Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

State's only swine flu death still a mystery

http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...ill_a_mystery/

Originally Posted by www.boston.com

The only person known to have died of swine flu in Massachusetts suffered from none of the underlying medical conditions that can turn a relatively mild viral infection into a life-threatening illness, city disease trackers disclosed yesterday.

The finding deepens the mystery around the June 14 death of a 30-year-old Boston woman who arrived at Boston Medical Center already gravely ill from symptoms associated with the respiratory disease, known by the scientific designation H1N1.

Investigators with the Boston Public Health Commission delved through medical records obtained from the woman’s primary care physician, hunting for clues that might explain her precipitous decline.

But there was no evidence she had ever been diagnosed with asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or any other chronic malady known to intensify the risk of dying from a flu virus.

In patients with such persistent conditions, the flu virus can exacerbate the underlying disease - causing a lethal asthma attack, for instance - or exploit an already battered immune system.

The city’s review will be shared with disease specialists at state and federal health agencies, providing another piece in the emerging portrait of a germ that has swept the globe in two months.

“H1N1 is a novel virus, and while we work to prevent severe illness and death, we are also gathering information to better understand the patterns associated with this virus,’’ said Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the city health agency.

“It is known to us that otherwise absolutely healthy people have, in fact, unfortunately died from influenza. It is rare, but it does, in fact, happen.’’

City health authorities said the woman’s medical files indicated she had dealt with health issues, although none particularly unusual for a person of her age.

Officials declined to identify the woman or to provide further details of her medical history, citing patient confidentiality laws.

Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the vast majority of the 87 swine flu deaths in the nation have been reported in adults and children with existing medical problems.

But Dr. David Ozonoff, a Boston University School of Public Health professor who presides over an online flu encyclopedia, highlighted World Health Organization estimates that between one-third and one-half of swine flu fatalities were among those otherwise healthy before they were stricken with the virus.

More than 21,000 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the United States, with nearly 1,300 in Massachusetts. That is regarded as only a small fraction of the total. Most cases are mild and not reported.

Overwhelmingly, the germ has proved most troublesome to younger adults and children, unlike the seasonal flu, which disproportionately harms the aged. That, Ozonoff said, suggests that the immune systems of the young are like blank slates, with no memory of how to respond to viruses from the family that includes swine flu.

It has been several decades since an H1N1 flu strain circulated widely.

“They’re sort of defenseless,’’ Ozonoff said. “And it’s possible it may be more severe in this younger group because there’s not the kind of immune reaction to it’’ that might happen with the more familiar seasonal strains that have circulated in recent years, he said.

Disease researchers know that even with the seasonal flu, healthy people can be felled by the virus. An irreversible cascade of illness can be unleashed, with secondary pneumonia infections proving deadly.

“More times than not, people with pneumonia can experience severe respiratory distress,’’ the CDC’s Skinner said. “And it gets to the point that they’re unable to overcome the secondary infections that accompany severe cases of influenza.’’

The health commission’s Ferrer said disease detectives from Boston to Atlanta, home of the CDC, will continue to scour the medical records of the Boston woman, searching for overlooked clues that might explain the behavior of the virus.

Maybe, Ferrer said, there is something in the Boston woman’s medical background that mirrors the health history of other patients killed by swine flu, even though they harbored none of the recognized risk factors.

“We need to make sure we’re not missing any pieces here,’’ Ferrer said.

(hat tip PFI/Monotreme)

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Originally Posted by lamazeteacher

Any time such a tragic thing as an unexpected death of a six year old occurs, the media need to come together for information, so the "whisper game" doesn't start. How awful for the parents. However I imagine the little girl was in her own bed, with her loving parents close by, thinking she was going to sleep..

A very difficult story to read of the death of a child in Brampton, Canada.

This is the same six year old child that we knew about. It appears that she did not die at home. She was seen by health care providers twice before dying in their car.

I cannot even imagine how painful this must have been for her parents.


http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/499643

Originally Posted by news.guelphmercury.com

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.

(flutrackers/theforeigner)

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Oregon

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index...flu_death.html

Kids do not normally die of flu near the end of June, and we are not seeing people over 65 years old dying from H1N1.

Just pointing out the obvious here in response to this somewhat dismissive report.

Originally Posted by www.oregonlive.com

Oregon health authorities have confirmed the state's second known death -- in a young Marion County child -- from the new H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu.

The child, identified only as "younger than 5 years old," died June 15, and infection with the swine flu virus was confirmed by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory Tuesday. The child had "no known underlying medical conditions and a two-day history of fever," and was not hospitalized, officials said.

The Oregon Department of Human Services posted the information online but did not send out a formal news release. "We're in this quandary," said DHS spokesman Jim Sellers. "We have 400 deaths a year from seasonal flu in Oregon, and we don't want to alarm people."

(hat tip flutrackers/skatman)

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Things appear to be getting stickier. I just wonder how much longer they are going to try to placate the public with "don't worry, unless you have health problems you will be fine." We aren't stupid. We realize they are trying not to panic the population, but at what cost. People will go about their days not worrying ENOUGH about it till it is too late. Even my mom and brother this past week kept trying to blow it off. Their temps came and went over 3 days. I never saw a chest become so loose, moist and productive SO fast-within 6 hours of the first sign of sore throat. What I don't understand is why I haven't gotten it yet. I mean I have been around them alot. They got it within hours of each other-do NOT underestimate this thing. I was shoving mucinex at them round the clock when their sinuses were blocked and when they were trying to get the gunk out of their chests. Sure I don't know they had it but they had every symptom. They wanted to brush it away as a cold. I told my mom have you ever seen me get a cough that loose so quickly? She had always kept me updated as a child to my coughs! "Wow, it is a pretty harsh cough-but it will loosen and you will get that gunk out eventually--then 3 days later--"wow your cough is really loosening up--you will get that stuff moving out." This hit hard and fast and we have to prepare. Or you will find yourself at home without soup, medicine, or popsicles! I stocked up expecting to be next and I am still waiting. Sorry to digress. Just thought I would add in their experiences. I never saw my mom so miserable. She is usually a martyr, but she was saying, "oh GOd!" and when she slept it was almost agonal breathing. Thank goodness she has had the pneumovax shot-maybe it helped because she is starting to feel better. I stayed in the room with her for fear it could turn on a dime. She refused to go to a Dr but I had the phone next to me to dial 911 if needed.

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Oregon

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...t_11596349.htm

Originally Posted by news.xinhuanet.com

Public health authorities in the U.S. state of Oregon have confirmed that a young child recently died from the A/H1N1 flu, the second such death in the state, local media reported on Wednesday.

The child, who had no known underlying medical conditions and a two-day history of fever, passed away on June 15, The Oregonian newspaper said.

The case was confirmed Tuesday by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory.

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Chicago

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1...e62609.article

Two more deaths announced, one of which had no prior health problems. Forty seven is still a young age to be dying of flu.

Originally Posted by www.suntimes.com

A 54-year-old woman was hospitalized June 2 and died June 10. A 47-year-old woman was hospitalized June 20 and died June 23.

The older woman had other known medical problems, but the younger woman didn’t.

Chicago has seen more than 1,000 diagnosed cases of swine flu. Health officials say there are probably many more undiagnosed cases.

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Indigo Girl, You have put a lot of work into this thread. One of the questions that I have is when was the last time a H1N1 virus was doing its rounds? I'm curious because some of the articles above mention that the older the person is the less likely to die from this flu. If this is a new mutation of the virus, why would anyone born after 1918 have any immunity to it at all?

I saw something somewhere that decendants of the plagues in Europe (1300-1800) are showing immunity to other conditions (AIDS or Flu, I can't remember). Would this be some wierd inherited immunity?

I'll try and find something. If I do I will post it.

It is sad to see young, healthy kids die so quickly. I, like everyone else dread the coming of the fall. I work in psych and one of the concerns is that these people as under a lot of stress, take meds that are hard on their bodies and when they are sick enough to be hospitalized, they generally are not very good at the whole hygene thing.

We had a terrible cold/flu like thing going around patients and staff in Feb. I was off work for a week. I don't usually take that long to get going again. I have to wonder if this was an H1N1 infection.

Enough for tonight. I will do some homework and see what I can come up with.

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Kenosha County, Wisconsin

http://www.wisn.com/health/19888291/detail.html

Originally Posted by www.wisn.com

Health investigators are looking into the death of Bradford High School baseball star Sam Schissel to determine whether or not it is related to H1N1. Wisconsin officially has four H1N1 flu deaths, three in Milwaukee and one in Wausau. Tests will determine whether the death of the healthy Kenosha County teenager is the state’s fifth.

“We were lucky to have him for 18 years, and he impacted so many lives,” Sam’s father, Jim Schissel said.
Jim Schissel said Sam had been sick for about 10 days and appeared to be recovering when Saturday morning he stopped breathing. He died the day before his 19th birthday.


Jim Schissel said his son was the picture of health before developing flu like symptoms that developed into pneumonia.
An autopsy will determine what happened but Jim Schissel said he's wondered if it was the H1N1 flu.

Three of the people who've died from H1N1 in Wisconsin had pneumonia and the fourth had pneumonia-like symptoms.

The Kenosha hospital said they have forwarded the case along to the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s office and they will perform and autopsy.

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasur...gns_that_s.php

Originally Posted by scienceblogs.com

In children, signs that need urgent medical attention include fast breathing or trouble breathing; blueish or gray skin color; not drinking enough fluids; severe, persistent vomiting; not waking up or not interacting.; being so irritable that the child doesn't want to be held; and flu-like symptoms improve, but then return later with a fever and a worse cough. Those are warning signs we physicians think about all the time, with respiratory infections. And they're good to have in mind with this new influenza-like illness caused by the novel H1N1 strain. Just good things for parents to have in the back of their mind.

In adults, we look at another set of warning signs that suggest the need for urgent medical attention: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen; sudden dizziness, confusion, persistent or severe vomiting that doesn't go away; and flu-like symptoms that improve, but then come back again with a fever or worsening of cough.

(Statement by Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC Press Briefing, May 28, 2009)

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Originally Posted by Morning-glory

One of the questions that I have is when was the last time a H1N1 virus was doing its rounds? I'm curious because some of the articles above mention that the older the person is the less likely to die from this flu. If this is a new mutation of the virus, why would anyone born after 1918 have any immunity to it at all?

No one has a good answer just some general observations such as in the link below:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...inefluhistory/

(hat tip flutrackers/chuck)

Re: No Prior Existing Conditions but Dead Anyway

Thanks.

Makes sense that because it was around as late as 1977, that us older folks would have had some exposure to it, therefore some immunity.