First flu death in Pietermaritzburg

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=27023

First flu death in PMB
24 Aug 2009
Sphumelele Mngoma

THE H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, has claimed its first death in Pietermaritzburg.

Jessica Dunne (nee Oliver), who was from Winterton and worked at the Drakensberg Boys? Choir School, was seven months pregnant when she was admitted to St Anne?s Hospital. She died on Saturday afternoon after a lengthy stay in hospital.

The hospital yesterday refused to confirm that Dunne?s death was linked to H1N1 flu, citing patient confidentiality.

The Witness has learnt that hospital staff who cared for Dunne are devastated. ?They did everything possible to help her and we did not stop praying for her,? one staff member told The Witness.

The Witness understands that Dunne?s baby was delivered by Caesarean section on Thursday at 29 weeks. According to the source, the doctors were thinking about the baby?s health.

Hospital manager Louis Joubert confirmed that the baby was delivered on Thursday and is still in hospital, but declined to comment further.

The Witness has learnt that the baby is a boy named Josh.

Yesterday, condolences poured in from as far away as Australia on Dunne?s page on social networking site Facebook.

Dunne?s friends posted emotional messages for her family.

One friend described her as a star, an awesome friend and as having a ?huge laugh?, which brought life to those around her.

Efforts by The Witness to contact her parents were unsuccessful, and her husband Shaun said he did not want to speak to the media.

However, posted on Dunne?s Facebook page under ?Jessica Dunne Memorial and Prayer Group?, the family wrote: ?This is to remember a beautiful daughter, wife, sister, mother and friend who passed away today (22/08/09). May she rest in peace with our Father above ..."



A Facebook group set up in remembrance of Jessica Dunne had over 450 members by yesterday afternoon.

The Jessica Dunne Memorial and Prayer group carried

People from the close community of Estcourt where Jessica grew up sent their support as well as those from further afield.

Gia Bromfield wrote ?Jess I can still see you at our house and I can still hear your laughter as if it was yesterday. Your precious little Josh will know how brave his mommy was. And now you and all the angels in heaven are watching him from up above. Rest in peace my dear friend. To Jess?s whole family we are praying for you through this very difficult time.?

Kagiso Zwane wrote ?Jessica, I never forget your huge laugh, it brought the Drakie campus to life. You were an awesome friend, knowing you was privilege. I hope that Josh will go through life knowing what a star his mother was and the amount of people she touched. Love ALWAYS.?

Lianne van Coller wrote ?To Michelle, Jeff and the Dunne family, our condolences on the tragic loss of a beautiful ballerina, daughter, sister wife mother and friend. She will be greatly missed. We dont know your pain right now, but know that you are in our prayers, especially little Josh. God has chosen another blossoming flower for his gorgeous garden. God Bless you all.?

Others registered their shock on their own Facebook walls.

[Shiloh]

Re: First flu death in Pietermaritzburg

Source: http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1055016

Third-trimester danger
Nivashni Nair and Sashni Pather Published:Aug 25, 2009

?Treat pregnant women before tests?


FAMILY and friends of Jessica Dunne, who died from swine flu on Saturday, were praying yesterday for her four-day-old son.

Joshua Dunne, delivered at 29 weeks by Caesarean section, is in the neonatal intensive care unit of Pietermaritzburg?s St Anne?s Hospital. Tests are being conducted to determine if he has contracted the deadly variant of the H1N1 virus.

His mother, a teacher from Winterton, worked at the Drakensberg Boys? Choir School.

KwaZulu-Natal health spokes- man Chris Maxon said: ?We confirm that this is Pietermaritzburg?s first death from swine flu. There are no other available details because Mrs Dunne was treated at a private hospital, which is obligated to only inform us if a patient dies from swine flu.?

Dunne is one of nine pregnant South African women who have died from swine flu after contracting it in their third trimester.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases yesterday said 18 South Africans have so far died of the virus ? 5118 people have contracted the disease.

The institute said the third tri- mester of pregnancy had been identified as high-risk period in many countries battling the pandemic.

Responding to the latest figures, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi urged pregnant women to seek treatment even before they are tested for the N1H1 virus.

?Treat the symptoms before you know because pregnant women fall into the vulnerable group that are more susceptible to this virus and it has proven to be deadly,? he said at a press conference in Johannesburg yesterday, following his return from an H1N1 conference in China?s capital Beijing.

Motsoaledi said laboratories were struggling to keep pace with the growing demand for tests.

?People who have the means are testing even when they don?t have symptoms and are clogging up the system.

?Results, which usually are processed in a day, are taking a week due to backlogs,? he said.

?So pregnant women, and other susceptible groups, like diabetics, need to get treatment when they start showing the symptoms.?

He said the Beijing conference had highlighted the fact that the elderly are least affected by the virus and that younger, seemingly healthy people were dying.

Motsoaledi said he has approached the national Treasury for an extra R30-million to buy more of the antiviral drug Tamiflu. ? Additional reporting by Harriet McLea and Sapa

[Shiloh]

Re: First flu death in Pietermaritzburg

Source: http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=27320

Flu death: Berg choir sets out the facts
28 Aug 2009
Sphumelele Mngoma

THE Drakensberg Boys? Choir School (DBCS) has labelled media reports about the death of its employee, Jessica Dunne, from H1N1 flu as inaccurate.

A statement from the KZN Health Department earlier in the week said Dunne had been ill since August 2 as a result of coming into contact with a boy who had just returned to the school from Botswana.

Dunne, who was pregnant, was the rector?s assistant.

The department said Dunne also took in a boy from a visiting Gauteng choir school, who had fallen ill and remains ill.

This week, The Witness received an anonymous call from someone claiming that Dunne looked after the sick child and had cleaned up his vomit.

The caller questioned why a sick child was taken to a pregnant woman.

However, DBCS spokesman Brad Glasspoole has rejected these reports.

He said a choir from the Pacific Boys? Choir Academy arrived at the DBCS on July 19 after the two schools had performed in Johannesburg.

The visitors left four days later. Dunne and her husband, Shaun, hosted the visiting academic dean and managing director of the choir and her guest.

Glasspoole said one of the visiting choristers fell ill and was cared for in the Dunnes? home by the Pacific staff member.

He said DBCS drew up a timeline after Dunne was admitted to hospital to see if the Pacific visit could have been the source of her illness.

However, the choir left on July 23, and Dunne fell ill on August 2, more than seven days later, Seven days is the incubation period for H1N1 flu.