Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Oct 2, 2009 12:32 pm US/Eastern
More Md. Students Confirmed To Have H1N1
Reporting
Weijia Jiang BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
The first day of October brought great weather and grave concerns throughout Maryland and the country.
For the second time, a Maryland child diagnosed with swine flu has died. Destinee Parker, 14, passed away Tuesday night.
As Weijia Jiang reports, yet another student is now confirmed to have the virus.
News of a confirmed case of H1N1 at Armistead Gardens Elementary School is worrying parents.
Many like Eric Bonnell rushed to pull their kids out of school.
"I'm just mad they didn't close the school and call the parents and tell them to come pick their kids up. I heard it from someone else," said Bonnell.
That fear is easy to understand after news broke that a seemingly healthy 14-year-old girl who attended an East Baltimore school died Tuesday when she contracted the illness.
It's Maryland's ninth victim to die since officials started tracking the disease. Everyday it seems another school is dealing with a confirmed case.
"This is going to be par for the course," said Anne Bailowitz, Baltimore Health Department.
In fact, city health officials estimate as much as 98 percent of the flu going around right now isn't the regular flu, it's the H1N1 strain. All schools have little hope of avoiding it.
"So wherever you go, in whatever school, there are going to be kids that have the flu," said Bailowitz.
In Baltimore City, there have been three confirmed cases and many others suspected.
Howard County says it's had a few confirmed cases. Frederick County confirms one case with more suspected. Carroll County has seen five to six suspected cases.
In fact, most counties, including Baltimore County and Harford County, say H1N1 is so present, they're not even keeping track.
"What we're doing is based on CDC advice is assuming that since it's in our communities it's in our schools," said Debbie Somerville, Baltimore County Schools.
Schools with an H1N1 case are not closing.
The Trust for America's Health, a non-profit organization, is warning there could be a shortage of hospital beds if the H1N1 virus spreads rapidly.
"We have partnered with the state, with local health departments and with other health care agencies to make certain we have the beds, medications, supplies that we need to deal with any kind of a significant outbreak," said Carmela Coyle, Md. Hospital Association.
Maryland health officials say the state's first shipments of the swine flu vaccine should arrive next Tuesday.
But Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary John Colmers said Thursday that first batch of 31,600 doses will be offered mainly to health care workers.
Colmers expects nearly one million doses to arrive this month. That's enough to immunize a third or less of the priority population of about 2.9 million.
Nationwide Maryland is one of 25 states to have placed their H1N1 vaccine orders. An estimated 6 to 7 million doses of vaccine should be out next week, and they should include both shots and the nasal spray form of the vaccine. But the first 600,000 doses, which should be available Tuesday, will all be nasal spray, said officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The federal government covers the cost of the vaccine itself, but some providers may charge an administration fee.
http://wjz.com/health/destinee.parker.h1n1.2.1221909.html
More Md. Students Confirmed To Have H1N1
Reporting
Weijia Jiang BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
The first day of October brought great weather and grave concerns throughout Maryland and the country.
For the second time, a Maryland child diagnosed with swine flu has died. Destinee Parker, 14, passed away Tuesday night.
As Weijia Jiang reports, yet another student is now confirmed to have the virus.
News of a confirmed case of H1N1 at Armistead Gardens Elementary School is worrying parents.
Many like Eric Bonnell rushed to pull their kids out of school.
"I'm just mad they didn't close the school and call the parents and tell them to come pick their kids up. I heard it from someone else," said Bonnell.
That fear is easy to understand after news broke that a seemingly healthy 14-year-old girl who attended an East Baltimore school died Tuesday when she contracted the illness.
It's Maryland's ninth victim to die since officials started tracking the disease. Everyday it seems another school is dealing with a confirmed case.
"This is going to be par for the course," said Anne Bailowitz, Baltimore Health Department.
In fact, city health officials estimate as much as 98 percent of the flu going around right now isn't the regular flu, it's the H1N1 strain. All schools have little hope of avoiding it.
"So wherever you go, in whatever school, there are going to be kids that have the flu," said Bailowitz.
In Baltimore City, there have been three confirmed cases and many others suspected.
Howard County says it's had a few confirmed cases. Frederick County confirms one case with more suspected. Carroll County has seen five to six suspected cases.
In fact, most counties, including Baltimore County and Harford County, say H1N1 is so present, they're not even keeping track.
"What we're doing is based on CDC advice is assuming that since it's in our communities it's in our schools," said Debbie Somerville, Baltimore County Schools.
Schools with an H1N1 case are not closing.
The Trust for America's Health, a non-profit organization, is warning there could be a shortage of hospital beds if the H1N1 virus spreads rapidly.
"We have partnered with the state, with local health departments and with other health care agencies to make certain we have the beds, medications, supplies that we need to deal with any kind of a significant outbreak," said Carmela Coyle, Md. Hospital Association.
Maryland health officials say the state's first shipments of the swine flu vaccine should arrive next Tuesday.
But Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary John Colmers said Thursday that first batch of 31,600 doses will be offered mainly to health care workers.
Colmers expects nearly one million doses to arrive this month. That's enough to immunize a third or less of the priority population of about 2.9 million.
Nationwide Maryland is one of 25 states to have placed their H1N1 vaccine orders. An estimated 6 to 7 million doses of vaccine should be out next week, and they should include both shots and the nasal spray form of the vaccine. But the first 600,000 doses, which should be available Tuesday, will all be nasal spray, said officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The federal government covers the cost of the vaccine itself, but some providers may charge an administration fee.
http://wjz.com/health/destinee.parker.h1n1.2.1221909.html