Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

HenryN · Jun 21, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/586531

Flu outbreak at city schools likely H1N1: officials


Paul Morse
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jun 20, 2009)
A large outbreak of influenza A suspected to be swine flu is now spreading rapidly in Hamilton, health officials say.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has triggered the first active phase of its swine flu strategy for the first time, board officials said yesterday.
The leading edges of the outbreak are Ryerson Elementary School in central Hamilton and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School near Lime Ridge Mall. A suspected outbreak is being investigated at a third school, as well.
School officials say 24 students at Ryerson and about 20 at Our Lady of Lourdes have been infected with the type A respiratory virus.
"All the cases in Hamilton have been mild," said Dr. Chris Mackie, Hamilton's associate medical officer of health.
Although it has not yet been confirmed that it's the swine flu -- the human H1N1 virus -- Mackie said that's most likely what the outbreak is, because 95 per cent of flu currently in the province is H1N1.
The public board is sending in disinfection teams tonight and tomorrow to sanitize furniture at Ryerson, said superintendent of operations John Forbeck at the public board.
"We will also have a handwashing station set up in the school's lobby on Monday," he said.
"We're going to reinforce with students the proper routines of handwashing."
Hamilton has 23 confirmed cases of swine flu, which will rise sharply if the school cases prove to be swine flu.
There are currently 183 cases of H1N1 flu virus confirmed in Halton Region. Of those, 139 are students attending 44 different schools in Halton, 26 of which are in Oakville. Each municipality in Halton Region has confirmed cases and each municipality has at least one school with a confirmed case.
Our Lady of Lourdes staff think the flu first emerged in the school about eight days ago, said principal Marisa DiCenso.
"There's been a steady trend of children getting better and others getting sick," she said.
Letters from public health went home to parents Wednesday, and parents have been calling the school to find out when it's appropriate for their children to return to class.
School officials are also asking parents to provide more information when they call in to let a school know their child will be absent.
"It's helpful if the parents let us know what their child's symptoms are," Forbeck said.
City health officials say this is the first time they've seen the rapid spread of this influenza in the community, but it was not unexpected given that other Ontario cities, including Toronto and Ottawa, have seen significant numbers of cases.
Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said there are 264 new confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus since Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases in Ontario to 2,528.
pmorse@thespec.com

HenryN · Jun 21, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

Parents Concerned After Teen With Swine Flu Dies

Originally printed at http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/48732447.html

Grief counselors will be on-site at Harvey Austin, School #97, on Monday to help students and staff deal with the death of Matthew Davis, 15, who died Saturday after contracting swine flu, or the H1N1 virus.
A 9-year-old girl from Buffalo remains in critical condition at the Pediatric ICU at Women and Children's Hospital.
Kimberly Wells, a parent whose daughter attends Harvey Austin, says she is keeping her daughter out of school for the short remainder of the year. She will only allow another daughter in high school to go to Burgard for her final exam.
"They (should) close the schools and end the year," she says. "They can cut down on the percentage of the virus going around from the contact of the children, and the ones that have to finish their exams, let them go into school and then evacuate them out."
But despite the tragic death, the Erie County Health Department does not recommend schools close in these circumstances. Swine flu cases have been confirmed in eleven out of 63 Buffalo Public School locations, and suburban and private schools are seeing it too.
The health department and school districts are urging parents to keep their children home if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. This includes keeping children home once summer activities begin too.
Click on Swine Flu at the top of your screen for more information.

tropical · Jun 21, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

#22: ""They (should) close the schools and end the year," she says. "They can cut down on the percentage of the virus going around from the contact of the children, and the ones that have to finish their exams, let them go into school and then evacuate them out.""

Shiloh · Jun 21, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

Source: http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S989162.shtml?cat=566

Posted at: 06/21/2009 10:26 PM | WHEC.com

Mother of boy who died of Swine Flu warns parents

We're hearing from the mother of a Buffalo boy who died this weekend after being hospitalized with the Swine Flu.

As we reported last night, family members say Matthew Davis died Saturday night.

He was an eighth grader at Harvey Austin School, and was just 15-years old.

The boy's mother, Lucretia Belton, says he had pneumonia and MRSA as complications from the Swine Flu, and his kidneys failed.

She made this plea to other parents.

?This is no joke, this is really, really, really serious. Please get your kids, any kind of sign, get them there, don't wait until we get this far like my baby.?

A 9-year-old girl in Buffalo is also in the hospital in critical condition with the Swine Flu.

Just this past week, Monroe County health officials issued an alert, saying the Swine Flu outbreak is now an epidemic.

hawkeye · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

What are all of the preexisting conditions?

Shiloh said:
Source: http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S989162.shtml?cat=566

Posted at: 06/21/2009 10:26 PM | WHEC.com

Mother of boy who died of Swine Flu warns parents

We're hearing from the mother of a Buffalo boy who died this weekend after being hospitalized with the Swine Flu.

As we reported last night, family members say Matthew Davis died Saturday night.

He was an eighth grader at Harvey Austin School, and was just 15-years old.

The boy's mother, Lucretia Belton, says he had pneumonia and MRSA as complications from the Swine Flu, and his kidneys failed.

She made this plea to other parents.

?This is no joke, this is really, really, really serious. Please get your kids, any kind of sign, get them there, don't wait until we get this far like my baby.?

A 9-year-old girl in Buffalo is also in the hospital in critical condition with the Swine Flu.

Just this past week, Monroe County health officials issued an alert, saying the Swine Flu outbreak is now an epidemic.

HenryN · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

hawkeye said:
What are all of the preexisting conditions?

There are NO pre-existing conditions reported for either student.

HenryN · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06220901/H1N1_Buffalo.html">Commentary</a>

HenryN · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

Updated: 06/22/09 07:54 AM
Death comes amid swine flu spurt

Three others here still hospitalized

By Henry L. Davis
NEWS MEDICAL REPORTER


The death Saturday of an eighth-grade teenager from swine flu came as public health officials tracked a small burst of hospitalizations last week in Buffalo caused by the influenza virus.
The boy who died was identified by WIVB-TV as Matthew Davis, 15, a student at Buffalo’s Harvey Austin School 97. Attempts by The Buffalo News to reach his family were unsuccessful.
The death is the first in Erie County attributed to the H1N1 flu virus.
Three children remain hospitalized at Women & Children’s Hospital with the flu, including a 9-year-old student at Charles Drew Science Magnet School 59 in critical condition. One of the children is from Niagara County.
All four hospitalizations arose in the last week, Dr. Richard Judelsohn, a private pediatrician and medical director of the county Health Department, said Sunday.
In total, eight people, including two adults, have been hospitalized in Erie County since the first case of H1N1 was confirmed here May 11, public health officials confirmed.
Most of the H1N1 cases seen in the Buffalo Niagara region have been mild, as is the case in the United States in general.
However, Judelsohn said, “The hospitalizations and death are reminders that all of us must redouble our efforts to use practicable means to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Among other measures, health officials recommend that individuals stay home when ill and practice good cough etiquette and hand hygiene in public.
Swine flu, officially known as novel H1N1, is a influenza virus of swine origin that was first detected in humans in April. The strain is continuing to spread in many parts of the U. S., especially in the Northeast, according to a telephone briefing last week by officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The increased flu activity in the Northeastern U. S. is a rough estimate based on reports from sentinel health clinics that track what percent of their patients suffer from influenzalike symptoms.
The regular flu season usually winds down in June, but it’s expected that H1N1 flu activity will continue through the summer and into the fall, when the regular flu season starts again, according to the CDC.
As of Friday, there were 21,449 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 flu in the U. S., including 166 in Erie County. However, these cases only reflect the illness’ spread. The actual number of people with the virus is significantly higher, probably in the hundreds of thousands, officials said at the briefing.
So far, public health officials have reported about 1,600 hospitalizations and 87 deaths nationwide from H1N1. The regular flu causes 36,000 deaths a year in the U. S.
The virus continues to hit mostly younger people, usually causing fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and chills, symptoms similar to the regular flu. About 70 percent of the hospitalized patients have suffered from an existing underlying medical condition, such as asthma or diabetes, making them more at risk for complications, according to the CDC.
Information about whether Matthew Davis was healthy before coming down with the flu has not been publicly released.
Doctors do not know why the new strain of influenza seems to favor younger patients over the elderly, who typically are more at risk for complications from the regular flu. One theory is that older people may have been exposed to viruses similar to the new virus, giving their body’s disease-fighting immune system an advantage.
It is one of the unanswered questions about how H1N1 develops, what makes one person more at risk than another, and whether there are better ways of treating the disease.
Experts are worried about the new virus because no one knows if it is more or less dangerous than regular flu or if it will mutate later into a more lethal virus in a world population with little or no immunity to it.
“We need to know more,” said Judelsohn. “There have to be lessons learned day to day in case this virus becomes more virulent.”
hdavis@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/710796.html
Buzz up!

HenryN · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

Swine Flu tragedy in
Buffalo

"He came home complaining about a
headache..."

Updated: Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 4:43 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 12:23 PM EDT

Michele McClintick
Posted by Emma Orn

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Students at Harvey Austin School 97 are back in class after losing one of their classmates this weekend to complications from Swine Flu.

Grief counselors were at the school Monday morning. 15 year old Matthew Davis died from the H1N1 virus. Instead of celebrating his 8th grade graduation, his family is now planning his funeral.

The Harvey Austin School is a little quieter Monday. A message outside the building explains why. An 8th grade student who just graduated, died this weekend.

Lucretia Belton is living a nightmare after losing her son Matthew Davis to the Swine flu. It all began over a week ago Friday.

"He came home complaining about a headache, and I figured it was nothing," said Lucretia.

By the end of the weekend his condition worsened, and by Monday he was at the hospital where he was given an antibiotic and went home.

"Tuesday he got worse. He couldn't eat nothing. Everything was coming up. He was complaining about his legs, dizziness," Lucretia said.

Lucretia took Matthew back to the hospital on Wednesday where he stayed. She said by the end he was on life support. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, ever. Now I gotta bury my child."

The Buffalo School District posted an audio message on it's web site this weekend saying, "We are tonight expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of a beloved Buffalo public school student."

The Superintendent, Dr. James Williams, also released a statement and will be publicly talking about the shocking death Monday.

Matthew Davis' family will be remembering his smile and laugher. His brother, Vincent Rivers said, "It's a terrible tragedy he's not with us now."

The 15 year old was supposed to follow in his big brothers footsteps and head to Riverside high school to play football. Julius is angry that the Harvey Austin School remained open despite cases of the H1N1 virus at the school.

"My school had it and they shut it down for that reason. 19 people had it basically, they should have did the same for his school," said Matthew's brother Julius.
Matthew's mother said he was a healthy, active teenager. All of his family members have tested negative for Swine Flu.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/Swine_Flu_tragedy_in_Buffalo_20090622

HenryN · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

niman said:
Swine Flu tragedy in
Buffalo

"He came home complaining about a
headache..."

Updated: Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 4:43 PM EDT

Published : Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 12:23 PM EDT
"He came home complaining about a headache, and I figured it was nothing," said Lucretia.

By the end of the weekend his condition worsened, and by Monday he was at the hospital where he was given an antibiotic and went home.

"Tuesday he got worse. He couldn't eat nothing. Everything was coming up. He was complaining about his legs, dizziness," Lucretia said.

Lucretia took Matthew back to the hospital on Wednesday where he stayed. She said by the end he was on life support.
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/Swine_Flu_tragedy_in_Buffalo_20090622

Legs and dizziness sounds neurological.

erinisnice · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

niman said:
Legs and dizziness sounds neurological.

Couldn't it also be from all the vomiting causing dehydration?

wotan · Jun 22, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

erinisnice said:
Couldn't it also be from all the vomiting causing dehydration?

My experience with my daughter's dehydration is extreme lethargy and seeming, for lack of a better word, spacey. Granted, she also had hypernatremia, and I'm not sure what effect the higher level of sodium has.

Shiloh · Jun 23, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

Source: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/711734.html

Updated: 06/23/09 07:49 AM
Delving into swine flu death of ?very healthy? teen
Complications from MRSA bacteria contribute to first local H1N1 fatality
By Henry L. Davis
NEWS MEDICAL REPORTER

Matthew Davis was a healthy Buffalo teenager who participated in sports before complaining of headaches June 13.

Within a few days, the 15-year-old student at Harvey Austin School 97 on Sycamore Street arrived seriously ill at Women & Children?s Hospital and then died Saturday, making him the first known fatality in Erie County caused by swine flu, officially known as novel H1N1 influenza.

It was a surprising turn of events for the family.

?He was a very healthy boy,? said his mother, Lucretia Belton.

What happened? By the time Matthew entered the hospital, he was seriously ill with the flu, as well as co-infected with a type of bacteria known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, according to health officials.

MRSA has been a problem in hospitals and nursing homes for decades, but has also spread to otherwise healthy people in the community, living normally on the skin and in the nose and throat. Research suggests that the overuse of antibiotics has contributed to the problem.

This bacteria can cause infections of the skin, nose, throat and ear. But in a small number of cases, especially in patients with weakened immune systems, it can lead to life-threatening pneumonia and blood infections.

An estimated 92 children die annually in the United States from regular influenza, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and some of those deaths have been associated with coinfection with MRSA. As such, officials at the federal agency said last month they are closely following the development of the new H1N1 flu strain to see whether there is a similar co-infection with community-acquired MRSA in some cases.

In total, eight people, including two adults, have been hospitalized in Erie County since the first case of H1N1 was confirmed in the county May 11. Three children remain hospitalized in Women & Children?s with the new strain of the flu, including a 9-year-old student at Charles Drew Science Magnet School 59 in critical condition. Matthew and the 9-year-old also were infected with MRSA when they were admitted to the hospital.

?Both children were unusually ill with severe lung disease, and both required ECMO, and that was unusual,? said Dr. Howard S. Faden, chairman of infection control and director of virology at Women & Children?s.

ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is similar to a heart-lung bypass machine utilized in open-heart surgery and is used when patients fail to respond to a respirator or other typical treatments for breathing problems. Under ECMO, the patient?s blood receives oxygen from an artificial lung.

Most of the H1N1 cases seen in the Buffalo Niagara region have been mild, as is the case nationwide.

Nationally, the virus continues to sicken mostly younger people, usually causing such typical flu symptoms as fever, cough and fatigue. ?In terms of symptoms, swine flu appears to be like every other influenza. What?s different is that the seasonal flu usually stops by now, and this strain is continuing,? Faden said.

Belton said that Monday, she took her son to the hospital, where he received an antibiotic, and that Wednesday, they returned when his condition continued to decline.

?He just got worse and was feeling very fatigued,? she said.

So far, public health officials have reported about 1,600 hospitalizations and 87 deaths nationwide from H1N1. The regular flu causes 36,000 deaths a year in the United States.

About 70 percent of the hospitalized H1N1 patients nationwide have suffered from an existing underlying medical condition, such as asthma or diabetes, making them more at risk for complications, according to the federal agency.

That doesn?t appear to be the case with Matthew. However, his family has agreed to an autopsy to rule out any other explanations, Belton said.

On the influence of MRSA, Faden said it might be that the flu, whether it is swine flu or regular flu, damages the lower airway or impairs the body?s disease-fighting immune system. As a result, MRSA living in the nose or upper airway gains entrance into the bloodstream to cause disease.

?With the seasonal flu, there are two groups historically susceptible to more serious illness ? the very young and the very old,? he said. ?We don?t understand really what is happening with swine flu yet.?

This is somewhat understandable because novel H1N1 is an influenza virus of swine origin that was first detected in humans in April. The strain is continuing to spread in many parts of the nation, especially the Northeast, and researchers have yet to completely decipher how it develops and what makes one person more at risk than another. Nor is it yet known what percentage of the population is likely to get sick from H1N1 and what percentage is likely to die from it.

?We don?t know enough about the virus. People want answers right away, but we need more time to learn more about it,? Faden said.

All of which is why experts remain cautious about H1N1. No one yet knows whether it is more dangerous than regular flu or whether it will mutate later into a more lethal virus in a world population with little or no immunity to it.

As of Friday, there were 21,449 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 flu in the nation. Erie County has reported 169. Several cases, all mild, have been reported in Niagara County, including three each reported for children in Barker and Niagara Falls last week.

However, those cases only reflect the illness? spread. The actual number of people with the virus is significantly higher, probably in the hundreds of thousands, officials at the federal agency said in a telephone briefing last week.

Buffalo Public School officials said Monday they are aware of 32 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the district ? 29 students and three adults ? in 11 of 63 schools.

Students and staff should stay home if they are sick, and any student in school with flu-like symptoms will be sent home, said Assunta R. Ventresca, director of health services.

Amherst Central Schools announced Monday that three more students at Windermere Boulevard Elementary had contracted the flu. The school, which has only a half-day remaining in the academic year, reported that the children are home with mild illness.

News Staff Reporter Jake May contributed to this report. hdavis@buffnews.com

thebes · Jun 23, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/major_hospital_changes_after_h1n1_death_090622

Major hospital changes
after H1N1 death
Women and Children's Hospital offers
masks

Updated: Tuesday, 23 Jun 2009, 8:19 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 22 Jun 2009, 11:41 PM EDT

George Richert
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A teenager is dead; a young girl remains on life support - both victims of the Swine Flu outbreak in Buffalo. Efforts to keep the virus from spreading have prompted major changes at Women and Children's Hospital.

Health officials continue to stress it is still no more deadly than the common flu, but hospitals and schools seem to be taking a lot more precautions.

At the Harvey Austin School on Sycamore, more students didn't come to school Monday than did.

Some may have been sick, some may have been scared, and some may have been mourning the weekend death of 8th grader Matthew Davis from what appears to be Swine Flu.

Buffalo Schools Superintendent Doctor James Williams said, "Our sympathy and prayers are going out to the family."

The school district has 32 confirmed cases.

Dr. Williams said, "We want to continue to encourage the parents to not send your children to school and guardians, if you suspect the person to be sick."

School Health Director Sue Ventresca said, "We have 6,200 hand sanitizers in every classroom in the city, so we're really pushing the protocol to wash your hands."

For now it seems to be affecting the young more than the old.

Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Anthony Billittier said, "One theory is that elderly people many, many years ago may have been exposed during one of the flu seasons to a flu that had properties similar to the current Swine Flu."

Women and Children's Hospital is offering masks to anyone who comes in.

Hospital visitor Jim Thompson said, "The first thing I noticed was everybody wearing the masks."

And the hospital has implimented it's Cold and Flu Season rules, allowing only two visitors at a time, and prohibiting all children under 14 from visiting any patient.

John Moscato of Women and Children's Hospital said, "We're trying to ensure the safety of all our patients and limit any potential exposure due to the recent increases in the number of flu cases throughout western New York."

Hospital visitor Shelby Snyder said, "I think it's good. Why jeopardize people's health over it, whether they're the brother, sister, cousin?"

Ontario now has it's first Swine Flu death, a six-year-old girl. Health officials say what'll eventually stop it is more people staying home when their sick, washing their hands and covering their mouths when coughing and sneezing.

Giuseppe · Jun 23, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

MRSA (http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=253351&postcount=33) alone is a very bad complication.

rikkitikkitavi · Jun 23, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

ironorehopper said:
MRSA (http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=253351&postcount=33) alone is a very bad complication.

Do we know if he acquired MRSA after being admitted to the hospital for flu symptoms? The article just quoted seems to suggest that he was already infected with MRSA:

By the time Matthew entered the hospital, he was seriously ill with the flu, as well as co-infected with a type of bacteria known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, according to health officials.

Or maybe I'm reading that wrong. Thoughts?

Giuseppe · Jun 23, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

rikkitikkitavi said:
Do we know if he acquired MRSA after being admitted to the hospital for flu symptoms? The article just quoted (see direct link here: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/711734.html?imw=Y) seems to suggest that he was already infected with MRSA:

By the time Matthew entered the hospital, he was seriously ill with the flu, as well as co-infected with a type of bacteria known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, according to health officials.

Or maybe I'm reading that wrong. Thoughts?

Irrespective of the timing of MRSA colonization, the invasion by this pathogen is a severe complication both in seasonal and pandemic flu.

rikkitikkitavi · Jun 23, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

ironorehopper said:
Irrespective of the timing of MRSA colonization, the invasion by this pathogen is a severe complication both in seasonal and pandemic flu.

I guess I'm trying to understand if the flu made this kid more susceptible to acquiring MRSA or if, in some sense, the MRSA infection was a "pre-existing condition."

Incidentally, it's remarkable that the article mentions that other child in Buffalo who's also critically ill is also coinfected with MRSA.

HenryN · Jun 24, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

Swine flu hits home

Teen?s shocking death underscores need to take all necessary precautions

Updated: 06/24/09 6:55 AM
Somewhere between complacency and panic comes vigilance. And that is what is necessary in dealing with the threat of a strain of influenza that Saturday claimed the life of a Buffalo teenager.
A culture that has virtually rid itself of the diseases that routinely struck and often killed the children of previous generations is genuinely shocked by the loss of any child to the H1N1 virus, popularly known as the swine flu. In the experience of most of us, the flu is an annoyance, not a potentially fatal affliction.
But humanity has not cleansed the world of all of its microscopic hazards, nor is it likely to ever do so. And the duty to protect ourselves and our children from this and other diseases cannot be left to doctors, public health officials or the schools. It is a responsibility that belongs to individuals and families as much as to any public official.
Buffalo school officials have properly expressed sadness and offered counseling in the wake of the loss of 15-year-old Matthew Davis, a student at Harvey Austin School 97. But their main concern is, as it should be, to do what they can to prevent the disease from spreading further.
The district briefly closed its Riverside Institute of Technology after a cluster of H1N1 cases was reported there. Its correct policy is to notify all parents and staff when a case of the flu is reported at any of its buildings, to sanitize those buildings and the buses that serve them according to standards established by the Erie County Health Department.
The district also bans people with a confirmed case of the swine flu from coming to school?or to any school-related summer program?for seven days after the report and for another 24 hours after they appear to be free of all symptoms. Short of pushing the panic button and closing all schools, that is about all the district can be expected to do.
The rest of the responsibility falls to us. This strain of flu is new. Knowledge of how to stop its spread is not.
Eat well. Sleep well. Drink lots of fluids. Cover your face when you sneeze or cough, preferably with a tissue that you promptly throw away. If you are well, stay away from sick people. If you are sick, stay away from well people.
And wash your hands. A lot. In a culture where most parents work and everyone is afraid of losing their jobs if they appear unreliable, the stay-home part of the anti-flu advice can be the hardest to follow. But it is necessary, and so much a part of federal health officials? plan that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching a major ?Stay Home!? campaign, complete with downloadable buttons for everybody?s Web site or Facebook page (www.cdc.gov/socialmedia).
The disease is officially a global pandemic, which means it is everywhere and could strike anyone. But the impact can be greatly minimized if everyone will follow the commonsense recommendations of health officials and, when necessary, just stay home.


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HenryN · Jun 24, 2009

Re: Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

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H1N1, MRSA can be
dangerous combination

Many of us are carriers of Staph

Updated: Tuesday, 23 Jun 2009, 6:53 PM EDT

Published : Tuesday, 23 Jun 2009, 6:53 PM EDT

Peter Ostrow

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Swine Flu and MRSA claimed the life of a teenage boy in western New York. The two infections can be a dangerous combination.
Most cases of influenza are not severe. But when influenza is combined with another infection, the patient may be in danger. With Swine Flu, that dangerous combination involves a bacteria called Staph Aureus.
Many of us are carriers of Staph.
Doctor Howard Faden of Women and Children's Hospital said, "About a third of the people walking around have Staph Aureus in their nose. And so they're not sick with it, this is a normal place for the Staph to live in the body."
The dangerous variety of Staph is MRSA - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.
Dr. Faden said, "These bacteria have the potential to produce pneumonia, and that's what happens whan you have influenza. The influenza interferes with the ability to clear these bacteria. The bacteria get into the lung, and then patients develop severe pneumonia in conjunction with their influenza infection."
MRSA often causes skin abscesses, and several members of a family may be affected. It can be treated, so if a MRSA patient's relative develops flu, the doctor needs to know.
Dr. Faden said, "You need to tell the physicians who are seeing the child who has Swine Flu that somebody else in the family has MRSA."
Dr. Faden is Director of the Virology laboratory at Women and Children's Hospital where initial testing for flu virus is done. To date, they've had 36 confirmed cases of Swine Flu, and he is preparing for many more during next fall's flu season.
Dr. Faden said, "Expectations are that this is going to continue and become the dominant influenza virus in the upcoming season. So we think it's going to become an even bigger issue."
Flu season usually ends in April. Swine Flu has kept going, probably because this is a new virus, and many people are susceptible to it, but, by itself, it's not as severe as ordinary flu.
News 4's Don Postles asked, "But since it's continuing, what happens during the summer? We've had kids out of school, sometimes a school has been closed. What about summer camps or day care?"
Dr. Peter Ostrow said, "We need to keep doing the things that will reduce the spread. If a child is ill he shouldn't go to camp or day care. If an adult is ill, don't go to work; don't go to church. Stay away from group settings if you have a respiratory illness."

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/health/health_news/h1n1_mrsa_can_be_dangerous_combination_090623

Buffalo boy with H1N1 virus has died

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