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Widow warns others: Get H1N1 vaccine Her husband, a healthy Liberal civic leader, died after contracting the flu <H4><H5>By Kathy Hanks - The Hutchinson News - khanks@hutchnews.com </H5>LIBERAL - Larry Howell had no compromising health condition. But his sudden death in December has left his widow wanting people to know that a healthy person can quickly die from the H1N1 flu. </B>
Jamie Howell said her husband tested positive for H1N1 before his death at Wichita's Wesley Medical Center on Dec. 18. She is encouraging everyone she knows to get vaccinated against this strain of the flu.
The father of four was a healthy man before coming down with bronchitis in early December.
"He had a bad cold and was coughing the week before," his wife said. He was initially diagnosed with bronchitis, which then turned into pneumonia. However, instead of improving he kept getting sicker, and by Dec. 7, when he returned to the doctor, his oxygen level was gravely low. He was transported by ambulance to Liberal's Southwest Medical Center. That was the last time he was able to speak with his wife.
Immediately placed on a respirator, he was flown to Wichita's Wesley Medical Center. While a tissue sample taken by a bronchial scope tested positive for H1N1, Jamie Howell said Larry's cause of death was adult respiratory distress syndrome.
"His lungs were a white-out," she said about her husband, who had never had a lung problem in his life.
Meanwhile, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has not received a report of an H1N1 death fitting Howell's description, spokeswoman Maggie
Thompson, said. She noted, however, that sometimes it takes a long while before the report comes to KDHE.
"We know that the number of the deaths confirmed to be caused by H1N1 virus under-represents the true number of deaths," Thompson said. "There are people without underlying health conditions who have died and are dying of H1N1."
Thompson said if it's confirmed they will get the information. However, when and if that happens, they can only release the region, age and gender of the victim, and whether they had a compromised immune system.
"At this point, we have nothing from a southwest Kansas male," she said, adding that information can come to the state through a death certificate. Jamie Howell said they were still waiting for Larry's death certificate.
The KDHE reported its first death from H1N1 this summer and now has a confirmed total of 25. Of that number, six have not had underlying health conditions that would put them at greater risk. Also, of the 25, 23 were adults ranging in age from 30s up to 75.
Larry Howell was a vital leader -from his involvement in his church to the local chamber of commerce, where he was president in 2009.
Because he was so prominent in the community, Howell's death has spurred an increase in the number of people getting the H1N1 vaccine in Liberal, said Martha Brown, administrator of the Seward County Health Department.
"It has alerted more people from church and work and it hit home," Brown said, adding they still had plenty of vaccine left and imagined most counties were in the same situation.
Another proponent of being vaccinated against H1N1 is Liberal physician Dr. Bob Sager who wrote about Howell's untimely death on a blog posted on Wellsphere on Dec. 21.
"...The CDC has reported that 46 percent of people admitted to the hospital for H1N1 complications have no prior medical problems. Larry fell into this category unfortunately. So let this be a warning to us all. Get the vaccine for H1N1 now. The CDC has opened this up to everyone from six months to 65."
According to Thompson, pandemics come in waves and there is a potential for a third wave. But, the good news is there is plenty of vaccine available.
"We're ready in case that happens," Thompson said.
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