JimO
Well-known member
I have scoured all the sources I can think of to sort out the number of pediatric fatalities in California. Our current total H1N1 deaths for California is 288. I've confirmed that 157 are adults and 23 are under 18. I cannot find age information on the remaining 108 fatalities, most notably in Alameda, Fresno, Orange, and San Mateo Counties. If the remaining 108 fatalities include approximately the same percentage of deaths, then the state total will be somewhere between 35 and 40.
Using an alternative method - adding the last number reported by the state (20 pediatric deaths as of early September - here on page 2 http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/vrdl/Documents/InfluenzaUpdate092309.pdf), to 3 reported since by LA County and 8 others in the media, I have a total of 31.
The problem is that the total number of pediatric deaths reported in the CDC's MMWRs since April doesn't even come close to our count. They report 1 pediatric death in California in May, 3 in June, and 2 in August, for a total of 6 pediatric deaths through last week's report. Even with delays in reporting, I don't see how they could possibly be that far behind. Our records show 11 deaths prior to September 1st. Surely, at least those deaths should have made it into the MMWRs by now, especially since 6 of the 11 were officially reported in the LA County surveillance reports.
It is no wonder that their number is half our count. I just don't understand it. Either there is some problem with the data being reported to the CDC by California or there are some serious typos in the MMWR tables. There aren't these kinds of discrepancies in other states.
Using an alternative method - adding the last number reported by the state (20 pediatric deaths as of early September - here on page 2 http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/vrdl/Documents/InfluenzaUpdate092309.pdf), to 3 reported since by LA County and 8 others in the media, I have a total of 31.
The problem is that the total number of pediatric deaths reported in the CDC's MMWRs since April doesn't even come close to our count. They report 1 pediatric death in California in May, 3 in June, and 2 in August, for a total of 6 pediatric deaths through last week's report. Even with delays in reporting, I don't see how they could possibly be that far behind. Our records show 11 deaths prior to September 1st. Surely, at least those deaths should have made it into the MMWRs by now, especially since 6 of the 11 were officially reported in the LA County surveillance reports.
It is no wonder that their number is half our count. I just don't understand it. Either there is some problem with the data being reported to the CDC by California or there are some serious typos in the MMWR tables. There aren't these kinds of discrepancies in other states.