Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Updated: Monday, December 7, 2009 9:37 p.m. CST
County has H1N1 death
By Donna Barker
PRINCETON ? Bureau County has had its first confirmed H1N1 flu death.
On Monday, Bureau County Health Department Administrator Diana Rawlings said the 42-year-old adult Bureau County resident died several weeks ago, but the H1N1 cause was just recently confirmed.
Due to privacy rights, Rawlings declined to give out any more details on the victim, including whether the person was male or female or if the person had other health issues. The victim did fit into a high priority group, Rawlings said.
So far this year, Bureau County has had 11 confirmed H1N1 flu cases, Rawlings said.
?We do want people to continue to take this H1N1 threat seriously and to take all precautions they can,? Rawlings said. ?Things may have calmed down a bit now, but there is a concern that there could be another wave of illness.?
As far as H1N1 vaccinations for high priority groups, the local health department, area hospitals and doctors offices have given out an estimated 6,000 H1N1 shots this fall.
High priority groups include children and young people ages 6 months through 24 years, pregnant women, emergency responders, medical professionals with direct patient care, those people serving as caregivers of babies less than 6 months, and people ages 25 years to 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from the flu.
Rawlings said the local health department is continuing with a needed second round of H1N1 vaccinations for children ages 6 months through 9 years. Staff hope to have that second round of doses completed at various county schools within the next few days. For children receiving their first H1N1 shot at the Nov. 9 or Nov. 16 clinics at the Princeton Moose Lodge, those parents are to call the health department to schedule their child?s second dose, Rawlings said.
As far as having future H1N1 clinics for non-priority groups, such as people over 64 years, Rawlings said the Illinois Department of Public Health and other state health departments are working with the Center for Disease Control in setting those clinics for non-priority groups.
As soon as approval is received on those clinics, the public will be informed through the local newspapers and other media, Rawlings said.
According to Illinois Department of Public Health statistics, Illinois has seen a decrease in the number of H1N1 outpatient care in recent weeks.
As of Friday, there were 2,187 hospitalizations and 67 deaths due to the H1N1 virus. The hardest hit seasons were during April and May, and again in October.
IDPH Director Dr. Damon Arnold announced trained medical professionals are now available to answer questions about H1N1 flu through the Illinois Flu Hotline. The IDPH has partnered with the Illinois Poison Center to staff the hotline with health care professionals.
?As H1N1 influenza continues to circulate in Illinois, we know people have many questions, especially when it comes to seeking medical treatment,? Arnold said. ?Through our partnership with the Illinois Poison Center, trained medical staff can help callers determine when to see a doctor, if emergency treatment is needed, how to care for sick family members, and when it?s advisable to return to work or school. The more information people have about H1N1 influenza, the better able we are to reduce illness.?
Having the hotline available to handle H1N1 flu questions will also help reduce the number of calls to local health departments, hospitals and health providers, allowing doctors and nurses more time to vaccinate individuals and take care of patients, Arnold said.
The number for the Illinois Flu Hotline is (866) 848-2094 for English and (866) 241-2138 for Spanish. Additional H1N1 flu information can also be found at www.ready.illinois.gov and www.flu.gov.
Arnold also issued a statement warning Illinoisans about a nationwide H1N1 fraudulent e-mail scam. The fraudulent e-mails, or phishing, claim to be from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reference a CDC-sponsored state vaccination program.
Arnold said the IDPH encourages anyone receiving those e-mails to delete them immediately as the CDC has not implemented a state vaccination program requiring registration on www.cdc.gov. Users that click on the e-mail are at risk of having a malicious code installed on their system, he said.
http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2009/12/07/r_uhu9c7ypq7awvl3rt9_mrq/index.xml
County has H1N1 death
By Donna Barker
PRINCETON ? Bureau County has had its first confirmed H1N1 flu death.
On Monday, Bureau County Health Department Administrator Diana Rawlings said the 42-year-old adult Bureau County resident died several weeks ago, but the H1N1 cause was just recently confirmed.
Due to privacy rights, Rawlings declined to give out any more details on the victim, including whether the person was male or female or if the person had other health issues. The victim did fit into a high priority group, Rawlings said.
So far this year, Bureau County has had 11 confirmed H1N1 flu cases, Rawlings said.
?We do want people to continue to take this H1N1 threat seriously and to take all precautions they can,? Rawlings said. ?Things may have calmed down a bit now, but there is a concern that there could be another wave of illness.?
As far as H1N1 vaccinations for high priority groups, the local health department, area hospitals and doctors offices have given out an estimated 6,000 H1N1 shots this fall.
High priority groups include children and young people ages 6 months through 24 years, pregnant women, emergency responders, medical professionals with direct patient care, those people serving as caregivers of babies less than 6 months, and people ages 25 years to 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from the flu.
Rawlings said the local health department is continuing with a needed second round of H1N1 vaccinations for children ages 6 months through 9 years. Staff hope to have that second round of doses completed at various county schools within the next few days. For children receiving their first H1N1 shot at the Nov. 9 or Nov. 16 clinics at the Princeton Moose Lodge, those parents are to call the health department to schedule their child?s second dose, Rawlings said.
As far as having future H1N1 clinics for non-priority groups, such as people over 64 years, Rawlings said the Illinois Department of Public Health and other state health departments are working with the Center for Disease Control in setting those clinics for non-priority groups.
As soon as approval is received on those clinics, the public will be informed through the local newspapers and other media, Rawlings said.
According to Illinois Department of Public Health statistics, Illinois has seen a decrease in the number of H1N1 outpatient care in recent weeks.
As of Friday, there were 2,187 hospitalizations and 67 deaths due to the H1N1 virus. The hardest hit seasons were during April and May, and again in October.
IDPH Director Dr. Damon Arnold announced trained medical professionals are now available to answer questions about H1N1 flu through the Illinois Flu Hotline. The IDPH has partnered with the Illinois Poison Center to staff the hotline with health care professionals.
?As H1N1 influenza continues to circulate in Illinois, we know people have many questions, especially when it comes to seeking medical treatment,? Arnold said. ?Through our partnership with the Illinois Poison Center, trained medical staff can help callers determine when to see a doctor, if emergency treatment is needed, how to care for sick family members, and when it?s advisable to return to work or school. The more information people have about H1N1 influenza, the better able we are to reduce illness.?
Having the hotline available to handle H1N1 flu questions will also help reduce the number of calls to local health departments, hospitals and health providers, allowing doctors and nurses more time to vaccinate individuals and take care of patients, Arnold said.
The number for the Illinois Flu Hotline is (866) 848-2094 for English and (866) 241-2138 for Spanish. Additional H1N1 flu information can also be found at www.ready.illinois.gov and www.flu.gov.
Arnold also issued a statement warning Illinoisans about a nationwide H1N1 fraudulent e-mail scam. The fraudulent e-mails, or phishing, claim to be from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reference a CDC-sponsored state vaccination program.
Arnold said the IDPH encourages anyone receiving those e-mails to delete them immediately as the CDC has not implemented a state vaccination program requiring registration on www.cdc.gov. Users that click on the e-mail are at risk of having a malicious code installed on their system, he said.
http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2009/12/07/r_uhu9c7ypq7awvl3rt9_mrq/index.xml
