Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

[wotan]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

:tiphat: Aeolus:
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=272585&postcount=1

http://www.wlwt.com/health/20195033/detail.html

Woman Dies From Viral Infection That Killed Brother

Dearborn Co. Siblings Killed By H1N1 Infections

POSTED: 6:23 pm EDT July 27, 2009
UPDATED: 6:25 pm EDT July 27, 2009


<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.wlwt.com/_public/js/features/storyTools/storyTools-min.js"></script><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="storyTD" valign="top"><link href="http://www.wlwt.com/css/13260803/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"><!--startindex-->CINCINNATI -- An Indiana woman died Monday from H1N1, the same virus that killed her brother last month.Relatives confirmed that 26-year-old Mindy McIntosh, of Dearborn County, had lost her battle with the viral infection.Her 19-year-old brother, Matthew McIntosh, died June 30 from the virus at University Hospital after collapsing near a barn at his family's home.Health officials have not released any information about how the siblings might have contracted the viral infection.Nationally, there have been 170 deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 flu.Physicians said the virus can be prevented using proper hygiene, such as covering coughs and sneezes and thorough hand washing.
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[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

Oh no. I was afraid we were going to read that. I believe this is the first family worldwide to suffer two fatalities in this pandemic, as well as possibly the first instance where a fatal case caught the virus from another fatal case. While it is possible there was a mutation, the presence of milder downstream cases (the father, as well as Kristine and Regina Spielman) tends to discount that. I wonder about genetic predisposition, as well as a couple obvious pre-existing conditions.

I think we know what the name of this thread must become.

 

[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

From Mindy's MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/mindy_juggalette

Jul 27 2009 7:34 PM

R.I.P.Mindy u were a great friend & great person u r gunna missed dearly by so many people! I love u gurl & miss u so much! Hav a safe & enlightened journy 2 shangrila homie! Tell skinny hi & i miss & love him.

 

[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 death of man and critical illness of his sister

Errors in the article: I think they have the wrong date of death for Matt Mcintosh, and they have repeated the darned lie about the barn.

Woman Dies From Viral Infection That Killed Brother

Dearborn Co. Siblings Killed By H1N1 Infections

POSTED: 6:23 pm EDT July 27, 2009
UPDATED: 6:25 pm EDT July 27, 2009


CINCINNATI -- An Indiana woman died Monday from H1N1, the same virus that killed her brother last month.Relatives confirmed that 26-year-old Mindy McIntosh, of Dearborn County, had lost her battle with the viral infection.Her 19-year-old brother, Matthew McIntosh, died June 30 from the virus at University Hospital after collapsing near a barn at his family's home.Health officials have not released any information about how the siblings might have contracted the viral infection.Nationally, there have been 170 deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 flu.Physicians said the virus can be prevented using proper hygiene, such as covering coughs and sneezes and thorough hand washing.

 

[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

More details about Mindy's death. She may have picked up a bacterial co-infection in the hospital, as swelling in the brain would be a new symptom, and she is unlikely to still have active H1N1 virus in her system over a month into the illness.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=10800469&nav=9Tai

Sister of H1N1 flu victim dies in Cincinnati hospital

Updated: July 28, 2009 01:23 AM EDT


Mindy McIntosh (Photo courtesy: WLWT-TV)



Matthew McIntosh died July 5 after battling the H1N1 virus.






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Cincinnati - A third person from Indiana has died from swine flu.

Relatives of 26-year-old Mindy McIntosh of Dearborn County told WLWT-TV in Cincinnati the woman died at University Hospital in Cincinnati. McIntosh had been hospitalized with H1N1 flu, the same virus that killed her 19-year-old brother, Matthew, on July 5.

"Yesterday is when her brain started to swell, and things started going down hill," family friend Mike Dittmer told WLWT.

The television station says the hospital called family and friends around 3 p.m. Monday to update them on McIntosh's change in condition.

Dittmer said McIntosh had been recovering before the sudden reversal in her condition.

"We got up there, everyone said their goodbyes and they turned off the life support," Dittmer told the station. "She was the kindest, sweetest, most loving, happy person out there."

It is still unclear how the siblings contracted the disease. A Lake County resident also died from H1N1 flu earlier this month.

 

[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

The bold statement is a little bizarre. We know they're father lives with them, as he was suspected to be infected with H1N1 also. I hope the bold statement doesn't imply that he too is hospitalized somewhere. An earlier post in this thread indicated that he had recovered. I suspect the bold statement is simply the result of Katrina being a source for the reporter, and Mark not.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090727/NEWS01/307270029/Woman+with+swine+flu+dies#pluckcomments

Woman with swine flu dies
The Enquirer • July 27, 2009

Read Comments(2) • Recommend • Print • ShareThis • Type: A A • Click-2-Listen


An Indiana woman diagnosed with H1N1, or swine, flu died Monday at University Hospital. Officials there confirmed the death of 26-year-old Mindy McIntosh, but said an autopsy will be performed before the cause of death is known.


“She was doing fine, then she took a turn for the worst,” said Greg Reynolds, a nursing supervisor at the hospital.

McIntosh’s brother, Matthew McIntosh, 19, died July 5 from the virus at University Hospital after collapsing near a barn at his family’s home.
The siblings, who live at home with their mother in Dillsboro fell ill in late June.
It is unclear how they contracted the disease since they did not travel out of the country or were exposed to anyone else with the virus.

 

[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

And this one is even more bizarre. Katrina is Matt's mother, not his sister. It is his sister Mindy who was 26 and in critical condition. I think this is an error and this reporter simply used the wrong name, especially because the article says the deceased is 26 and Matt's sister.

Indiana woman dies from swine flu
Staff report
Posted: July 28, 2009. Post a Comment RecommendE-mailPrintShare.A



A .An Indiana woman who had been hospitalized with H1N1 flu died Monday.
Officials at University Hospital in Cincinnati confirmed that Katrina McIntosh, 26, Dillsboro, died but declined to specify a cause of death. Her brother, Matt McIntosh, 19, died from H1N1 flu on July 5.



"She was doing fine, then she took a turn for the worst," said Greg Reynolds, a nursing supervisor at the hospital.
An autopsy will be required to determine the cause of death, officials said.
So far two swine flu deaths have been confirmed in Indiana. In addition to Matt McIntosh, a Lake County resident was reported dead last week. State health officials have not identified that person.
The McIntosh siblings, who live at home with their mother in the Dearborn County community about 40 miles west of Cincinnati, fell ill in late June. It is unclear how they contracted the disease since they did not travel out of the country or were exposed to anyone with the virus.
The Indiana Health Department reports 291 confirmed cases of H1N1 since April. Marion and Lake counties have seen the bulk of the cases, with 107 and 111, respectively. Nationwide, there have been at least 43,771 cases and 302 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

 

[mixin]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

I'm sorry for the family and friends. They have been through a lot with this.

It's especially hard when the loved one seems to be improving and everyone gets their hopes up, then it all goes downhill.

 

[hawkeye]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

I hadn't checked this story for a few days because nothing new was being reported. Like we've stated before, this one hits pretty hard because we followed it so closely.

Alert, thank you for the update and for pointing out the errors in the articles.

 

[Heididoe]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating H1N1 deaths of man and his sister

"More details about Mindy's death. She may have picked up a bacterial co-infection in the hospital, as swelling in the brain would be a new symptom, and she is unlikely to still have active H1N1 virus in her system over a month into the illness."

The 1918 H1N1 also resulted in encephalitis for many sufferers, and by 1919, there were numerous descriptions of survivors with "sleeping sickness". It is interesting that Mindy McIntosh's brain swelling, as well as recent reports of seizures in current flu sufferers might parallel the complications seen in those cases.

 

[Commonground]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

I'm sad to hear this news. My condolences go out to the family and friends of both Matt and Mindy.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

I'm sad to hear this news. My condolences go out to the family and friends of both Matt and Mindy.

Me too.

 

[alert]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=41133@wkrc.dayport.com&navCatId=5

The latest report out of their local TV station. Not too much more information, but mention of possible exposures to the virus. Seems the local health department now is trying to perform contact tracing, but at this point, a month after the possible exposures, all they will likely find is, "Oh yeah, I did have a bad case of flu two weeks ago..."

Also in this report is the clarification that Matt and Mindy lived with BOTH parents, not just the mother. I believe that other reporter was mistaken because he had repeatedly interviewed the mother.

 

[colormyquilt]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

My condolences to the family. How extremely painful.

 

[morningperson]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

My heart goes out to this family.

 

[hawkeye]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

So, it's probably safe to say that Matt and Mindy were just more susceptible to this flu or received a march larger load of flu than they could shed?

http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=41133@wkrc.dayport.com&navCatId=5

The latest report out of their local TV station. Not too much more information, but mention of possible exposures to the virus. Seems the local health department now is trying to perform contact tracing, but at this point, a month after the possible exposures, all they will likely find is, "Oh yeah, I did have a bad case of flu two weeks ago..."

Also in this report is the clarification that Matt and Mindy lived with BOTH parents, not just the mother. I believe that other reporter was mistaken because he had repeatedly interviewed the mother.

 

[Rainbow Lake]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating mysterious death of man and critical illness of his sister

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Doctors investigating mysterious death of man and critical illness of his sister

This story has now gone completely dead for over 24 hours. Not a single mention in any media source. I hope the reason for this is HIPAA (I think a lot of HIPAA violations were committed in releasing the names and medical status of the patients), and not a media blackout or worse.

This could certainly be Pandemic H1N1, in which case we only need to explain why the cases were so severe (and possibly also why Matt coughed up blood - I haven't read any other source citing that as an H1N1 symptom).

On the other hand, the incubation period seems a little long for flu. Kristine's last exposure to Matt was on 6/27 when he coughed up blood at a performance of their band. She didn't take ill until 7/5, 8 days later. And it appears Matt's father took ill even after her. Also, Matt was hospitalized on 6/29 or earlier. It has been 10 days now and his death is still undiagnosed. That's a bad sign. The report of a positve rapid test for influenza A on Mindy might be a false positive.

The lack of further information here is a little troubling.

Coughing up blood was a symptom when the Spanish Flu turned nasty in August 1918 (it was very similar to swine flu in its presentation during the spring of 1918). There was also bleeding from the nose and ears in some patients (as well as from other areas of the body in some people).

The fact that the people alive today who were exposed to the Spanish Flu have immunity to A/H1N1 should make us pay close attention to how the Spanish Flu unfolded and how symptoms manifested. I recommend "The Great Influenza" for those who are interested.

 

[Chuck]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

http://www.wcpo.com/content/special...n-Of-Local-Couple/rJXO9k15XkiFrl6cqp0feg.cspx


Swine Flu Claims Both Children Of Local Couple
Reported by: Tom McKee
Email: tmckee@wcpo.com
Photographed By: Terry Helmer
Last Update: 2:13 am

Three weeks ago Mark and Katrina McIntosh were a happy Dearborn County family sharing life's experiences with their daughter Mindy, 26, and son, Matt, 19.

Now, it's just the two of them because of swine flu.

Mindy died from complications of the illness Monday at University Hospital in Cincinnati. Matt lost his battle with the disease July 5.

"We sure had some cute kids," Katrina lamented Tuesday while gazing at photos of her offspring.

Katrina said Mindy's condition began improving last week, but her first question shook her mother's soul.

"Where's my brother?," she asked. Mindy didn't know that Matt had died.

"Don't tell me that," Katrina recalled her daughter sobbing. "She threw her arms around me and we cried a little bit together. We'd laugh and then we'd cry."

Mindy began asking for solid food and was getting her voice back.

"Saturday was the best day of my life," her mother recalled. "We talked and cried and held hands about Matt.?

Things went downhill Sunday.

Now, Mark and Katrina are planning their second funeral in three weeks and coping with the enormity of their loss.

"It's going to take a long time. They were our only two children," Katrina said, with moist eyes as Mark sat nearby gently sobbing. "Mark yesterday gave me a little kiss and said 'It's just me and you, kid.'"

Pastor Jeremy Russell of the Emanuel Lutheran Church in Greendale was with the McIntoshs when Mindy died.

Now, he's wrestling with words to determine which ones to use in Mindy's funeral service.

One inspiration is a call he received from the 26-year-old this past Saturday while attending a youth conference in New Orleans.

"I said 'I love you, Mindy,' and the last thing she said to me was "I love you, Pastor,'" he recalled Tuesday, sitting in his office.

For Matt's service, Pastor Russell said he began by saying he's angry with God because the young man was only 19-years-old.

This time, he's going to tell the family it's not fair.

"There's no way this can be fair to Katrina and Mark to lose both their children," he plans to say. "God is crying with them. He's just as sad as they are.?

Moving forward will mean learning to live your faith, Pastor Russell added, "The God of love is there wrapping his arms around you."

Visitation is Thursday evening from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.and from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Friday morning at Emanuel Lutheran Church, located at 570 North Sheldon Street in Greendale. The funeral is Friday at 11:00 a.m. at the church.

A benefit is planned for the family this Saturday from 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Lesko Park in Aurora. That would have been Matt's 20th birthday.

While Mark and Katrina say they still don't know how their children contracted swine flu, they do have advice for other parents.

"Wash your hands," Katrina pleaded.

There was other advice as well.

"We never leave the house without saying 'I love you,'" she added, "because you don't know if that's the last thing you might hear."

Pastor Russell had another suggestion when he said, "If you come across someone in your life that has lost a child ? give them a hug."
Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

[silvergirl]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

"We sure had some cute kids" I think that is one of the saddest things I have ever read. Oh! Awful. I must say though that some of the articles show just how misinformed the media still is-the media ought to be more enlightened. The media said 'they don't know where they got the virus from. They hadn't travelled out of the country or been around anyone with the flu.' IT IS IN THE USA-they don't have to travel out of the country! Jeez! And, they could be around anyone in a grocery store-strangers to pick up the flu! I mean really how dumb is that? The media saying "they don't know where they got it from". It is everywhere people. This is the medias chance to tell people that it is here and not going away. Instead they throw up their hands and say "uh I dunno". It is about time we all realized it isn't going anywhere. I can only hope the loss of these two souls will alert others to how serious this really is.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Indiana/Ohio: Two Siblings Die of Swine Flu, ages 19 & 26

Source: http://www.wlwt.com/news/20256093/detail.html

Community Rallies Behind Grieving Couple
McIntosh Family Loses Son, Daughter To H1N1 Virus

POSTED: 1:23 pm EDT August 2, 2009
UPDATED: 1:44 pm EDT August 2, 2009

CINCINNATI -- A community is helping a couple deal with the loss of their son and daughter.

The McIntosh family lost their son Matt, 19, to the H1N1 virus weeks ago. Then their daughter Mindy, 26, succumbed to the virus recently.

Mindy fought the virus for a month but died earlier this week.

On Saturday night, people came out to help the family celebrate the lives of the couple's children and to help them cover medical and funeral costs.

The family said the outpouring of support is helping them get by.

"The people who have shown up and the support that we got, it's just amazing. There are people I don't know here. I know they probably knew my children but it's just overwhelming for both of us -- it really is," Katrina McIntosh, mother, said.

The event featured raffles, games, horse rides and more.

Matt's band even played in honor of their friend.

Anyone who would like to help the family can make a donation in their name at any Friendship State bank.