Fresno Dentist dies of H3N5 (?) flu

[alert]

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/30/3742160/healthy-smiles-founder-wayne-kodama.html

Beloved Fresno dentist Wayne Kodama dies of flu complications
By Carmen George
The Fresno Bee
January 30, 2014
Updated 22 hours ago
2014-01-31T03:39:15Z
By Carmen George

Wayne Kodama, a beloved longtime Fresno dentist and founder of Healthy Smiles Mobile Dental Foundation, died last week from flu complications. He was 52.Dr. Kodama didn't get a flu shot, said his wife, Susan Kodama, who is now urging everyone to get one -- even those who consider themselves healthy, like her husband did."He never had a cold, he never had a flu, he was never sick," Susan said. "He never missed a day of work, never."Dr. Kodama had the flu for about three days before it turned into a bad cough, Susan said. He got treatment about a week later and was hospitalized for two weeks before he died Jan. 24. Doctors suspect his death was related to H3N5, a relatively new flu strain, Susan said.

[snip]

[sharon sanders]

Re: Fresno Dentist dies of H3N5 (?) flu

A typo? There is no H3N5 component in the seasonal flu shot. A reference to H3N2?

[NS1]

Re: Fresno Dentist dies of H3N5 (?) flu

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/30/3742160/healthy-smiles-founder-wayne-kodama.html

Beloved Fresno dentist Wayne Kodama dies of flu complications
By Carmen George
The Fresno Bee
January 30, 2014
Updated 22 hours ago
2014-01-31T03:39:15Z
By Carmen George

Wayne Kodama, a beloved longtime Fresno dentist and founder of Healthy Smiles Mobile Dental Foundation, died last week from flu complications. He was 52.Dr. Kodama didn't get a flu shot, said his wife, Susan Kodama, who is now urging everyone to get one -- even those who consider themselves healthy, like her husband did."He never had a cold, he never had a flu, he was never sick," Susan said. "He never missed a day of work, never."Dr. Kodama had the flu for about three days before it turned into a bad cough, Susan said. He got treatment about a week later and was hospitalized for two weeks before he died Jan. 24. Doctors suspect his death was related to H3N5, a relatively new flu strain, Susan said.

[snip]

No mention made of H3N5 previously? Let's hope the treating physicians have the courage to either directly correct the reporting error or provide their testing protocol.

• Fatal & Severe Influenza in Health Care Workers & Funeral Directors [FT#522967]
• California pH1N1 HFR and CCFR [FT#523154]
• California - Central Valley North [FT#523327]

[alert]

Re: Fresno Dentist dies of H3N5 (?) flu

I can't even imagine where the report of H3N5 comes from, thus the three confused faces at the top of the first post.

The mention of the seasonal flu shot suggests that a seasonal flu, not an avian or swine one is suspect, but then what do we make of the statement about a "relatively new strain"? Could this be some kind of bizarre H3N2v reference? And if so, is the reporter confusing seasonal H3N2 with H3N2v?

Even a seasonal H3N2 death is pretty uncommon this year, as most of the circulating influenza A is H1N1pdm09.

Even if some extremely unusual reassortment is suspected (which I don't see how it could be), I can't imagine where an N5 would come from. None of the emerging influenza viruses that we know of have an N5.