would have claimed the life of Max, a child who seemed so unlikely to succumb to the illness. “To answer that, you have to just look at those (cases) that seem like lightning bolts,” said Dr. Tim Jones, the state epidemiologist.

                    Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control released a bulletin on the first 36 children in the United States to die from swine flu, a group that does not include Max Gomez. The CDC found that two-thirds of those children had an underlying condition that made them more vulnerable to swine flu. These include epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, asthma or any other disease that suppresses the immune or respiratory systems.

                    Max Gomez had not been diagnosed with any chronic diseases, his mother said. Instead, he appeared to fall into the remaining one-third of children who die from the disease, a group that scientists are still trying to learn more about. One possibility is that H1N1 could be exacerbated by a bacterial infection. All six of the children the CDC studied who were over 5 years old but did not have a chronic medical condition tested positive for a bacterial infection in addition to swine flu.

                    Health officials said they did not know enough about Max Gomez’s case to say whether a bacterial infection contributed to his death. But they did say that when influenza combines with a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia, the patient often follows a pattern in which his symptoms start to subside but then suddenly worsen. That pattern — which includes symptoms such as vomiting, chest pain, a racing pulse, breathing trouble, bluish skin or trouble staying awake — is an indication that the flu has turned deadly, and it means a sufferer should talk to a doctor immediately.

                    “What you expect from ordinary flu is that it starts off bad and gets better,” said Dr. Bill Paul, Metro’s health director. “If that’s not the case, it’s worth a call.”
                    ‘We hope we can learn’

                    Ruth Gomez said the family has been trying to move on from Max’s death. She said she has long encouraged her friends, even those without medical insurance, to see a doctor when their children fall ill, advice that she recommends with even more urgency now. The family, she said, has been drawing comfort from their church and their faith that Max’s spirit lives on. “We have hope that we’re going to see him again,” she said.

                    Doctors, meanwhile, hope to solve the mystery of Max’s death, in the hope of helping other families avoid the same pain. “It is a tragedy,” Paul said. “There is a young, healthy kid who is no longer with us. We hope we can learn lessons from it.”

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