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First deaths in Thurston from H1N1
JEREMY PAWLOSKI; The Olympian | ? Published August 08, 2009
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OLYMPIA ? Two Thurston County residents died of confirmed or suspected H1N1 flu in July, and the county?s health officer warned there will be more local cases of the emerging virus, also known as swine flu, that has spread around the world.
The two recent deaths were likely the first H1N1 deaths of people who lived in Thurston County, said Thurston County Health Officer Diana Yu.
A 53-year-old female resident who died in Thurston County on July 28 was confirmed to have had the virus; a 39-year-old male resident who died in a Seattle hospital on July 29 was suspected to have had the virus, but tests have been unable to confirm it, Yu said.
Lab results were completed on Thursday in connection with the woman?s death.
Yu had practical advice on how residents can protect themselves from the virus when it is expected to spread again in the fall when children return to school. But she also cautioned against panic or overreaction.
?I don?t want people to believe it is any more serious than any other influenza,? she said. ?Every year we have 36,000 to 40,000 people who die in the U.S. due to complications from influenza.?
Yu added, ?The majority of people who get influenza do not die from it.?
Most of the people who die of influenza are elderly or have preexisting health issues that make them more likely to die from complications.
The two Thurston County residents and two Mason County residents who have died of H1N1 likely had preexisting health conditions, Yu said.
When children return to school in September, people should continue to keep practicing good basic hygiene to prevent H1N1?s spread, Yu said.
That includes:
? Washing your hands frequently.
? Covering your cough.
Yu added that if you have flu symptoms, don?t go to work or school. Stay home to prevent spreading germs to coworkers or classmates.
The Centers for Disease Control hopes to distribute an H1N1 vaccine nationwide in the fall. But Yu added, ?We don?t know exactly how much is going to be available.? Joseph Quimby, a spokesman for the CDC in Atlanta, said Friday that the clinical trials for the H1N1 vaccine are under way. ?If all goes well, we could see a vaccine available for distribution as early as mid-October,? Quimby said.
Several priority groups have been identified to take the H1N1 vaccine first when it becomes available. In general, those groups include pregnant women, children, people born after 1957 with chronic medical conditions, and health care providers. People born before 1957 are not identified as a priority group because so far, people born before that aren?t getting sick from the virus, Yu said.
?Remember that pandemic flu continues to be in our community,? Yu said. ?It started in April and it?s going to continue. People need to prepare.?
Jeremy Pawloski, 360-754-5465
First deaths in Thurston from H1N1
JEREMY PAWLOSKI; The Olympian | ? Published August 08, 2009
*
Comments (0)
Recommend (0)
OLYMPIA ? Two Thurston County residents died of confirmed or suspected H1N1 flu in July, and the county?s health officer warned there will be more local cases of the emerging virus, also known as swine flu, that has spread around the world.
The two recent deaths were likely the first H1N1 deaths of people who lived in Thurston County, said Thurston County Health Officer Diana Yu.
A 53-year-old female resident who died in Thurston County on July 28 was confirmed to have had the virus; a 39-year-old male resident who died in a Seattle hospital on July 29 was suspected to have had the virus, but tests have been unable to confirm it, Yu said.
Lab results were completed on Thursday in connection with the woman?s death.
Yu had practical advice on how residents can protect themselves from the virus when it is expected to spread again in the fall when children return to school. But she also cautioned against panic or overreaction.
?I don?t want people to believe it is any more serious than any other influenza,? she said. ?Every year we have 36,000 to 40,000 people who die in the U.S. due to complications from influenza.?
Yu added, ?The majority of people who get influenza do not die from it.?
Most of the people who die of influenza are elderly or have preexisting health issues that make them more likely to die from complications.
The two Thurston County residents and two Mason County residents who have died of H1N1 likely had preexisting health conditions, Yu said.
When children return to school in September, people should continue to keep practicing good basic hygiene to prevent H1N1?s spread, Yu said.
That includes:
? Washing your hands frequently.
? Covering your cough.
Yu added that if you have flu symptoms, don?t go to work or school. Stay home to prevent spreading germs to coworkers or classmates.
The Centers for Disease Control hopes to distribute an H1N1 vaccine nationwide in the fall. But Yu added, ?We don?t know exactly how much is going to be available.? Joseph Quimby, a spokesman for the CDC in Atlanta, said Friday that the clinical trials for the H1N1 vaccine are under way. ?If all goes well, we could see a vaccine available for distribution as early as mid-October,? Quimby said.
Several priority groups have been identified to take the H1N1 vaccine first when it becomes available. In general, those groups include pregnant women, children, people born after 1957 with chronic medical conditions, and health care providers. People born before 1957 are not identified as a priority group because so far, people born before that aren?t getting sick from the virus, Yu said.
?Remember that pandemic flu continues to be in our community,? Yu said. ?It started in April and it?s going to continue. People need to prepare.?
Jeremy Pawloski, 360-754-5465