Utah 2009-2010 Flu Season

[Laidback Al]

Utah Bureau of Epidemiology

http://health.utah.gov/epi/SwineFlu/

[JimO]

Utah DOH Reports Total of 14 Deaths

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/sitrep070809.pdf

Status summary as of Wednesday, July 8:
Utah Public health is reporting:

268 hospitalized cases of Pandemic A (H1N1) Flu (that is 23 more hospitalized cases than on 7/1).

14 individuals have died.

Influenza-like illness (ILI) rates in Utah for the last week are going down, but are still slightly above the epidemic threshold.

At this time, all indicators suggest that the outbreak has peaked in Utah.

[JimO]

Re: Utah DOH Reports Total of 14 Deaths

Source: http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-fo...,6355187.story

Four More Swine Flu Deaths Reported in Utah
Jared Preusz Web Content Producer
4:34 PM MDT, July 8, 2009

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Health Department announced that there are now four more swine flu deaths in the Beehive State within the last week. The total number of deaths from the H1N1 flu now stand at 14 and there are now 268 confirmed hospitalized cases. Watch FOX 13 News Live at Five and fox13now.com for the latest information on this story.

[JimO]

Utah DOH Reports Total of 16 Deaths

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/sitrep072209.pdf

Status summary as of Wednesday, July 22:
Utah:
Public health is reporting:

292 hospitalized cases of Pandemic A (H1N1) flu,

14 new cases have been reported to public health since July 15, and

Only 6 cases had onset of symptoms in the past week.

Note: there may be a delay in reporting some cases to public
health.

16 individuals have died (one in the past week).

[appleblossom]

Re: Utah DOH Reports Total of 16 Deaths

2 more Utahns die from H1N1 flu
Confirmed hospitalizations climb to 292 in the state.

By Lisa Rosetta
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated:*07/22/2009 05:20:59 PM MDT

Two more Utahns -- both women -- have died from the H1N1 swine flu, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the outbreak last spring to 16, the Utah Department of Health reported Wednesday.

Both were from Salt Lake County and had underlying health conditions, said health department spokesman Tom Hudachko. One woman was between the ages of 18 and 39, and the other, between the ages of 40 and 64.

One of the deaths occurred over the last week, while the other happened previously but was reported during that time.

The total number of confirmed H1N1 hospitalizations in the state, meanwhile, is now at 292 -- 14 higher than the week before.

"Our influenza-like illness rates are below the epidemic threshold. They're continuing to drop," Hudachko said. "We've been saying all along we're going to have additional deaths, we're going to have additional hospitalizations, but the general trend right now suggests the outbreak has peaked and is declining in the state."

Seasonal flu usually claims between 200 and 400 lives, Hudachko said. So far, at least, the number of H1N1-related deaths continues to be well below that. But the virus continues to behave differently, affecting a younger population and actively spreading outside of what is considered the typical flu season.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, there have been 40,617 confirmed U.S. cases of H1N1 flu, and 263 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stopped counting cases by country. It's now suggesting countries adopt different means of risk assessment, including monitoring clusters of severe or fatal infection, unusual clinical patterns, unusual changes in transmission patterns, elevated school absenteeism rates, surges in emergency department visits and indications that health service delivery is under stress.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12893164

[appleblossom]

Re: Utah DOH Reports Total of 16 Deaths

Shiloh


Here's an obituary of one of the most recent Salt Lake County victims:

http://www.legacy.com/DeseretNews/Ob...onId=129940454

Denice Renee Hintze "Neica" Denice Renee Hintze, 39, peace-fully passed away on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 from complications of the swine flu. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 12, 1970. She was a fun spirited, loving mother and wife, who helped everyone. She will be missed by all. She is survived by her husband, Allen Hintze; daughter, Sherrill, age 18; daughter, Kambreia, age 9; son, Daiton, age 8; mother, Cherry Lee (Alan) Harenberg; father, Carlton Eugene Davis, Jr.; sisters, Dawn Marie (Tynne) Lambright; Dora Lynn (Anthony) Miller; 11 nieces and nephews; two great nephews. Preceded in death by one great niece and one great nephew. We love and miss you CC. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at Goff Mortuary, 8090 S. State St., Midvale, Utah. Friends may call from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, July 20, 2009 and one hour prior to the services on Tuesday. Interment, Midvale City Cemetery. www.goffmortuary.com

[JimO]

Utah DoH Reports 17th Death - First in Two Weeks

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12999458

Another death linked to swine flu

By Lisa Rosetta

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 08/05/2009 05:32:52 PM MDT

A Davis County woman died from the H1N1 flu July 24, bringing the total number of flu deaths in the state to 17, according to Utah Department of Health data released Wednesday.

It's the first H1N1-related death to be reported in two weeks.

Health Department spokesman Tom Hudachko said it is unknown whether the woman, who was between the ages of 18 and 39, had any underlying health conditions.

Of the 17 people who have died in Utah, none were pregnant women. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published in the journal Lancet showed nationwide, pregnant women represented 6 percent of the H1N1 deaths, even though they only make up 1 percent of the population.

The number of H1N1-confirmed cases of the flu, meanwhile, was 294 -- the same since the Health Department's last H1N1 report on July 29.

From April 15 to July 24, states reported a total of 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of the H1N1 flu. Of these cases reported, 5,011 people were hospitalized and 302 people died, according to CDC data.

The federal agency has since discontinued its counts.

[JimO]

Three Deaths this week in Utah - total 21

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/a...tRep101409.pdf

2009-2010 Influenza Season
(August 30, 2009 ? present)
Utah Public Health
Situation Report
10/14/2009

2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) deaths:

 The severity measure listed above is for influenza caused by all strains
(regular seasonal flu and the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1)). In addition, Utah
is collecting data on patient deaths (whether hospitalized or not) known to
have been caused by the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) strain.

 3 deaths occurred in Utah during the past week in which the persons had
confirmed 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1).

 There have been a total of 3 deaths related to 2009 Pandemic Influenza A
(H1N1) since the beginning of the 2009-2010 influenza season (which
began August 30, 2009).

[Pathfinder]

Re: Three Deaths this week in Utah - total 21

Three Utah deaths linked to H1N1
Prevention ? With vaccine in short supply, officials urge handwashing and

By Lisa Rosetta
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 10/14/2009 05:34:59 PM MDT


The H1N1 swine flu virus claimed the lives of three Utah women over the last week, as the flu season gets off to a rare early start.

For two weeks in a row, the percentage of visits to Utah clinics for influenza-like illness has hovered around 3 percent -- well above what is considered outbreak level, said Tom Hudachko, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Health.

"It's actually considered very unusual for this time of year. These are levels we would see much later in the flu season," he said, not the second week of October.

And with many Utahns not yet qualifying for the limited H1N1 vaccine doses in the state, officials are urging residents to do what they can to slow the spread -- from handwashing to stocking up for a stay at home.

The three Utahns who died were a Salt Lake County woman over the age of 65, a Utah County woman between 18 and 39 years old and a Weber County woman between 40 and 64 years old.

Both the women from Utah and Weber counties had underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk for flu complications, local health departments said.

Including the 18 deaths from the 2008-2009 flu season, which ended in late August, the state's total number of H1N1 deaths is 21.

Hudachko said another 41 people were hospitalized with flulike illness over the last week -- due to both H1N1 and seasonal strains of flu -- bringing the total to127 for the new season.

"If you think of an outbreak occurring on a bell-shaped curve, we appear to be at the base of what could be a steep climb to the peak," said Rachel Herlihy, the department's deputy state epidemiologist, in a statement.

While there is a substantial increase in the spread of the pandemic H1N1 virus throughout the state, public health officials are urging Utahns to be patient, as the supply of H1N1 vaccine has trickled in slower than they anticipated. They do, however, expect to receive more in the coming weeks.

Some local health departments, which are distributing the H1N1 vaccine, have seen high demand. At the Weber-Morgan Health Department, officials have set limits on who qualifies for the limited vaccine and allocated 300 doses for distribution each day, hoping to stretch the current supply, said spokeswoman Lori Buttars.

On Wednesday, the day's doses were all spoken for in an hour, she said.

"The problem is we just don't have a lot of vaccine," she said. "We're fine-tuning this as we go along."

While some residents have been disappointed or frustrated that they don't qualify, or that doses are gone, "for giving them such bad news, they've handled it well," Buttars added.

Department officials are urging residents, vaccinated or not, to keep up with basic prevention measures, such as "social distancing" -- from keeping hands clean to cutting down on hugs, she added.

"The vaccine is only part of the equation," she said.

It's critical that Utahns take such proactive measures to protect themselves and others, including staying home if they get sick, Herlihy agreed.

The state health department also is tracking overall absenteeism in Utah schools, based on the number of children out each day, per 100 students. That number has gone from about 2.7 per 100 students in September to about 4.8, Hudachko said.

Cleveland Elementary School in Emery County has closed for the rest of the week, after about half of its students called in sick Tuesday, many with flulike symptoms.

Granite and Jordan School Districts report no significant spikes in absenteeism. On Monday, Davis School District noticed a small bump, said Davis spokesman Christopher Williams.

"But the following day, the same number of students who were absent came back to school, so we're thinking maybe it had something to do with Columbus Day," he said.

At least one elementary school in Park City reports more kids and teachers calling in sick, said district spokesman Pat Ogden. "But it's nowhere near severe enough to consider closing the school."

Tribune staffers Kirsten Stewart and Sheila R. McCann contributed to this report.

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13561188

[JimO]

Utah Reports 4 New Deaths - total 30

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/a...tRep102809.pdf

2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) deaths:
 The severity measure listed above is for influenza caused by all strains
(regular seasonal flu and the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1)). In addition, Utah is collecting data on patient deaths (whether hospitalized or not) known to
have been related to the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) strain.
 A total of 12 deaths related to 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) have
been reported to public health since the beginning of the 2009-2010
influenza season (which began August 30, 2009). This is 4 more deaths
than reported last week.
 3 deaths occurred in Utah during the past week in which the persons had
confirmed 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1). For more information
regarding these deaths, please refer to the Local Health District.
 Deaths not previously reported:
o 1 in Salt Lake Valley Health District
 1 female, age 65+ (died within the last week)
o 1 in Southwest Utah Health District
 1 female, age 5-24 (died within the last week)
o 1 in Weber-Morgan Health District
 1 male, age 25-49 (died within the last week)
o 1 in Utah County Health District
 1 female, age 5-24 (died prior to this last week)

[Chuck]

Re: Utah Reports 4 New Deaths - total 30

http://www.sltrib.com/utahpolitics/ci_13662255

H1N1 steps up its attack on the young
Flu ? Half of new fatalities in state were under the age of 20.

By Sheila R. Mccann And Donald W. Meyers

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 10/29/2009 06:37:27 AM MDT


The H1N1 swine flu continues to strike younger Utahns -- two of the four new deaths reported Wednesday were residents under age 20.

Children and young adults account for half of the state's hospitalizations, and many of the clinic visits, for flu-like illnesses so far this season.

A young woman between the ages of 15 and 20 died in Garfield County, according to the Southwest Utah Health Department. She had underlying health conditions that increased her vulnerability to complications of the flu, the department said.

A Utah County girl between the ages of 5 and 18 died at the beginning of last week, said Lance Madigan, Utah County Health Department spokesman.

She also had "complicating conditions," including asthma, he said.

"Asthma is a big issue," Madigan said. "That is why we are asking people to let [people with asthma] be vaccinated first."

Utah County will next receive 12,900 doses of vaccine, and all but 7,000 will be distributed to doctors and clinics that work with high-risk patients, he said.

The rest will be available at the department next Tuesday and Thursday, under a new ticket system that will give residents a specific time slot.

The other two deaths were a Salt Lake County woman over age 65 and a Weber-Morgan man between the ages of 25 and 49, according to the Utah Department of Health's weekly flu surveillance report.

It also said the percentage of clinic visits for flu-like symptoms has jumped to 9.4 percent from 6.6 percent, the fourth consecutive weekly increase.

Slightly more than 12 percent of clinic visits by patients ages 5 to 24 are for flu-like illness, the same symptoms driving just over 10 percent of visits from those under age 4.

By contrast, less than one percent of seniors visiting clinics appear to be sick from the flu this season, which began Sept. 1.

The number of hospitalizations now stands at 404, with those under age 25 representing more than 49 percent of those patients.

While the clinic and hospital data are for flu-like illness, not specifically H1N1, it remains the only flu found in testing by the Utah Public Health Laboratory. Of 147 samples tested in the past week, 104 were positive for flu -- and 98 percent were H1N1. The others were not or could not be subtyped.

Tribune reporter Mark Havnes contributed to this report.

[JimO]

Utah Reports 2 New Deaths - total 32

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/a...tRep110409.pdf

2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) deaths:

• The severity measure listed above is for influenza caused by all strains
  (regular seasonal flu and the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1)). In addition, Utah
  is collecting data on patient deaths (whether hospitalized or not) known to
  have been related to the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) strain.
  
• A total of 14 deaths related to 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) have been
  reported to public health this influenza season. This is two more than
  reported last week. Of the two deaths reported this week, both died
  within the last reporting week (10/25/09 to 10/31/09).
  
• For more information regarding these deaths, please refer to the Local
  Health District.
  
• Deaths not previously reported:

o 1 female in Salt Lake Valley Health District, age 50-64 (died within the last reporting week).
o 1 femal in Weber-Morgan Health District, age 50-64 (died within the last reporting week).

[JimO]

Utah reports 1 death in Week 2

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/a...tRep111809.pdf

Severity:

• The severity of an influenza outbreak (epidemic or pandemic) is measured by the number of influenza infections that result in hospitalization or death. To date, severity for the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic is comparable to or slightly greater than the severity seen during regular flu seasons.
  
• At this time there is no evidence that severity for the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic is changing.
  
• A total of 698 influenza-associated hospitalizations (IAHs) (due to both seasonal and 2009 pandemic (H1N1) strains) have been reported to public health this influenza season. This is 75 more than reported last week (last week?s total IAHs was 623). Of the 75 IAHs reported this week, 24 occurred within this last reporting week (11/08/09 to 11/14/09), and 51 occurred prior to that but were not reported to public health until this week. In some instances reporting lag times exist from the time the hospitalization occurs to when it is reported to public health.

2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) deaths:

• The severity measure listed above is for influenza caused by all strains (regular seasonal flu and the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1)). In addition, Utahis collecting data on patient deaths (whether hospitalized or not) known to have been related to the 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) strain.
  
• A total of 19 deaths related to 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) have been reported to public health this influenza season. This is five more than reported last week. Of the five deaths reported this week, one died within the last reporting week (11/08/09 to 11/14/09) and four died prior to 11/08/09, but were reported this past reporting week.
  
• For more information regarding these deaths, please refer to the Local Health District.

Deaths not previously reported:

• 1 female, age 50-64 (died within the last reporting week)
  
• 1 male, age 50-64 (died prior to this last reporting week)
  
• 1 female, age 25-49 (died prior to this last reporting week)
  
• 1 female, age 65 + (died prior to this last reporting week)
  
• 1 male, age 25-49 (died prior to this last reporting week)

[JimO]

Utah reports 3 new deaths in Week 47

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/a...tRep112509.pdf

A total of 20 deaths related to 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) have been reported to public health this influenza season. This is one more than reported last week. The death reported this week, died within the last reporting week (11/15/09 to 11/21/09). For more information regarding this death, please refer to the Local Health District.

Deaths not previously reported:

1 in Southwest Utah Public Health District

1 female, age 50-64

[JimO]

Re: Utah reports 3 new deaths in Week 47

Source: http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/a...tRep120209.pdf

A total of 23 deaths related to 2009 Pandemic A (H1N1) have been
reported to public health this influenza season. This is three more than
reported last week. Of the three deaths reported this week, two died
within the last reporting week (11/22/09 to 11/28/09) and one died prior
to 11/22/09, but it was reported this past reporting week. For more
information regarding these deaths, please refer to the Local Health
District.

Deaths not previously reported:

• 1 in Weber-Morgan Health District
• 1 female, age 5-24 (died within the last reporting week)