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CLUSTER: Already ill, man is seventh from Fairbanks area to succumb to H1N1.
By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
rshinohara@adn.com
(11/18/09 22:22:17)
A Fairbanks man in his 50s has died of swine flu, bringing to seven the number of Fairbanks-related deaths attributed to the disease, the state Department of Health and Social Services reported Wednesday. That's out of 10 Alaska deaths altogether.
The most recent victim died Nov. 14 at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and had multiple health problems besides the H1N1 virus, said Greg Wilkinson, spokesman for the health department.
State medical officials don't know why so many of those who died were from Fairbanks but are monitoring that aspect along with other characteristics of the people dying or hospitalized in the swine flu pandemic, they say.
One Fairbanks resident who died of swine flu was traveling in Washington state at the time, and may have contracted the disease Outside, said Dr. Louisa Castrodale, one of the state's epidemiologists.
Most notable, said state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin, is that nine of the 10 who died had underlying health conditions that put them in a higher risk group, and the 10th was a child. Nationwide, children are proving more vulnerable to swine flu than they are to regular, seasonal flu.
The regular annual flu season usually starts in Alaska in November, and peaks in February, so seasonal flu may start showing up any time along with the swine flu, said McLaughlin.
"It's really important that people not only get vaccinated against H1N1, but also seasonal influenza," McLaughlin said.
Due to a national shortage of vaccine, so far supplies of H1N1 vaccine in Alaska are targeted to those in priority groups identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Young people and those with chronic health problems are included among the priority groups.
Seasonal flu shots are available to everyone.
State epidemiologists don't know whether it's unusual for there to be a cluster of flu deaths in one place because they have never collected information on flu viruses to the extent they are doing this year, said Castrodale. They did not in past years find out if people who died of pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses also had the flu.
This year, the state is collecting information on all deaths in which the patient was diagnosed with flu, even if they died of pneumonia.
By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
rshinohara@adn.com
(11/18/09 22:22:17)
A Fairbanks man in his 50s has died of swine flu, bringing to seven the number of Fairbanks-related deaths attributed to the disease, the state Department of Health and Social Services reported Wednesday. That's out of 10 Alaska deaths altogether.
The most recent victim died Nov. 14 at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and had multiple health problems besides the H1N1 virus, said Greg Wilkinson, spokesman for the health department.
State medical officials don't know why so many of those who died were from Fairbanks but are monitoring that aspect along with other characteristics of the people dying or hospitalized in the swine flu pandemic, they say.
One Fairbanks resident who died of swine flu was traveling in Washington state at the time, and may have contracted the disease Outside, said Dr. Louisa Castrodale, one of the state's epidemiologists.
Most notable, said state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin, is that nine of the 10 who died had underlying health conditions that put them in a higher risk group, and the 10th was a child. Nationwide, children are proving more vulnerable to swine flu than they are to regular, seasonal flu.
The regular annual flu season usually starts in Alaska in November, and peaks in February, so seasonal flu may start showing up any time along with the swine flu, said McLaughlin.
"It's really important that people not only get vaccinated against H1N1, but also seasonal influenza," McLaughlin said.
Due to a national shortage of vaccine, so far supplies of H1N1 vaccine in Alaska are targeted to those in priority groups identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Young people and those with chronic health problems are included among the priority groups.
Seasonal flu shots are available to everyone.
State epidemiologists don't know whether it's unusual for there to be a cluster of flu deaths in one place because they have never collected information on flu viruses to the extent they are doing this year, said Castrodale. They did not in past years find out if people who died of pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses also had the flu.
This year, the state is collecting information on all deaths in which the patient was diagnosed with flu, even if they died of pneumonia.