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Man with A/H1N1 dies in Alameda County

Shiloh

Shiloh

Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12553411

Man with swine flu-dies in Alameda County

Bay City News Service
Posted: 06/09/2009 11:08:26 AM PDT
Updated: 06/09/2009 11:08:28 AM PDT

Health officials in Alameda County announced today that a middle-aged man with the H1N1 virus in that county has died, becoming the Bay Area's second swine flu-related death.

The man also suffered from chronic health problems, health officials said.

Last week, health officials in Contra Costa County announced that a 9-year-old girl in that county who had tested positive for H1N1 died May 29.
 
Re: Man with A/H1N1 dies in Alameda County

Source: http://www.foxreno.com/news/19703830/detail.html

Second Possible H1N1 Death In Bay Area

Posted: 11:07 am PDT June 9, 2009
OAKLAND, Calif. -- A middle-aged man with chronic health problems infected with the H1N1 virus has become the second potential fatality of the disease in the Bay Area, health officials announced Tuesday.

The announcement came from health officials in Alameda County who gave no other details as to the man's identity.

Last week, a 9-year-old Concord girl infected with the H1N1 flu virus also died. The Contra Costa County coroner's office identified the child as Karen Perez.

Contra Costa Public Health Director Dr. Wendel Brunner said that laboratory tests confirmed that Karen had the H1N1 virus as well as a secondary bacterial infection. The county health department was working with state and federal health officials to determine what role swine flu played in her death.

She was not believed to have had any underlying medical issues, Brunner said.

Health officials have identified about 90 probable cases of swine flu in Contra Costa County through laboratory tests, but the health department stopped testing most suspected cases of the virus several weeks ago. There are likely several hundred people infected with the virus in the county, Brunner said.

The purpose of the testing was to determine whether swine flu was in Contra Costa County and how prevalent it was. Once they found that people throughout the county were coming down with the virus, testing was no longer necessary, Brunner said.

So far, the H1N1 virus does not appear to be more virulent than the seasonal flu virus.

Since the virus was detected in the United States in April, swine flu has been blamed for three deaths in California and at least 20 deaths nationwide, Brunner said.
 
Re: Man with A/H1N1 dies in Alameda County

The San Francisco Chronicle has a few more details.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/09/BA5K183OJI.DTL

Swine flu claims Alameda County man
Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

(06-09) 14:52 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Alameda County health officials today confirmed the county's first swine-flu related death, that of an unidentified middle-aged man with heart and metabolic problems.

The hospital where the man died informed county health officials of the death Monday. Citing privacy laws, the officials declined to release details about the victim, including his age, city of residence, when and where he died.

This is the second death in the Bay Area from swine flu, a strain of influenza Type A otherwise known as the H1N1 virus. Last week, Contra Costa County health officials said a 9-year-old Concord girl, who died May 29, had the swine flu.

The latest victim had other medical problems, but those conditions are not likely to have caused his death, said Dr. Tony Iton, director of the Alameda County Public Health Department.

"The manner in which he died, primarily through respiratory compromise in someone who had underlying heart and metabolic problems, is likely due to the influenza diagnosis he had," he said.

Iton added that the man was hospitalized for the flu, not for his other ailments. He said the man spent "a fair amount of time" in the hospital before his death.

The swine flu has been relatively mild in the United States since the outbreak gained public attention in April. Since then, more than 11,000 confirmed or probable cases have been identified nationwide.

"The death is unfortunate, but it doesn't necessarily suggest a more severe infection," Iton said, adding that more than 200 people die in Alameda County each year from the seasonal flu. "It suggests a more severe consequence in someone who had underlying vulnerabilities."

Alameda County has 48 confirmed and 10 probable cases of the virus. California public health officials said 796 cases have been confirmed in the state and 218 were considered probable as of June 4, the most recent statewide update.

The H1N1 virus is suspected in the deaths of five people in California, including the Alameda County man and an Orange County man, whose death was reported Monday.
 
Re: Man with A/H1N1 dies in Alameda County

Some thoughts and questions about the Alameda County death, which has hit a little too close to home for me. See the SF Chronicle post above for details.

1) Alameda County is right next door to Contra Costa County, where the 9-year old girl died recently (in the city of Concord).

2) Officials have declined to disclose the age and city of residence of the man, or even when he died, and when and where he was hospitalized. Of all of the cases we've been looking at, the level of privacy here seems the most extreme. They released even the name of the 9-year old girl from Concord, for example, as well as the name of her elementary school. I wonder why there is such a difference in the levels of information released in the two cases.

3) As always, we have scant details about the by-now-obligatory "underlying conditions." I wonder what the "metabolic problems" mentioned might be. This is the first time I've heard these invoked.

4) It is remarkable, though, that they are acknowledging that, despite the underlying conditions, the man most likely succumbed to the influenza.
 
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