Likely H1N1 deaths in Ontario, London area

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2009/11/04/11634966.html

Likely H1N1 deaths in London area

By KATE DUBINSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS

Last Updated: 4th November 2009, 2:55pm

A two-month old infant and two people in their 70s from the London area have died, likely from the H1N1 virus, the Middlesex-London Health Unit has just announced.

This is Ontario?s first infant death linked to the virus. A man and a woman in their 70s who died had multiple underlying medical conditions.

Infants under six-months and people over 65 are not considered at high risk for the H1N1 virus.

?We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones,? said Dr. Graham Pollett, the health unit?s medical officer of health.

?There are the first local deaths we have seen.?

There have been more than 30 deaths in Ontario because of the H1N1 virus since the spring.

Although the exact virus subtype isn?t known yet, the health unit has said it?s likely the new H1N1 strain.

Although household members of babies under six-months are among the high-risk groups encouraged to get vaccinated, infants under six months are not being given the vaccine.

The two-month-old infant is the first child under one-year-old to die in the province.

Those under one have had the highest rate of hospitalization due to influenza-like symptoms in the province, the health unit said.

Seven people over the age of 65 have died from H1N1 in Ontario since Oct. 28.

This age group has the lowest hospitalization rate for the new strain and isn?t considered high risk.

For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.

Kate Dubinski is a Free Press reporter.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Likely H1N1 deaths in London area

Re: Likely H1N1 deaths in London area

London baby, seniors likely died with H1N1

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | 6:59 PM ET

CBC News

Health officials in London, Ont., say a two-month-old baby and two seniors have likely died as a result of the H1N1 virus.

The death of the baby is the first recorded in Ontario for an infant under the age of one, the Middlesex-London Health Unit said Wednesday.

The two seniors who died had a number of underlying health conditions, the health unit said.

?We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones,? Dr. Graham Pollett, medical officer of health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit, said in a release.

Laboratory tests confirmed that all three had contracted Influenza A.

While the exact strain is not yet known, health officials said it was likely H1N1, or swine flu, because it's the only type of Influenza A virus circulating in the community.

It isn't immediately clear when the three died. But the province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Arlene King, said Wednesday that H1N1 was confirmed in 37 deaths in the province ? up four from figures released Monday.

The three are believed to be the first people to die with H1N1 in London.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/11/04/london-h1n1-baby-seniors369.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Likely H1N1 deaths in Ontario, London area

Karen Howlett

Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 7:05PM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 9:14PM EST

<!-- /#credit -->
A two-month-old baby boy in Ontario has died from symptoms of the H1N1 virus.

Graham Pollett, the region's medical officer of health, said Wednesday night that it is likely that the infant had H1N1 because it is the only virus circulating in London. Confirmation would make him the resurgent pandemic's youngest victim in the province.

The infant's parents rushed him to the emergency department of a hospital in the Southwestern Ontario community at 3 a.m. on Monday, and he was pronounced dead on arrival, Dr. Pollett said.

The infant was healthy before coming down with Influenza A, Dr. Pollett said in an interview last night. The tests are under way to determine the exact strain of the virus.

The baby's death is a tragic reminder that people can die from the virus, and that the very young are most at risk, he said. This was the province's first recorded death of a baby under the age of one year from what appears to the H1N1 virus.

?We knew we were going to be hit with deaths, but that does not make it any easier,? Dr. Pollett said.

Two other residents of the city also died this week from symptoms of the H1N1 virus. A man and a woman, both in their 70s, had multiple underlying medical conditions, the Middlesex-London Health Unit said in a statement.

Until this week, London had been spared any casualties as the H1N1 virus spreads rapidly across the country. In Ontario alone, 37 people have died since the first wave of the virus last April.

Dr. Pollett said he does not know when the infant became sick with influenza, but he had not been in hospital. His name has not been released.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life...infant-dies-of-h1n1-in-london/article1351392/

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Likely H1N1 deaths in Ontario, London area

News London
Ontario's first H1N1 infant death
By KATE DUBINSKI, THE LONDON FREE PRESS

Last Updated: 5th November 2009, 6:45pm

Carla Desabrais had just finished breast-feeding her two-month-old son early Monday when she realized something was wrong.

She could see his blue lips, even in the dark room.

After a frantic 911 call, the London woman and her husband jumped in their car and raced to the hospital, honking and flashing their headlights to get vehicles out of the way.

Twenty minutes later, as they sat anxiously in a hospital hallway waiting for the doctor's news, the Desabrais' worst fears were confirmed their baby boy, Ethan, had died.

'Every day is a haze. It's really foggy. Words can't express the feelings that we feel, the emotions that are up and down,' Desabrais said today, hours after the funeral for her baby boy.

Her son, Ethan Bailey Desabrais, became the first baby in Ontario to die of H1N1.

Today, Desabrais and her husband, Billy, spoke out about their loss for the first time.

Two other area residents, both in their 70s, also died over the weekend the region's first H1N1 deaths.

Carla and her husband said they didn't realize the urgency of getting the H1N1 shots, even though their family was in a high-risk group because of the infant.

Now, the couple is urging everyone who can to get their flu shot.

'If I'd known that we should have gotten it, we would have gotten it right away,' said Carla Desabrais.

Both parents and two older children one age 9, the other 18 months had mild flu symptoms before last weekend.

By Sunday evening, little Ethan had a little cough and was slightly congested. Desabrais thought she1d take him to see his pediatrician the next morning.

'We all had symptoms but nothing extreme,' she said. 'Our children are home with us most of the time unless we go grocery shopping or on family outings.

They're mostly home and with the two of us.' Although everyone in the family would have qualified for the H1N1 shot because Ethan was under six months.

By yesterday, both adults and both children had their flu shots.

'I want to suggest to other parents of infants under six months to go and get the vaccine. Even if you don't want to, for your child's life and safety, go get the shot. I'd rather have taken the shot and still have my little boy with me today,' Carla Desabrais said.

The family lives in Limberlost, a public housing complex in London1s northwest.

A flu clinic at Limberlost, for those considered most vulnerable to H1N1, was held Wednesday. More than 70 people were vaccinated as word quickly spread about Ethan's cause of death. The clinic was organized before the community learned how Ethan died.

At first, the family was told he1d died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), they said. Later, their doctor confirmed it was the new flu strain.

'We didn't really understand how bad (H1N1) could be,' said Billy Desabrais.

'I didn't think that it would kill one of my children.' Ethan was a quiet, happy baby, Carla Desabrais said.

'If he was fussy, he either wanted attention or he wanted to be fed. Other than that, he was just content,' she said.

'Sometimes he1d wake up and I didn1t even know it. I'd come back in, and he1s playing with his hands, making his little cooing noises.' Added her husband: 'He was very quiet and he always had a smile. You could hold him or set him down. He was always happy.' The couple is trying to cope the best they can for their other children, Carla Desabrais said.

'What gets me through is my faith in God and having my other two children.

They brighten my day. Ethan is in my heart and he1s missed, but to see (my other two kids1) smiles and their love and their happiness, that carries on their little brother1s love.

Kate Dubinski is a Free Press reporter kate.dubinski@sunmedia.ca
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2009/11/05/11651001.html