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H1N1?s toll on Oklahoma is rising, officials say
new concerns raised by Several more swine flu deaths, dramatic increase in serious cases BY SUSAN SIMPSON Comments 1
Published: October 23, 2009
Thirteen Oklahomans have died from swine flu as the number of serious cases escalates across the state, health officials said Thursday.
"We are still on the front side of the pandemic curve,? state Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said.
Deaths from swine flu in Oklahoma
The first of 13 deaths from swine flu this year occurred in June in Kay County. Since Sept. 1, 12 more deaths have been reported.
? Carter County: Two deaths: a child and a man.
? Cleveland County: Two deaths: a teenage female and a woman.
? Comanche County: One death: a man.
? Kay County: One death: a man.
? Le Flore County: One death: a man.
? Noble County: One death: a man.
? Oklahoma County: One death: a woman.
? Tulsa County: Four deaths: 4-year-old Geato McCarty; 16-year-old LaTowyn Gaston; an adult female and an infant less than 6 months old.
The most recent deaths include a Tulsa infant less than 6 months old, a Le Flore County man, a Noble County man, a Tulsa woman and a Carter County child.
Three of the Oklahoma deaths were the result of secondary infections, such as pneumonia, that flared after flu symptoms subsided, Bradley said.
In these cases, the person?s fever from flu eased, but then returned. When this happens, patients need to immediately seek medical attention because their illness can become deadly within hours, Bradley said.
Children hit hard
The state Health Department reported a dramatic increase in hospitalizations. Officials said 181 Oklahomans were hospitalized last week, bringing the total number since Sept. 1 to 504.
Sixty-one percent of hospitalizations since Sept. 1 have been in patients younger than 19. Of 58 patients admitted to intensive care units, 20 were children.
A sampling of doctor office visits across the state shows that 18 percent of patients seeking treatment reported flu-like illness, officials said.
Oklahoma has received about 120,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine in the past three weeks, far less than was originally anticipated.
The doses have been targeted to schoolchildren and pregnant women and given through county health departments.
"We are frustrated, and our public is anxious and frustrated,? Bradley said.
City clinics planned
The Oklahoma City-County Health Department plans two large immunization clinics Saturday, at U.S. Grant and Southeast high schools. The department?s first clinic last week drew a crowd of about 4,000 people.
The clinics will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and open to pregnant women, children in prekindergarten through 12th grade and those 6 months to 18 years old with underlying health conditions.
Bradley said it?s especially important for children with underlying illnesses such as asthma to get immunized.
Also, pregnant women should be immunized to protect themselves and their unborn babies.
Infants younger than 6 months old can?t be vaccinated
H1N1?s toll on Oklahoma is rising, officials say
new concerns raised by Several more swine flu deaths, dramatic increase in serious cases BY SUSAN SIMPSON Comments 1
Published: October 23, 2009
Thirteen Oklahomans have died from swine flu as the number of serious cases escalates across the state, health officials said Thursday.
"We are still on the front side of the pandemic curve,? state Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said.
Deaths from swine flu in Oklahoma
The first of 13 deaths from swine flu this year occurred in June in Kay County. Since Sept. 1, 12 more deaths have been reported.
? Carter County: Two deaths: a child and a man.
? Cleveland County: Two deaths: a teenage female and a woman.
? Comanche County: One death: a man.
? Kay County: One death: a man.
? Le Flore County: One death: a man.
? Noble County: One death: a man.
? Oklahoma County: One death: a woman.
? Tulsa County: Four deaths: 4-year-old Geato McCarty; 16-year-old LaTowyn Gaston; an adult female and an infant less than 6 months old.
The most recent deaths include a Tulsa infant less than 6 months old, a Le Flore County man, a Noble County man, a Tulsa woman and a Carter County child.
Three of the Oklahoma deaths were the result of secondary infections, such as pneumonia, that flared after flu symptoms subsided, Bradley said.
In these cases, the person?s fever from flu eased, but then returned. When this happens, patients need to immediately seek medical attention because their illness can become deadly within hours, Bradley said.
Children hit hard
The state Health Department reported a dramatic increase in hospitalizations. Officials said 181 Oklahomans were hospitalized last week, bringing the total number since Sept. 1 to 504.
Sixty-one percent of hospitalizations since Sept. 1 have been in patients younger than 19. Of 58 patients admitted to intensive care units, 20 were children.
A sampling of doctor office visits across the state shows that 18 percent of patients seeking treatment reported flu-like illness, officials said.
Oklahoma has received about 120,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine in the past three weeks, far less than was originally anticipated.
The doses have been targeted to schoolchildren and pregnant women and given through county health departments.
"We are frustrated, and our public is anxious and frustrated,? Bradley said.
City clinics planned
The Oklahoma City-County Health Department plans two large immunization clinics Saturday, at U.S. Grant and Southeast high schools. The department?s first clinic last week drew a crowd of about 4,000 people.
The clinics will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and open to pregnant women, children in prekindergarten through 12th grade and those 6 months to 18 years old with underlying health conditions.
Bradley said it?s especially important for children with underlying illnesses such as asthma to get immunized.
Also, pregnant women should be immunized to protect themselves and their unborn babies.
Infants younger than 6 months old can?t be vaccinated