Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/07/swine-flu-deaths-in-la-county.html
Swine flu deaths in L.A. County
1:46 PM | July 8, 2009
Two more people have died in Los Angeles County from the novel H1N1 swine flu virus, local public health officials said today.
The deaths occurred among people who were at risk for higher complications from the flu. The latest victim was a pregnant woman, whose baby survived. The other occurred in a person with an underlying medical problem.
L. A. County now has a total of three confirmed deaths related to the H1N1 virus. The first death occurred in a middle-aged woman who had an underlying medical condition. She died in late May.
County health officials said the deaths were not unexpected, as the regular seasonal flu can also cause deaths among pregnant women and those already ill or with chronic medical conditions. But they cautioned that the public should be aware that the flu virus is continuing to circulate and that people should continue to take common-sense precautions such as washing hands frequently and staying home if they feel ill.
Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that at least 1 million Americans have now contracted the swine flu virus. Data show that the virus is continuing to spread even though the regular flu season has ended and that an increasing proportion of victims is being hospitalized.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization was preparing to recommend that most countries assume that their flu cases are the result of the novel H1N1 swine flu virus. Officials reported seeing the first signs of resistance to the commonly used antiviral drug Tamiflu, though none of the signs is particularly disturbing.
The most recent figures reported to the WHO indicate that more than 98,000 cases have been confirmed in 120 countries, with 440 deaths, though officials estimate the number of actual infections at 10 to 100 times that.
--Rong-Gong Lin II
Swine flu deaths in L.A. County
1:46 PM | July 8, 2009
Two more people have died in Los Angeles County from the novel H1N1 swine flu virus, local public health officials said today.
The deaths occurred among people who were at risk for higher complications from the flu. The latest victim was a pregnant woman, whose baby survived. The other occurred in a person with an underlying medical problem.
L. A. County now has a total of three confirmed deaths related to the H1N1 virus. The first death occurred in a middle-aged woman who had an underlying medical condition. She died in late May.
County health officials said the deaths were not unexpected, as the regular seasonal flu can also cause deaths among pregnant women and those already ill or with chronic medical conditions. But they cautioned that the public should be aware that the flu virus is continuing to circulate and that people should continue to take common-sense precautions such as washing hands frequently and staying home if they feel ill.
Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that at least 1 million Americans have now contracted the swine flu virus. Data show that the virus is continuing to spread even though the regular flu season has ended and that an increasing proportion of victims is being hospitalized.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization was preparing to recommend that most countries assume that their flu cases are the result of the novel H1N1 swine flu virus. Officials reported seeing the first signs of resistance to the commonly used antiviral drug Tamiflu, though none of the signs is particularly disturbing.
The most recent figures reported to the WHO indicate that more than 98,000 cases have been confirmed in 120 countries, with 440 deaths, though officials estimate the number of actual infections at 10 to 100 times that.
--Rong-Gong Lin II
