BY JOHN VALENTI | john.valenti@newsday.com
<DD>7:04 AM EDT, May 19, 2009 </DD>A 16-month-old boy, who died late Monday night at Elmhurst General Hospital in Queens, is suspected of being the second swine flu fatality in New York City, a hospital spokesman told Newsday.
A brother and a cousin of the dead child, who was described only as "an Hispanic male" from Corona, also have been taken to the hospital with suspected cases of the H1N1 virus.
Hospital spokesman Dario Centorcelli said Tuesday that the 16-month-old was brought to the hospital at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday with a high fever and was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m.
He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta must conduct tests to verify whether the child died as a result of the swine flu virus. "We're waiting for those results," he said.
The dead boy's brother is 3 years old, Centorcelli told Newsday. The cousin is 1, he said.
The first confirmed swine flu death in New York City occurred Sunday, when Mitchell Wiener, 55, an assistant principal at IS 238 in Hollis, Queens, died at Flushing Hospital Medical Center from the virus.
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<DD>7:04 AM EDT, May 19, 2009 </DD>A 16-month-old boy, who died late Monday night at Elmhurst General Hospital in Queens, is suspected of being the second swine flu fatality in New York City, a hospital spokesman told Newsday.
A brother and a cousin of the dead child, who was described only as "an Hispanic male" from Corona, also have been taken to the hospital with suspected cases of the H1N1 virus.
Hospital spokesman Dario Centorcelli said Tuesday that the 16-month-old was brought to the hospital at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday with a high fever and was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m.
He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta must conduct tests to verify whether the child died as a result of the swine flu virus. "We're waiting for those results," he said.
The dead boy's brother is 3 years old, Centorcelli told Newsday. The cousin is 1, he said.
The first confirmed swine flu death in New York City occurred Sunday, when Mitchell Wiener, 55, an assistant principal at IS 238 in Hollis, Queens, died at Flushing Hospital Medical Center from the virus.
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Sounds like 1918 all over again. If the media doesn't bury this story - this might be the catalyst for some serious questions to begin being asked publicly. This flu is hitting a new level it seems - is there any recent data on the genetics of the NY strain? Is it becoming more virulent already? Or is this just the numbers catching up with us?
