JimO
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Source: http://www.kval.com/news/health/52620362.html
First swine flu death reported in Lane County
By John Tierney KVAL NEWS EUGENE, Ore. ? Lane County has its first confirmed death related to swine flu.
Lane County Public Health Officer Dr. Sarah Hendrickson confirmed the death. She said the patient was middle-aged, from Springfield and had an underlying health condition.
While this is the first death from swine flu in Lane County, Dr. Hendrickson does not expect it to be the last.
?That same old flu that comes around every year kills about 500 Oregonians. This one (swine flu) is probably going to take a little more; we don?t know how many more,? Dr. Hendrickson said.
Still, she says most cases not will be that serious.
?The overwhelming majority of cases will be mild,? she said.
Dr. Hendrickson says H1N1 swine flu seems to particularly affect younger people and pregnant women. People with heart and lung disease or diabetes are also at higher risk.
Older people tend to have more immunity, she said. That?s because many older Americans were exposed to a related flu strain in the mid 20th century and have built immunity.
Flu cases don?t normally show up during the summer, yet public health agencies around the country have been reporting cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That trend is playing out in Lane County.
?We?re going to see a lot of mild flu; we?re seeing it already,? said Dr. Hendrickson. ?It?s going to be a bad flu season.?
First swine flu death reported in Lane County
By John Tierney KVAL NEWS EUGENE, Ore. ? Lane County has its first confirmed death related to swine flu.
Lane County Public Health Officer Dr. Sarah Hendrickson confirmed the death. She said the patient was middle-aged, from Springfield and had an underlying health condition.
While this is the first death from swine flu in Lane County, Dr. Hendrickson does not expect it to be the last.
?That same old flu that comes around every year kills about 500 Oregonians. This one (swine flu) is probably going to take a little more; we don?t know how many more,? Dr. Hendrickson said.
Still, she says most cases not will be that serious.
?The overwhelming majority of cases will be mild,? she said.
Dr. Hendrickson says H1N1 swine flu seems to particularly affect younger people and pregnant women. People with heart and lung disease or diabetes are also at higher risk.
Older people tend to have more immunity, she said. That?s because many older Americans were exposed to a related flu strain in the mid 20th century and have built immunity.
Flu cases don?t normally show up during the summer, yet public health agencies around the country have been reporting cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That trend is playing out in Lane County.
?We?re going to see a lot of mild flu; we?re seeing it already,? said Dr. Hendrickson. ?It?s going to be a bad flu season.?