2 more swine flu-related deaths reported in Nevada

The Associated Press

Posted: 07/31/2009 10:04:09 AM PDT

LAS VEGAS—Health officials are reporting two more deaths in Nevada related to swine flu.

Southern Nevada Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore says a 73-year-old man with underlying health conditions died Monday.

A 35-year-old woman who was in the hospital for two months died on July 24. Thomas Wilson, Sabrina Gibson's father, says his daughter was diagnosed with swine flu and was cured of it, but she suffered massive internal bleeding and lung failure.

The deaths bring the number of swine flu-related deaths in Nevada to six.

Earlier in July health officials reported the deaths of a 47-year-old man with underlying medical conditions and a 51-year-old man. In June, health officials reported the death of a 33-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman who was a New York state resident.

Pregnant women are likely to be among the first groups recommended to receive the vaccine

Pregnant women are likely to be among the first groups recommended to receive the vaccine for the new H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu, because of their unusually high risk of dying from an infection. Of the 266 U.S. swine-flu-related deaths for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detailed information, 15 were pregnant women, the Associated Press reported this morning. That amounts to 6% of the deaths, although pregnant women account for only 1% of the population. Most of the women were healthy before they contracted the virus.

The CDC's advisory committee on vaccination will meet in Atlanta on Wednesday to set priorities for who should receive the new vaccine, which may begin to be available by October. The group is expected to follow a recommendation from the World Health Organization that healthcare workers, who are on the front lines of caring for infected patients, be the first to receive the vaccine. It now seems likely that pregnant women will be next.

Pregnant women have long been known to be at increased risk for adverse effects from seasonal influenza, and health authorities recommend every year that all pregnant women be vaccinated. Even so, only about an estimated 15% receive the shots. The women are thought to be at risk of developing pneumonia -- and dying -- because of changes to their lungs and immune system that are a normal part of pregnancy, and many physicians fear that the risk is even higher with H1N1. In fact, British and Swiss health authorities have notoriously argued that women should pospone getting pregnant until after the pandemic has passed.

The vaccine protects not only the mother but also her baby. A study conducted in Bangladesh and reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last year found that vaccination for seasonal flu reduced flu in infants by 63%.

EGYPT: First swine flu death confirmed

EGYPT: First swine flu death confirmed

Los Angeles Times

A 25-year-old woman became the first Egyptian to die of swine flu after she caught the H1N1 virus while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian Ministry of Health announced. Samah El Sayed Selim flew to Mecca in early July and days later was diagnosed with the virus. She didn’t respond to medical treatments in the kingdom and returned to Egypt last week.

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Date: July 11, 2009
Publication: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA) Page Number: B1 Word Count: 217

A 43-year-old Cobb County woman has become the first Georgian to die from the new strain of swine flu, health officials said Friday. The woman, who suffered from other health problems, died Thursday morning at Emory University Hospital after being hospitalized for two weeks, said Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner of the state Department of Community Health. Authorities did not disclose the victims identity or the way in which she contracted the swine flu.Meanwhile, federal health

The Obama administration put the states on notice about swine flu vaccinations expected this fall, and President Obama phoned in the exclamation point from Italy.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is among Cabinet officials leading a swine flu summit in suburban Washington with 500 state and local officials today. The Associated Press is on the scene and reports that the goal is to drive home the point that swine flu (H1N1) vaccinations are likely to be ready this fall with the looming threat of the disease's resurgence, so states should figure out now how to deliver them.

“We want to make sure we are not promoting panic, but we are promoting vigilance and preparation,” Obama said in a phone call from Italy, where he is engaged in a summit on other issues with world leaders.

Back in Bethesda, Md., Sebelius told the meeting that no final decision has been made on vaccination. But studies with experimental doses of the new swine flu vaccine are set to start in early August, to see whether they're safe and seem to work. If all goes well, some vaccine could start to roll out in mid-October, she said.

The government estimates that 1 million Americans have been infected with the never-before-seen virus; about 170 have died.

(Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg News)

Orange County's 5 swine flu deaths most in Calif.

The Associated Press

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Health officials say five people have died of swine flu in Orange County, more than any other county in California.

County health officials on Tuesday did not provide details about the recent deaths. Last month, they reported the first victim was a middle-aged man with pre-existing medical conditions.

The county has had 387 confirmed cases of swine flu.

State officials say overall 23 people have died from the swine flu and 233 have been hospitalized.

San Diego County has reported four swine flu deaths, while Contra Costa and San Mateo counties have each had three.

San Quentin H1N1 Quarantine Expanded

A limited quarantine imposed at San Quentin State Prison last week because of four probable cases of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, has now been expanded to quarantine 2,100 inmates, a prison health care spokesman said Monday.

The quarantine began last week after four inmates suffering from an out-of-season flu were found to have a 97 percent chance of having the H1N1 virus and 26 others showed potential symptoms of the virus.

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What can be done to protect children from flu-associated illness and death?

Vaccination remains the best method for preventing flu and its potentially severe complications in children. There are two types of vaccines that protect against the flu. The "flu shot" is an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) approved for use among people 6 months of age or older, including healthy people and those with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease). The nasal-spray flu vaccine (sometimes referred to as LAIV for Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine or FluMist®) contains attenuated (weakened) live viruses, and is administered by nasal sprayer. It is approved for use only among healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant. Children under 6 months old can become very sick from the flu, but they are too young to get a flu vaccine. The best way to protect young children is to make sure that their household members and their caregivers are vaccinated.

Children 6 months to 9 years of age getting a flu shot for the first time will need two doses of vaccine the first year they are vaccinated, with the first dose ideally being given in September. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose. The first dose "primes" the immune system; the second dose provides immune protection. Keep this in mind if your child needs the two doses – begin the process early. It usually takes about two weeks after the second dose for protection to begin.

Vaccination should begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available. Though it varies, the flu season can last as late as May and sporadic cases of flu occur year round. For more information, see http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/children.htm.

* "Healthy" indicates persons who do not have an underlying medical condition that predisposes them to influenza complications.

**The most up-to-date influenza surveillance summaries can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivity.htm.

reference: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/season.htm

CDC: U.S. swine flu cases rise to nearly 34,000

About four out of five of the swine flu deaths to date were adults aged 25 or older, although seven of the most recent deaths were children, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC officials believe those cases -- which sought treatment and underwent testing -- are just the tip of the iceberg. They estimate more than 1 million Americans have been infected with the virus so far, though many probably had only a mild illness. Swine flu is the predominant flu type circulating currently, with ten states reporting widespread cases. The states are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.