1st A/H1N1 fatality reported in Pueblo County

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/10/09/news/breaking_news/doc4acfa629d35a4803496922.txt

October 09, 2009 03:12 pm |

Health Department reports first swine flu death in Pueblo County
By PETER ROPER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

Swine flu killed its first Pueblo County resident this week, health officials said Friday, even as the first shipment of vaccine arrived at the new Pueblo City-County Health Department.

Dr. Chris Nevin-Woods, executive director of the department, announced the flu death at an afternoon press conference. She was joined by local government officials to explain how swine flu vaccine will be distributed in the coming weeks, but had to first report the county's first flu death.

She would only describe the victim as a young person who may have also suffered from complications.

Midway through the press conference, staff informed Nevin-Woods that the first shipment of swine flu vaccine had come into the building, prompting a cheer from staff.

Nevin-Woods said swine flu vaccine will be arriving in stages over the next few weeks but said more than 100,000 doses have been ordered for Pueblo County. The vaccine will be given on a priority basis to health care workers, pregnant women, caregivers for infants younger than 6 months, and then young people, before older people receive the vaccine. She said there should be an abundant supply of vaccine by the end of the year and "everyone who wants a (swine) flu shot will be able to get one." Private physicians and pharmacies are also ordering the free vaccine.

Nevin-Woods encourage the public to contact their physicians or the health department about the availability of the vaccine. The department's flu "hot line" is 583-4440.

proper@chieftain.com

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: 1st A/H1N1 fatality reported in Pueblo County

1st Swine Flu Death In Pueblo, Vaccines Delayed

Posted: Oct 9, 2009 05:25 PM CDT
By Joe Dominguez
J.Dominguez@krdo.com

PUEBLO - The Pueblo County Health Department has announced the first death because of Swine (H1N1) Flu in Pueblo. It occurred this week. The victim is a young adult but health department leaders aren't sure if family members have been notified so details remain confidential.

The announcement comes on the same day that shipments of the first swine flu vaccines were scheduled to arrive. Late Friday, a Pueblo Health Department spokesperson said that shipping delays and a state holiday on Monday in observance of Columbus Day means vaccines probably won't be in until Tuesday. Leaders say the county should get around 130,000 doses of swine flu vaccine when it's all said and done. In this first wave of vaccines health care providers that deal with the sick will get the nasal treatment. Within the next two weeks more vaccine should be available for pregnant women. Also at high risk of having complications because of the swine flu are those with chronic illnesses like diabetes and asthma.

So far the virus the seems to cause the most problems for children, teenagers and young adults. Dr. Chris Nevin-Woods, Public Health Director for Pueblo, says those who've come down with it already call the swine flu miserable. It generally causes a high fever, muscle aches, headaches, stuffy nose and diarrhea.

In the last week both major hospitals in Pueblo have noticed sharp spikes in ER visits because of swine flu symptoms. They're also seeing more cases requiring hospitalization. Parkview leaders report seeing 304 patients one day this week in their emergency room with approximately 100 having swine flu symptoms. St. Mary-Corwin is discouraging hospital visitors under the age of 18 because the number of swine flu cases is growing.

Because questions about the swine flu are on the rise as well, the Pueblo Health Department has set up a hotline to answer you questions about the flu. That number is (719) 583-4440.

Dr. Nevin-Woods without a vaccine readily available for the masses just yet the best medicine is preventative care. That means cleaning thoroughly and often, washing your hands frequently and covering your mouth with the crook of your arm if you have to sneeze or cough. Another important step in limiting the spread of swine flu is to avoid contact with the sick. If you or your children experience swine flu symptoms, the best advice is to contact your health care provider for further instruction. If you head immediately to the emergency room you might be exposing others. In many cases, doctors are recommending you stay home and treat it as the common flu then return to your normal activities 24 hours after the fever breaks.

School District 70 has found success in limiting the spread of swine flu through it's schools. Last week leaders closed Carver Middle School due to a swine flu outbreak. School District leaders believe it can be traced back to a school wide field trip. That combined kids into a large group in the form of a long bus ride. It led to 60 out of 160 calling in sick. The school was closed about one week and when it reopened only 5 kids were still too sick to return to school. School leaders also had an elementary school in Pueblo West with a 3rd grade class in which more than 50% of the kids were reported sick. Instead of closing the school entirely, the told the 3rd graders to stay home for a few days. That prevented the spread of the disease throughout the school and after a few days the flu had run it's course allowing most of the 3rd graders to return.

D-70 leaders say the lesson learned was that if they avoided large assemblies and did their best to keep classes from interacting with other classes, it stopped the spread of swine flu throughout the entire school.

http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=11290172