Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Knox student critical in hospital; parents fear H1N1

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Knox student critical in hospital; parents fear H1N1

    Source: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story...100425&catid=2

    Knox student critical in hospital; parents fear H1N1
    Anthony Welsch Updated: 9/28/2009 6:05:12 PM Posted: 9/28/2009 5:38:44 PM

    A Knox County middle school student is in critical condition, following the development of symptoms of the H1N1 virus.

    Liberty Vazquez, the mother of 12-year-old Latecia Vazquez says her daughter first showed symptoms that included a runny nose, then a 103 degree fever.

    Monday afternoon, doctors placed the special needs student at Bearden Middle School on a breathing machine. She has Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome, uses a wheelchair, and has a week immune system. Liberty describes her daughter as "severely delayed".


    "They're (the doctors) doing all they can," Liberty Vazquez said. "They've done all they can. It's just up to her, whether she wants to come out of it or not."

    A nurse fed Vazquez through a feeding tube at the school twice a day. Her mother believes that nurse passed along the virus to Latecia.

    Nearly two weeks ago, that school nurse died. The cause of her death has not been released to the public.


    "Latecia doesn't go anywhere else. She goes to school, and she comes home. Because she has a bad immune system, I don't let her go anywhere," Liberty Vazquez said.

    Knox County's Health Department says it's just about impossible to tell who transfers the virus to whom. For other health issues, like food recalls, the process is very extensive and costly.

    "If you are living in a household with someone who has the flu, you can probably bet you got it from them, because you're with them a lot. But, there is not even a guarantee of that," Dr. Martha Buchanan of the Knox County Health Department said.

    HIPPA restrictions prohibit individuals' H1N1 tests from becoming public without patient consent. Even if that school nurse had tested positive, parents at the school would have no way of knowing.

    When reached for comment, Knox County Schools pointed toward those health laws and said they could not speak on the situation.


    For flu tips as they relate to the H1N1 virus and the seasonal flu, you can head to the East Tennessee Children's Hospital website.

  • #2
    Re: Knox student critical in hospital; parents fear H1N1

    HIPPA restrictions prohibit individuals' H1N1 tests from becoming public without patient consent. Even if that school nurse had tested positive, parents at the school would have no way of knowing.

    This is wrong on so many levels. This child, with weakened immunity, should have been offered Tamiflu as soon as it was known that the nurse caring for her had flu. Swine flu is nothing to be "ashamed" of, and these privacy laws are costing lives. How tragic. I hope she is able to recover.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Knox student critical in hospital; parents fear H1N1

      It was confirmed that the nurse who died had A/H1N1:

      Comment

      Working...
      X