Whitley Co. Kentucky student "critical" with H1N1

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/63322847.html

Updated: 6:52 PM Oct 2, 2009
Kentucky student "critical" with H1N1
A Kentucky high school student is in the hospital, in critical condition, sick with the H1N1 virus. Health officials say the virus is hitting several counties hard.

Video: Teenager critical with H1N1 virus
Posted: 6:14 PM Oct 2, 2009
Reporter: Phil Pendleton
Email Address: phil.pendleton@wkyt.com

A common fixture throughout Williamsburg this week is a milk jug asking for donations. The reason, a 14-year old high school student is very ill. ?I can just tell you, we had a student with confirmed H1N1. Currently, she is listed in critical but stable condition, showing signs of improvement,? says Whitley Co. Schools Deputy Superintendent Scott Paul.

The teen became sick last week and is among the many with confirmed cases of the H1N1 Flu in Whitley County, where schools have been closed.

And doctors' offices have been full. ?We?ve been seeing all ages, from birth to 21,? said Dr. Kathy Omer of Corbin Pediatrics. Doctor Omer says Corbin Pediatriacs is averaging 150 patients a day. She says many of the children are testing positive for H1N1. ?Body aches, fevers, severe cough, vomiting,? she said of the common symptoms.

Doctor Omer says most cases aren't any more serious than the typical seasonal flu and can be treated easily at home. But the 14-year old Whitley County freshman required a trip to the East Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville. ?Obviously they are very concerned. But they are hopeful that everything will be ok. But we're trying to show as much support as we can,? said Paul.

School officials say they do not know if the young lady had a preexisting condition that could have made her case of H1N1 more serious.

[Shiloh]

Re: Kentucky student "critical" with H1N1

Source: http://www.thetimestribune.com/local...278094502.html

Published: October 05, 2009 09:44 am
Whitley student critical from H1N1

Freshman reportedly hospitalized in East Tennessee Children?s

By Adam S. Sulfridge / Staff Writer

A young Whitley County High School student is in East Tennessee?s Children?s Hospital after being diagnosed with the H1N1 disease, also known as swine flu. The girl, freshman Cierra Jones, was said to be in critical condition by a representative of the hospital?s pediatric intensive care unit.

Word of Cierra?s illness spread among the student population through social networking sites such as Myspace and via chain text messages asking for prayers. One friend, Nicholas Howard, wrote via Myspace, ?I don?t know exactly what is wrong with her, but she needs all the prayers she can get.? A collection jar in Cierra?s name had also been set up at the Fashion Connection in Williamsburg on Friday.

The report came as Whitley County became the first school district this year to cancel classes district-wide due to illness. Respecting the girl?s privacy rights, Superintendent Lonnie Anderson would not answer questions directly related to her health, such as how many days the girl had been ill while attending classes. He did say, however, that to his knowledge, no other student or staff member has reported such a severe case of H1N1.

?The decision to call school off was based on the number of students and staff experiencing influenza,? Anderson said. Whitley was initially closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but school officials ultimately decided to cancel classes for Thursday and Friday as well. The decision, Anderson said, was based on conversations with the local health department and state epidemiologists.

?We have had some calls of concern,? Anderson said, referencing parents who are feeling uneasy about sending their children back to school Monday.

?We have followed the procedure for cleaning schools based on instructions from the health department and the Centers for Disease Control,? he explained. ?On the first day of school, our principals and custodial staff met with the director of the Whitley County Health Department to discuss what needed to be done to properly clean the school in case of an event like this.?

The director of the health department, Gail Timperio, said principals and custodial staff were instructed to be extra diligent when routinely disinfecting all surface areas. She explained that extra precautions are being taken for door handles, keyboards, and other objects which can help spread the virus, and all techniques are in accordance with directives from the CDC.

?As far as coming back to school, we?ve had a cooling off period which has met the guidelines for the CDC in terms of dealing with the issue of influenza,? Anderson said. A week after Whitley resumes classes, the district will begin its fall break, which officials hope will also give students time to recover.

The need to cancel so many days of classes comes early in this academic year, which has left many parents and students wondering if they?ll be asked to attend on days previously marked as holidays or breaks. To that, Anderson said, ?We are continually evaluating and reevaluating the school calendar to make decisions in the best interest of the students.?

Earlier in the season, health professionals stopped testing samples of type A flu because labs were flooded with requests, and it?s generally assumed anybody testing positive for type A has contracted H1N1.

With so many confirmed cases, it?s hard to understand why a select few have reacted so severely to the virus.

Timperio explained, ?It?s just like seasonal flu?you can have adverse events with certain people.?

Essentially, one?s reaction to H1N1 is a thing of chance.

?Most people do recover within one to two days but it?s hard to determine who will have that adverse reaction,? Timperio added.

One thing is certain: H1N1 seems to be everywhere.

?It does appear to become more and more widespread,? Timperio said. Referencing parents who are uneasy about sending their children to school, she said, ?Dismissing schools has some pros, but it seems the H1N1 is so widespread that unless the parents who are keeping their kids home from school are also keeping them home from everything else, the chances of contracting H1N1 still exist.?

For now, the best advice is to practice good, hygiene techniques and immediately consult your medical provider if you have flu-like symptoms.

? Samantha Swindler contributed to this story.