Posted on 06/24/2009 8:04:24 AM PDT by metmom
Within minutes, six-year-old Rubjit Thindal went from happily chatting in the back seat of the car to collapsing and dying in her father's arms.
"If we had known it was so serious, we would have called 911,'' Kuldip Thindal, Rubjit's distraught mother, said in Punjabi yesterday. "She just had a stomach ache -- she wasn't even crying.''
Rubjit was pronounced dead at hospital barely 24 hours after showing signs of a fever. Later, doctors told her parents she had the H1N1 influenza virus. She is believed to be the youngest person in Canada with the virus to have died.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.guelphmercury.com ...
Details on the previously reported 10th death in Maryland
http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=83462
HAGERSTOWN, MD - A truck driver from Hagerstown with four children is Washington County’s first victim of the swine flu.
Kendall Stoner, 45, died at Washington County Hospital on Sunday.
“Wednesday, I took him to the ER,” his wife Lisa told NBC25. “In 11 days, he lost his life.”
She says he first complained of a sore throat and fatigue. It turned into pneumonia and then congestive heart failure.
Lisa Stoner says her husband was very conscious of germs and constantly carried hand sanitizer.
“Even that didn’t save his life,” she said.
an interesting discussion about ECMO on Allnurses.com
http://allnurses.com/pandemic-flu-forum/ecmo-will-we-410682-page6.html
I hope your son is feeling better today .
Prayers :)
ID - CULDESAC, Idaho. - The Culdesac School District has canceled school for the remainder of the week following a 50 percent absentee rate among elementary-age students. http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=11308118
DE - SPRINGFIELD — About 30 percent of the students at Delaware Elementary School have flu-like symptoms and were absent on Tuesday. To try to keep the flu from spreading further, the district decided to close the school the rest of the week. http://www.ky3.com/news/local/64125727.html
WI - The Ashwaubenon school district said Tuesday it’s dealing with a flu outbreak but it won’t close its high school. The district says nearly 30 percent of the high school student body was out ill Monday, a majority of them describing symptoms of H1N1 flu. http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=11308610
MO - At Delaware Elementary, 30% of the student population has been absent the past three days due to flu-like symptoms. That, coupled with the high number of medically fragile students at Delaware Elementary, prompted Springfield Public School officials to dismiss classes at the school until Monday. http://www.ksmu.org/content/view/5365/66/
IN - In LaPorte County, one school system reported roughly 30 percent of middle school students out sick – and their absences are being attributed to swine flu. And in St. Joseph County, two schools have reported to the Health Department absence rates over 20 percent. http://www.wndu.com/hometop/headlines/64159102.html
TX - “We have a high number out with cases of influenza virus and a few of the H1N1 virus and it has hit us hard,” Oakwood ISD Superintendent Richard Scoggin said. “Monday, we had about 18 percent out, today (Tuesday) it got worse — we had one-fourth of our students out.” http://www.palestineherald.com/local/local_story_286184858.html
TN - Director Pete Swafford says Sequatchie County Schools will be closed for the remainder of the week (Oct. 14 to Oct. 16) due to high absenteeism related to illness. http://www.newschannel9.com/news/illness-985538-schools-oct.html
VA - VIRGINIA BEACH After 80 students stayed home sick on Tuesday, St. Matthew’s School Principal Barbara White decided it was best to close the parochial school for an extra day to give the students a chance to recuperate. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/10/virginia-beach-school-close-while-students-recuperate
Did 2000 school strike stop spread of flu?
By Ofri Ilani
Israel’s relatively low rate of flu infection in 2000 may well be attributed to a teachers’ strike, a new study suggests.
The two-week strike for higher pay was held in January 2000. A study conducted by Dr. Anthony Heiman, chief of the community health department at the Maccabi health maintenance organization, found the strike has been instrumental in blocking a flu epidemic that year
The study, published in Epidemiology and Infection, was based on data collected from Maccabi doctors, which indicated closing schools forced a sharp decline in the number of flu-related visits to them in the two weeks of the strike.
The strike reduced flu not only among students, but also among their parents, teachers and the general public. “We wanted to check whether closing the schools during an epidemic lowers infection rates among adults as well,” Heiman said. “We’ve seen a very sharp drop in flu cases among children, but we’ve also seen a general decline among parents and even families with no children.”
“By closing a school you actually stop the virus transmittance process, affecting wider circles of the public. Sometimes strikes have positive effects,” he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1120621.html
So far, so good. Based on what I am seeing now, I am guessing he just had a virus before, and this is the real deal. I’m able to manage the fever with ibuprofen, and he is staying hydrated. Thank you for the prayers. :)
Thanks.
3 Swine Flu Cases Cause Heart Concerns
http://www.click2houston.com/health/212800048/detail.html
By Elizabeth Scarborough
POSTED: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
UPDATED: 6:54 am CDT October 13, 2009
HOUSTON — There’s new fear that people with the swine flu could be at risk for heart failure, KPRC Local 2 reported Monday.
Dr. Barry Diner works in emergency medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital, where in the last week they’ve seen a disturbing trend.
“There’s been three cases that also developed into heart failure,” said Diner.
thanks , for the update & prayer sent your way :)
Swine flu already hitting W. Wash. communities
05:36 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 13, 2009
By ERIC WILKINSON / KING5 News
Video: Puyallup sees spike in swine flu cases
PUYALLUP, Wash. - The Flesher family from Puyallup is among the latest to test positive for swine flu. The family’s two children, ages 6 and 5, were diagnosed with the virus Tuesday, according to their grandmother Dotty Flesher.
“I thought, ‘This is unreal. Not us!” said Flesher. “I thought where did we go, where did we get it, where have we been, what did we touch?’”
The three “Woodcreek” clinics in Puyallup have reported a startling 179 likely H1N1 cases in one week.
Statewide, between April and September 19th, state health officials say there have been 174 hospitalizations due to swine flu. In the two weeks between september 19th and october 3rd there were already 96 hospitalizations.
Health officials attribute some of that to kids being back in school, but they’re concerned about H1N1 hitting so hard so early.
“We don’t know where the peak is for H1N1,” says Pierce County Health Department spokesman John Britt. “We’re certainly at the very front end of the epidemic.”
There have been spotty shortages of tamiflu reported at various pharmacies around the region - but health officials say there is no need for concern and there should be plenty of both the vaccine and tamiflu to go around.
As for the flesher kids, they’re expected to be okay - and grandma says to heed her advice.
“Get kids on the medication as soon as you can. But they have to be diagnosed soon enough. That’s so important. Get them to the doctor and get them tested.
So, in the end it’s still a crap shoot and you still have to rely on gut instinct. Couple that with governments you can’t trust....
God help us all.
October 13, 2009 at 11:36 am
Just reported now By Dr True Ott who reports a caller phoning into his show yesterday after he went off-air to report his daughter who is the sickest now she has ever been in her life, only a few days after receiving her MedImmune H1N1 nasal mist vaccine a few days ago.
Yes , I agree with you it is a crap shoot .
The swine flu reminds me of a person playing Russian roulette .
This was an interesting article that I posted
IV Vitamin C Used to Recover Terminal Swine Flu Case
September 24 2009
North Carolina - 50 y.o. man with underlying medical conditions
Flu Hitting Eastern Carolina Hard
The swine flu is beginning to take a toll on local communities across Eastern Carolina, including another related death.
Posted: 4:26 AM Oct 14, 2009
Four North Carolinians died last week from the flu, and there’s word that one of those deaths happened in Eastern Carolina.
A 50 year-old man died from complications of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, at Lenoir Memorial Hospital Friday. The Lenoir County Health Department says the man had other underlying health problems, that his death was flu-related, but not the actual cause of his death.
Meanwhile the flu is also starting to affect school systems.
Edenton-Chowan schools reported that more than 300 students were out sick Tuesday, which is about 13 percent of their total student population, according to the Daily Advance. The paper says the students were reported sick with flu-like symptoms and elementary schools are the hardest hit. The Edenton-Chowan County Superintendent has sent a letter home to parents.
http://www.witn.com/health/headlines/64197177.html
Utah children at higher risk when H1N1 swine flu strikes
Health care » The state’s unusual pneumococcal bacteria strains can pose hazard with flu.
By Lisa Rosetta
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 10/14/2009 08:50:56 AM MDT
Andrew Pavia, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah. Utah children who are at high risk for developing complications from the flu may be worse off than children in other states.
That’s because certain serotypes — or strains — of pneumococcal bacteria unique to the state aren’t targeted by Prevnar, a routine, recommended vaccine given to children born after 2000, said Carrie Byington, a University of Utah professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases.
And research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows such infections, when combined with the H1N1 flu, can cause severe illness.
The number of Utahns who fall ill from pneumococcal bacteria strains not covered by the shot have risen rapidly, said Byington, who is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 12-person infectious diseases committee. Those strains likely account for Utah’s uncommonly high numbers of complicated bacterial pneumonia — an area of intense research at the U., she added.
While most children’s hospitals around the country see five or fewer cases in a year, she said, Utah’s Primary Children’s Medical Center sees about 100.
“It makes us very concerned because we know pneumonia increases during influenza season,” she said. “So we have real concern for kids in Utah getting through this season.”
The CDC recently reported another 19 children have died from the flu — 16 were confirmed as H1N1 and three were unspecified influenza A, but likely to be H1N1. That brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed H1N1 pediatric deaths in the U.S. since April to 76.
The federal agency has analyzed the 36 pediatric deaths that occurred between April and early August. Among the 23 children whose laboratory results were reported, bacterial infections were confirmed in 10 of them — or 43 percent.
Those children included all six youths who were older than age 5 years and had no underlying health conditions. That indicates a bacterial infection, in combination with H1N1, can result in severe illness in children who might be otherwise healthy, the CDC noted.
During the first wave of the H1N1 outbreak last spring, an unusually high number of Utah children — 21 — were hospitalized with complicated bacterial pneumonia, Byington said. That number is expected to be even higher this fall, when both the H1N1 and seasonal flu strains are circulating at full winter strength.
A new vaccine — Prevnar 13 — is being developed by Wyeth and will cover the 13 most prevalent types of pneumococcal bacteria. But it likely won’t be released until the end of this year, Byington said.
In the meantime, there are steps parents can take to protect high-risk children from bacterial infections related to the flu, said Andrew Pavia, chief of the U.’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and a professor of pediatrics.
Pavia urges parents to be aware of whether their child is at increased risk for complications and death. Children under 5 are more likely to have problems, according to the CDC. The younger they are, the higher the risk, Pavia said.
An underlying medical condition — heart disease, asthma, diabetes or a severe developmental delay, for example — should also be a red flag.
One step to protect them: Seek out a protective vaccine called Pneumovax 23, for children 2 and older. The vaccine covers the 23 most prevalent types of pneumococcal bacteria, including the six that most frequently cause invasisve drug-resistant pneumococcal infections.
The doctors stress, however, that the supply of Pneumovax is limited and in most cases, pediatricians will reserve it for children with underlying health conditions.
Also, when such children fall ill, parents should promptly speak with their doctor. “For some kids at the highest risk, we want to start treating them right away,” Pavia said.
In most of the pediatric deaths examined by the CDC, treatment with antiviral medication wasn’t started until after two days, Byington said. That means it’s critical to get a high-risk child, or any child showing symptoms of serious complications, to a doctor within the first 48 hours.
Still, when to seek treatment isn’t straightforward. About 70 percent of the children who died from H1N1 had an underlying medical condition, which means 30 percent didn’t, CDC data shows.
Parents looking for warning signs of serious complications should be alert to signs that a child is dehydrated or having difficulty breathing, Byington said. If a child’s color changes or he or she has seizures, urgent care is needed.
For children with less serious symptoms, however, care at home may be enough. That includes offering acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, to reduce fever, plenty of fluids and rest, and keeping an ill child out of school or day care.
Byington noted parents should steer clear of aspirin and products that contain it, including Pepto-Bismol, which can cause liver problems.
And prevention is key. Pavia urges parents to get their children the H1N1 vaccine, which he said was more thoroughly tested than the average seasonal flu shot. Parents should be concerned, but level-headed, he said. “There seem to be two responses: We either panic or we blow it off, and the right response is somewhere in between,” he said. “People should be concerned: take precautions, get vaccinated, practice good hygiene to protect themselves. But on the other hand, we don’t want to spread panic, because it doesn’t warrant panic
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13554666
Report from ABC’s Nightline about critically ill children with H1N1.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8823225
http://www.wbbm780.com/Alderman—force-parents-to-get-kids-flu-vaccinated/5437804
Alderman: force parents to get kids flu vaccinated
Craig Dellimore, Political Editor Reporting
WBBM Newsradio 780
CHICAGO (WBBM) — A Chicago Alderman is suggesting that parents be forced to get flu vaccines for their children.
City Health officials admit not every parent is getting the flu vaccine for H1N1 and the seasonal flu for their kids. Some are afraid to, but doctors say it would be harder for the flu to spread of everone were immunized.
Alderman George Cardenas questions why the City couldn’t make the immunizations mandatory for Public school children. He says he thinks it is truly necessary, and government could help those parents who can’t afford it.
Contents of this site are Copyright 2009 by WBBM.
That happens here, my kids will be homeschooled, thank you very much.
I know exactly how you feel !
this is a good website to lurk & read about the swine flu
http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewforum.php?f=1
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