Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

175 Fatalities in Texas
by
2014-01-30 *

• pH1N1 Dominant Texas Fatality by County [Excel]
• pH1N1 Dominant Texas Fatality by County [html/css]

* 2014-01-30 Updated Stats from Jim Oliveros

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

H1N1 flu victim that nearly died is back home in Arlington

ARLINGTON -- A woman who could barely stand and was within "one day of death," according to her doctors, is miraculously back at home in Arlington.

Julie Shelley was taken to the emergency room at JPS Hospital just before Christmas day.

"Doctors said a day later it would've been too late, because then I would have turned septic," she said.


http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/H1N1-...242866981.html

We can be thankful that this woman is living.

We cannot be thankful for the unscientific, but conveniently self-congratulatory, response of the medical team telling her that one more day would have been too late. Did they compare her viral load at certain tissue types against known viral loads of fatal cases in a matched cohort with known symptom onset date and known medical care seeking date? Was she specifically one day earlier than those matched to her who had died or was the statement pure managed messaging?

Did the HCW/PH spokesperson just issue the back-patting statement from rote? Seems that we've also repeatedly heard the inverse blaming of the victim upon a death attended in a medical facility, "If she had only come one day earlier, she would be alive today." Again without empirical basis.

How many have we seen that sought medical care, some multiple times, and were sent home to either die or to die upon returning for a final medical request? Seeking medical care is not a guarantee of survival, nor should that position be stated by rote unless evidence is at hand.

[tetano]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

H1N1 flu victim that nearly died is back home in Arlington

ARLINGTON -- A woman who could barely stand and was within "one day of death," according to her doctors, is miraculously back at home in Arlington.

Julie Shelley was taken to the emergency room at JPS Hospital just before Christmas day.

"Doctors said a day later it would've been too late, because then I would have turned septic," she said.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/H1N1-victim-that-nearly-died-starts--242866981.html

[JimO]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

Collin County's flu-related deaths rise to 7 amid widespread cases

Collin County?s latest flu surveillance report shows the number of flu-related deaths has increased to seven, all adults. That?s up from four a week earlier.

The report includes data through Jan. 18. It describes flu activity level in the county as widespread, the same label used in the previous report through Jan. 11...

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/mckinney/headlines/20140130-collin-county-s-flu-related-deaths-rise-to-7-amid-widespread-cases.ece

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

Obituary.
<table align="center" border="0px" cellpadding="2px" cellspacing="0px" style="background-color: #ffe9c4; border-color: darkred; border-radius: 4px; border-style: ridge; border-width: 12px; box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px; width: 77%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 140%; font-weight: bold;">Philip Edward Fugate
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: left;"><td style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">September 24, 1979</td><td style="font-size: 100%;"> to </td><td style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">January 26, 2014</td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="color: green; font-size: 120%; font-weight: bold;">34 Years Old</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 90%;">Phil loved carpentry work, horseback riding, camping, and taking his beloved children on special outings.
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td><a href="http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/home/home.cfm?&fh_id=14597" target="_blank">Chandler Memorial</a> Funeral Home</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;">
<td align="center" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 75%;"><div style="background-color: navajowhite; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border: 2px solid maroon; color: black; line-height: 18px; padding: 10px; text-align: center; width: 70%;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 100%;">'Phil passed away January 26, 2014 in Shreveport, Louisiana after complications with the flu and pneumonia. He was born September 24, 1979 in Hyden, Kentucky. He?s been the manager of Chandler Memorial Funeral Home for 13 years.

Phil loved carpentry work, horseback riding, camping, and taking his beloved children on special outings. He was an amazing husband, daddy, son, and brother . . . '

</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>

[NS1]

Re: LA: Obit- Died 1/26/24 of flu/pneumonia complications; M, 34 yrs.

Source: http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh...97&fh_id=14597

Obituaries
Philip Edward Fugate

...Phil passed away January 26, 2014 in Shreveport, Louisiana after complications with the flu and pneumonia...

Chandler, Texas, the likely site of infection, is approximately 90 miles from Dallas. Please consider moving and / or cross-referencing this young man's obituary to the Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas thread [FT#216295].

[Shiloh]

LA: Obit- Died 1/26/24 of flu/pneumonia complications; M, 34 yrs.

Source: http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh...97&fh_id=14597

Obituaries
Philip Edward Fugate

...Phil passed away January 26, 2014 in Shreveport, Louisiana after complications with the flu and pneumonia...

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

Granbury mom is the latest victim of flu outbreak

GRANBURY ? There's been another flu death in North Texas. Stacey Parker was a 38-year-old mother of five from Granbury.

Her family said she never got a flu shot; now they are encouraging everyone to be inoculated.

Doctors said Parker was a victim of the H1N1 swine flu strain.

"It's been an almighty trial," said Stacey's husband, Tony Parker. "I have never been through something like this."


http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Granb...242115121.html

News story with video from 00:18 to 00:26 defining the bird fatality site on the highway.
<table align="center" border="0px" cellpadding="2px" cellspacing="0px" style="background-color: #ffe9c4; border-color: darkred; border-radius: 4px; border-style: ridge; border-width: 12px; box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px; width: 60%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 140%; font-weight: bold;">200 dead birds found in Burleson may have starved, veterinarian says
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 90%;">About 200 grackles and a few starlings were found dead on and around Interstate 35W in Burleson this week.
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td>By Matt Peterson and
Yusra Jabeen, Staff Writer</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td><a href="http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/" target="_blank">The Dallas Morning News</a>
3:27 pm on January 24, 2014</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;">
<td align="center" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 75%;"><div style="background-color: navajowhite; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border: 2px solid maroon; color: black; line-height: 18px; padding: 10px; text-align: center; width: 60%;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 100%;">'Dr. Bob Denton
Veterinarian

Cold weather and hunger coupled with old age and underlying disease might have killed the birds.

. . .

?It is indeed strange? for such a large number of birds to die at the same time, he said'

</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>

Food is Everywhere
in the
DFW MetroPlex

Scavenger Starvation

Burleson is about 10 miles south of Highway 20's bordering of Fort Worth and roughly 30 miles east of Granbury as the grackle flies, a community featuring lake activity adverts.

Grackles near Texas cities are peri-domestic birds, large and effective scavengers that will eat from pet food bowls after driving off cats and small dogs. They congregate behind restaurants and at dining patios often taking food from tables recently emptied, but not yet cleared.

Few would rank starvation as a cognate to Texas grackles near a metropolis of 6 million covering an 60 mile by 40 mile populated corridor. Per capita restaurant business frequently is in the top decile nationwide. Food is everywhere for the undiscriminating grackle.

On-site Necropsy Findings

The doctor conducting the necropsy found enlarged liver and upper respiratory infection on the specimen under exam. An opinion from an off-site, non-attending specialist indicated a potential for starvation, among other options like disease and cold weather.

Somehow the headline is only suggestive of starvation?

On-site Fatality Scene Findings

The animal control officers say they've "never seen anything like it." The attending doctor says that such a large number dying at once is strange. The off-side expert says that it's common.

We generally weigh opinions more for those who have the facts at hand. Those who are looking at the problem tend to provide a more detailed contemporary description.

200 birds, at the same instant, die of starvation and fall from the sky into a 1,000 square foot area?

==

Jones JC, Sonnberg S, Ko?er ZA, Shanmuganatham K, Seiler P, Shu Y, et al.
Possible role of songbirds and parakeets in transmission of influenza A(H7N9) virus to humans.
Emerg Infect Dis [Internet]. 2014 Mar [date cited].
http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2003.131271
DOI: 10.3201/eid2003.131271
<table align="center" border="0px" cellpadding="2px" cellspacing="0px" style="background-color: #ffe9c4; border-color: darkred; border-radius: 4px; border-style: ridge; border-width: 12px; box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px; width: 90%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 140%; font-weight: bold;">Possible Role of Songbirds and Parakeets in Transmission of Influenza A(H7N9) Virus to Humans
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 90%;">Songbirds are common household pets and are in close contact with humans and domesticated animals. Their wild counterparts also are likely to interact with poultry in backyard farms and in many farming sectors (14,15).
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td>By Jeremy C. Jones, Stephanie Sonnberg, Zeynep A. Ko?er, Karthik Shanmuganatham, Patrick Seiler, Yuelong Shu, Huachen Zhu, Yi Guan, Malik Peiris, Richard J. Webby, and Robert G. Webster</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td><a href="http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/" target="_blank">EID Journal</a>
Volume 20, Number 3?March 2014
Ahead of Print
January 24, 2014</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;">
<td align="center" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 75%;"><div style="background-color: navajowhite; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border: 2px solid maroon; color: black; line-height: 18px; padding: 10px; text-align: center; width: 70%;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 100%;">'Isolation of Virus from Organs Extract:

The sparrow that underwent necropsy showed trace virus only in the lungs (Table 3). Both finch species showed high virus titers in the trachea (4.5?4.6 log10 EID50/mL). In the zebra finches, virus was observed only in the tracheas, consistent with swab findings, but 1 of 2 society finches showed trace amounts of virus in the brain and eye, whereas the other had trace amounts in the small and large intestine and high lung virus titer (5.8 log10 EID50/mL) (Table 3).'

</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>

The passerine birds in this recent experiment showed various combinations of upper and lower respiratory infection.

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

Granbury mom is the latest victim of flu outbreak

GRANBURY ? There's been another flu death in North Texas. Stacey Parker was a 38-year-old mother of five from Granbury.

Her family said she never got a flu shot; now they are encouraging everyone to be inoculated.

Doctors said Parker was a victim of the H1N1 swine flu strain.

"It's been an almighty trial," said Stacey's husband, Tony Parker. "I have never been through something like this."


http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Granb...242115121.html

Bedroom / ex-urb community about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

166 Fatalities in Texas
by
2014-01-25 *

* 2014-01-25 Updated US Deaths by State [FT#216453] from Jim Oliveros

[tetano]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

Granbury mom is the latest victim of flu outbreak

GRANBURY ? There's been another flu death in North Texas. Stacey Parker was a 38-year-old mother of five from Granbury.

Her family said she never got a flu shot; now they are encouraging everyone to be inoculated.

Doctors said Parker was a victim of the H1N1 swine flu strain.

"It's been an almighty trial," said Stacey's husband, Tony Parker. "I have never been through something like this."

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Granbury-mom-is-the-latest-victim-of-flu-outbreak-242115121.html

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

News story.
<table align="center" border="0px" cellpadding="2px" cellspacing="0px" style="background-color: #ffe9c4; border-color: darkred; border-radius: 4px; border-style: ridge; border-width: 12px; box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px; width: 60%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 140%; font-weight: bold;">Number of flu deaths reaches 40, but local outbreak may be easing
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 90%;">Dallas County reported five more flu deaths Friday, although fewer infections seemed to signal an easing of the local outbreak.
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td>By SHERRY JACOBSON Staff Writer</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td><a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/" target="_blank">The Dallas Morning News</a>
Published: 24 January 2014 10:00 PM
Updated: 24 January 2014 10:53 PM</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;">
<td align="center" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 75%;"><div style="background-color: navajowhite; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border: 2px solid maroon; color: black; line-height: 18px; padding: 10px; text-align: center; width: 60%;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 100%;">'Dr. Christopher Perkins
Dallas County Health and Human Services
Medical Director

"?Flu activity is still high, but we?ve also had the fourth week in a row with fewer people testing positive on flu tests."

. . .

Based on such testing, the local outbreak appears to have peaked in the third week of December, when 27.5 percent of flu tests were positive.

. . .

Local hospitals reported 26 influenza-related deaths since September, when the surveillance effort began. The county medical examiner?s office detected an additional 14 deaths.'

</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

News story.
<table align="center" border="0px" cellpadding="2px" cellspacing="0px" style="background-color: #ffe9c4; border-color: darkred; border-radius: 4px; border-style: ridge; border-width: 12px; box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px; width: 72%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 140%; font-weight: bold;">Still No Confirmed Flu-Related Deaths in Tarrant County
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 90%;">Fort Worth death could be related to flu
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td>By Chris Van Horne</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td><a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/" target="_blank">5 NBCDFW.COM</a>
Friday, Jan 10, 2014 | Updated 7:18 PM CST</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;">
<td align="center" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 75%;"><div style="background-color: navajowhite; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border: 2px solid maroon; color: black; line-height: 18px; padding: 10px; text-align: center; width: 60%;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 100%;">'Russell Jones
Tarrant County Public Health
Chief Epidemiologist

"The Tarrant County Public Health Department and it's hospital and clinic partners aren't required to report deaths."

In fact, Tarrant County has no confirmed flu deaths this season. The flu isn't impacting the county any less.

"What's occurring in Dallas is the same that's occurring here and the rest of the state," said Russell Jones, Tarrant County Public Health chief epidemiologist. "That kind of gives you an indication as to what they're seeing is occurring everywhere else."'

</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>

Reporting Anomaly
UnCovered
Tarrant County

Crowd-sourced data quality appears to be significantly higher than primary source material concerning Public Health Influenza death reporting in some geographies.

At this time of this story's original publication, media reports had accumulated at least ten fatalities in Tarrant County, but the health department had reported none of them because no law requires them to report.

We have been concerned that the numbers in Tarrant County, the westward section of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, did not reflect activity commensurate with expected population outcomes. Now we see that the numbers are openly admitted to not represent the actual case and fatality counts.

The Chief Epidemiologist of Tarrant County, population of 1.88 million, noted that trends under his watch are the same as in Dallas. As of this moment, Dallas County is the only county that reported significant early mortality in Texas and continues to report current statistics. Other metropolitan areas have stalled their fatality reporting.

The 2014-01-17 measure taken last week of 35 Dallas County Fatalities is a doubling of the influenza death count in only 10 days. Those citizens of Tarrant County may want to heed their epidemiology chief and realise that they are also probable for a doubling effect.

[NS1]

Re: Texas - Dallas/Ft. Worth area seasonal flu 2013/2014

Another death at home in an age-related healthy young adult less than 50 miles from this woman's location.

[NS1]

Re: TX: Death Of Ft. Worth City Worker Investigated As Possibly Flu-Related

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/01/10/d...y-flu-related/


Local
Death Of City Worker Investigated As Possibly Flu-Related
January 10, 2014 6:25 PM
Joel Thomas

TARRANT COUNTY (CBS 11 NEWS) ? Fort Worth health workers are looking into what may be another flu-related death.

Co-workers and acquaintances say Diana Ruelas was in her mid to late 30′s. According to a CBS 11 News source, Ruelas left her job, as a City of Fort Worth Code Compliance Officer, early with flu-like symptoms. She died Thursday night...

News story.
<table align="center" border="0px" cellpadding="2px" cellspacing="0px" style="background-color: #ffe9c4; border-color: darkred; border-radius: 4px; border-style: ridge; border-width: 12px; box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px; width: 77%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 140%; font-weight: bold;">42-Year-Old Fort Worth Woman Possibly Died From Flu
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;"><td style="font-size: 90%;">Family is waiting for confirmation her death was flu-related
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td>By Amanda Guerra</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 60%;"><td><a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/" target="_blank">5 NBCDFW.COM</a>
Friday, Jan 10, 2014 | Updated 11:41 PM CST</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center;">
<td align="center" style="vertical-align: middle; width: 75%;"><div style="background-color: navajowhite; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border: 2px solid maroon; color: black; line-height: 18px; padding: 10px; text-align: center; width: 70%;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 100%;">'Laura Ruelas, 18 Year Old Daughter of 42 year old Fort Worth Compliance Officer Diana Ruelas:

On Thursday, Laura said she and her mom were sitting on the couch watching T.V. when she asked if her mom was comfortable.

?And she goes, ?I?m comfortable,?? said Ruelas. ?But something seemed wrong, so I called 911 and she wasn?t breathing. They told me to do CPR on her. So I was talking to the 911 operator until the ambulance and fire department got there. They worked on her for 30 minutes and then they stopped,? she explained.'

</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
<tr style="float: center; font-size: 100%;"><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>