South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1- CONFIRMED

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.wndu.com/hometop/headlines/63603012.html

Updated: 12:35 PM Oct 6, 2009
South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over swine flu
South Bend, IN
NewsCenter 16 has learned at a South Bend public school student has died and there are concerns it's related to swine flu.
Posted: 12:33 PM Oct 6, 2009

NewsCenter 16 has learned at a South Bend public school student has died and there are concerns it's related to swine flu.

An 11-year-old girl who was a student at South Bend's Clay Intermediate school died overnight. The school is being sanitized later this afternoon.

The school says privacy laws prohibit saying what the child died from right now. When asked if the H1N1 virus played a role, school officials said they didn't know, but they have "concerns."

The student has not been in the building since last Friday and, as we mentioned, the school will be sanitized when students leave this afternoon.

The school system says it is taking steps to make certain students are physically and emotionally safe. Social workers are in the building to meet with students and a letter is being sent home to parents about the death.

We'll have much more on this story beginning on NewsCenter 16 at 5.

[Shiloh]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1

Source: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/21219071/detail.html

State Investigates Suspected Flu-Related Death
Unclear If Person Had Seasonal, H1N1 Flu

POSTED: 3:28 pm EDT October 6, 2009
UPDATED: 3:45 pm EDT October 6, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- State health officials are investigating a suspected flu-related death in northern Indiana.

The St. Joseph County resident likely died from flu-related complications, health officials said Tuesday in a news release. Additional information about the person's death wasn't immediately released.

"I was saddened to hear of this death, and my heart goes out to the family," said State Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe. "This is a grim reminder influenza always has the potential to be very serious and even cause death."

[Chuck]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091006/News01/910069968/-1/XML

Superintendent: District taking precautions after Clay Intermediate student's death
Kapsa say H1N1 concerns guide response until official cause confirmed

Tribune Staff Report

SOUTH BEND ? South Bend school officials are taking all necessary precautions following the death of an 11-year-old Clay Intermediate Center student.

Mercedes Lewis, a sixth-grade student at Clay Intermediate Center, died about 12:55 a.m. this morning at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, according to St. Joseph County Deputy Coroner Chuck Hurley.

Hospital personnel admitted the girl to the emergency room Monday morning with symptoms that included a sore throat, Hurley said.

She was reportedly healthy prior to Monday.

An autopsy is scheduled for this afternoon, Hurley said, and should be finished by 4 p.m., though results of certain tests might not be available for several days.

Speaking Monday at a news conference at Clay Intermediate, South Bend schools Superintendent James Kapsa said that in light of concerns about H1N1, all necessary precautions are being taken until a cause of death is confirmed.

The precautions include:

# The sanitation of all sixth-grade classrooms;

# The sanitation of stairwells and railings throughout the school; and

# Hand sanitizer for all classrooms.

These precautions are in accordance with state Board of Health recommendations, Kapsa said.

The school was notified of Lewis' death about 7:05 a.m. today by the girl's parents, Clay Principal James Knight said.

The entire school was notified at the beginning of the day, Knight said, and social workers are available for students.

[Shiloh]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1

Source: http://www.southbendtribune.com/arti...910069915/1130

South Bend girl's death might be H1N1
Health officials investigate, school takes precautions after death of 11-year-old Clay Intermediate student.

By ERIN BLASKO
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND - School officials are taking precautions after the death of an 11-year-old Clay Intermediate Center student from suspected influenza complications.

Sixth-grader Mercedes Lewis died about 12:55 a.m. Tuesday at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, according to St. Joseph County Deputy Coroner Chuck Hurley.

Hospital personnel admitted the girl to the emergency room Monday morning with symptoms including a sore throat, Hurley said.

She was reportedly healthy before Monday, with no underlying medical conditions.

Diane Stover, Memorial Hospital spokeswoman, confirmed a child younger than 18 died at the hospital Tuesday morning of ?suspected influenza-associated complications.?

Stover said a sample for testing was provided to the State Department of Health, and that results are expected to be available Wednesday.

An autopsy was completed Tuesday afternoon, Hurley said, but was inconclusive as to the cause of death. Laboratory test results are pending, he said.

Speaking Tuesday at a news conference at Clay Intermediate, South Bend schools Superintendent James Kapsa said that in light of concerns about H1N1, or swine flu, all necessary precautions are being taken until a cause of death is confirmed.

The precautions include:

# The sanitation of all sixth-grade classrooms;


# The sanitation of stairwells and railings throughout the school; and


# Hand sanitizer for all classrooms.


The measures are in accordance with St. Joseph County Health Department and Centers for Disease Control recommendations, Kapsa said.

In addition, he said, the school corporation provided Clay Intermediate with additional social workers Tuesday, to counsel distraught students.

Clay Intermediate Principal James Knight, appearing alongside Kapsa, described the school's mood Tuesday as ?somber.?

?A number of students are very distraught and upset,? Knight said.

Knight said notes would be sent home with students notifying parents of Lewis' death and the school's response.

Jean Ketcham, mother of 11-year-old Sam Brockman, a classmate of Lewis, had just received the note Tuesday afternoon upon picking her son up from the school.

?Sadness, first and foremost,? she said of her reaction to the news, ?and concern for (Lewis') family and the welfare of all the (school) children.?

?But I also have a lot of faith in the principal and superintendent,? Ketcham said, ?and I know they have the best interests of the children in mind.?

Sam, a sixth-grader, said he did not know Lewis but that some of his friends did and were very upset about her death.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Kelly Jolliff, county health department epidemiologist, said influenza activity is ?continuing to increase? but that deaths from pneumonia and influenza remain low.

?We don't want any residents to be panicked or over-concerned,? she said, adding that about 37,000 Americans die annually from seasonal flu.

Jolliff said the health department has received 2,600 doses of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine, and that the vaccine will be distributed to local providers in the coming days.

The injectable vaccine will likely not be available until early November, she said.

Both forms initially will only be available to targeted groups, including children; young adults; caregivers of children younger than 6 months; pregnant women; and health care and emergency medical personnel.

Individuals with complications related to asthma are not good candidates for the nasal spray vaccine, Jolliff said, because it could aggravate asthma symptoms.

If Lewis' death is confirmed to be H1N1-related, it would be the first such death reported in St. Joseph County since the outbreak of the novel strain earlier this year.

Staff writer Erin Blasko:
eblasko@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6187

[Shiloh]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1

Source: http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?id=1148836

Flu Likely Cause of 11-Year-Old's Death
By Eric Berman
10/7/2009

State health officials expect confirmation late Wednesday or early Thursday that flu is to blame for the death of an 11-year-old South Bend girl.

Listen:


Mercedes Lewis died early Tuesday less than 24 hours after symptoms first appeared. State health commissioner Judy Monroe says the sudden onset of symptoms is typical of flu.

The state is also awaiting confirmation of which flu strain is to blame. But Monroe says right now, about 98 percent of all flu cases are the new H1N1 strain, because the customary flu season hasn't started yet. She expects more seasonal flu cases this winter.

Monroe says most H1N1 cases have been mild. Lewis's death would be the fifth in Indiana from the new strain. But normal, seasonal flu causes 1,100 deaths a year in Indiana, and the arrival of the new strain serves as a warning to take precautions.

Health officials say the single best preventive measure you can take is to wash your hands regularly. Monroe suggests teaching kids how to use hand-sanitizing gel, and sending them to school with a bottle of it in their backpack.

[Pathfinder]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1

South Bend girl?s death sparks concern about H1N1

DUSTIN GROVE, WSBT-TV Reporter
Story Updated: Oct 7, 2009 at 7:35 PM EDT

SOUTH BEND ―

Local doctor?s offices and health clinics have been flooded with calls from people concerned about the flu after the death of a South Bend sixth-grader on Tuesday.

Mercedes Lewis, 11, was admitted to the hospital Monday with the flu. Health officials are investigating to determine whether she had H1N1 and if it was, in fact, the flu that killed her.

The South Bend Clinic is taking anywhere from 100 to 300 calls an hour from concerned parents and other patients. Doctors say there is reason to take the flu seriously, but certainly not to panic.

Dr. Jesse Hsieh works for the South Bend Clinic and says the H1N1 virus has actually been in the community for about a month, and that most influenza type A cases are H1N1. But he said it has gone under the radar because most cases are mild ― no worse than the regular seasonal flu.

On Wednesday, doctors and nurses met to discuss how to handle all the concern. They are posting links on their clinic websites to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.wsbt.com/health/healthystyle/63707707.html

[Shiloh]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1- CONFIRMED

Source: http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/india...091008_2940793

5th H1N1 death confirmed in Indiana

Updated: Thursday, 08 Oct 2009, 3:20 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 08 Oct 2009, 3:19 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indiana Health Department Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe confirmed the state?s fifth H1N1 death.

Mercedes Lewis, 11, from South Bend was taken to the hospital on Monday suffering from symptoms including a sore throat. Lewis died on Tuesday.

She was a 6th grade student at Clay Intermediate Center.

[Pathfinder]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1- CONFIRMED

There Are Certain H1N1 Symptoms Parents Should Not Ignore

10 Oct
Posted by Braniff Watson as Health

by Braniff Watson

The sudden death of a South Bend girl this week most likely due to the H1N1 virus shows just how serious this sickness might be. And it?s leading parents to ask this question : How will I know if this virus is threatening my kid?s life?

The answer to this question is that there?s one crucial thing you can target : your kid?s breathing?For some reason that looks to be happening a touch more often with this strain of flu than the common seasonal influenza,? declared Dr Ries. Dr Ries is with the North American Health Network practice in Fishers.

A sixth-grader in South Bend, Mercedes Lewis, died on Tuesday morning after being admitted to the local hospital Monday morning. The girl allegedly was healthy before Monday. , without any other medical problems. ?She was loved significantly by not only me, her uncles, her grandparents ; I mean she was significantly loved by everyone,? asserted the girl?s aunt.

The girl allegedly was healthy before Monday without any other medical issues. ?She was loved significantly by not only me, her uncles, her grandparents ; I mean she was seriously loved by everyone,? claimed the girl?s aunt.

The Indiana Office of Health reported Tuesday that it was investigating a suspected death from flu-related complications in St Joseph County.

He emphasized the difference between flu symptoms a child will likely work through on his own and those that will likely need medical treatment.

?They?re going to have coughing either way, they?re going to have some coughing spells, but if they seem okay between the coughing spells and do all right, then they?re probably going to do okay, said Dr. Ries. But if they have a high fever, a lot of cough, again, get them to the doctor. Let?s find out because we can put them on some medicine to shorten that course right now, especially for the children.

http://healtharticlescentral.com/2009/10/10/there-are-certain-h1n1-symptoms-parents-should-not-ignore/

[Pathfinder]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1- CONFIRMED

South Bend schools lay out flu outbreak plans

Posted: Oct 12, 2009 9:46 PM CDT

South Bend school leaders are laying out their plan to cut down on the spread of the swine flu. The board met with the Common Council Monday night to discuss their new initatives.

The meeting comes in the wake of last week's death of an 11-year-old Clay Intermediate student.

School officials say they've been proactive with not only students and school employees, but the parents as well.

"It's just important we take all of these steps and we put them into place and take them seriously. We also know we have to practice these things for quite some time," says

Ellis says, its just important we take all of these steps and we put them into place and take them seriously, and we also know we have to practice these things for quite some time," says Rosalin Ellis, South Bend Schools Executive Director of student services.

Changes include requiring teachers to take their kids to wash their hands at least four times a day. They also have a new area where kids that show flu-like symptoms at school are quarantined until their parents arrive.

The School board has posted all of these initiatives on their Web site at http://www.sbcsc.k12.in.us/

http://www.fox28.com/global/story.asp?s=11301974

[Pathfinder]

Re: South Bend intermediate student dies, concerns over A/H1N1- CONFIRMED

Benefit helps raise money for girl who died from H1N1

By Kristin Bien

Story Created: Nov 28, 2009 at 7:10 PM EST
Story Updated: Nov 28, 2009 at 8:37 PM EST

MISHAWAKA ? Family and friends remembered Mercedes Lewis Saturday with a fundraiser. The 11-year-old was the first victim of H1N1 flu in Saint Joseph County.

"It is hard to talk about because everything happened so fast," said mother Annette Lewis.

Lewis heard a lot about H1N1 in the months leading up to October 6, but never did she think the illness would take her daughter.

"Never had we thought when we took her to the hospital that she wouldn't be coming home."

Mercedes was a student at Clay Intermediate School in South Bend. She was just starting sixth grade. Her family says the weekend before her death she came down with a sore throat. On Monday, they took her to the hospital, and by Tuesday morning, she was gone.

"I am glad I was there. I said I watched her come into the world and I watched her go out. Most fathers can't say that. I was a part of her life for all 11 years. So I am happy of that," said father Jovan Lewis.

Saturday's benefit was to raise enough money to help the family with funeral expenses and a headstone. The family hopes to make the benefit an annual event and money will go toward a scholarship fund.

"She sent me a message on MySpace that said, you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. That is what keeps my strong," said Annette Lewis.

The family is still not sure how Mercedes caught H1N1. They had their other children tested and no one else was positive for the illness.

<!--startclickprintexclude-->Mercedes Lewis, 11, was the first St. Joseph County victim of the H1N1 flu. (Photo provided)

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/77820987.html