Another Miami U student (Healey) has died- NOT A/H1N1

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.patriotledger.com/homepag...s-of-swine-flu

Death of college student from Hingham blamed on swine flu

The Patriot Ledger
Posted Sep 27, 2009 @ 11:24 AM
Last update Sep 27, 2009 @ 11:48 AM
HINGHAM ?

Swine flu is being blamed as the cause of death of a college freshman from Hingham.

Matt Healey, who graduated this year from Thayer Academy, died Saturday. Academy Headmaster Ted Koskores said Healey became ill shortly after arriving at the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

"We had arranged for a support ceremony for Matt to take place early in the day during Homecoming; and it was with disbelief and the most profound sense of loss that we soon understood that this ceremony would take on a very different aspect," Koskores said in an e-mail to alumni. "Many students, teachers and alumni were present, as well as many parents. I am so thankful to all of them for the support they provided to one another. ...

"There is no adequate explanation for this loss, and our own memories of how fully and how well Matt led his life only deepen further the pain we feel," he said. "With Matt's memory as our guide, however, we have no choice but to nourish the values of community and companionship he so evidenced as a student, as we reach out to his family and to all whose lives he touched. Matt would have it no other way."

Koskores said Thayer will hold a remembrance ceremony for Healy this week.

A grief counselor will be available at the school at 5 p.m. Monday for alumni and at 6:30 for parents of alumni and current students. The programs will be held in the Center for the Arts.

Earlier this week, it was reported that another Miami student had died of the disease, but the Toledo Blade reported on Saturday that the tests were negative for the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu.

Kimi Young, 22, died Tuesday after she became ill with viral pneumonia. Friends and family had said that they were told Young died from complications of swine flu.

[Shiloh]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

Source: http://www.959watd.com/news.php?Hing...Swine-Flu-1889

Hingham: Death of teen away at college blamed on Swine Flu

By Steven Dodrill, SDodrill@959watd.com

The death of Matthew Healey, a recent graduate of Thayer Academy has been blamed on the Swine Flu.

But, Miami University of Ohio spokeswoman Claire Wagoner tells WATD, the university will not comment on any medical conditions the student may have had.

WATD has obtained a copy of a notification sent to students.

"It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the death of Matthew Healey, Saturday in Cincinnati. Matthew was a first year student from Massachusetts.

In a statement to students just two days prior to Healley's death, the university says

"As the student health services continues to see students with H1N1 flu, it is important to remember that if you develop flu symptoms (cough, congestion, fever) and the following conditions occur, you need to seek medical care either with your personal physician or, for Oxford students, at the Student Health Center"... Read more

Healey had just headed off to college for his freshmen year and became ill shortly after arriving on the Ohio campus.

A remembrance ceremony for Healy is planned for this week at his former high school, Thayer Academy in Braintree.

A grief counselor expected at the academy on Monday at 5 p.m. for alumni, 6:30 for parents of alumni and current students.

[Shiloh]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

Source: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/healt..._school_092709

MA student reportedly dies of swine flu at Ohio school

Updated: Sunday, 27 Sep 2009, 2:45 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 27 Sep 2009, 2:38 PM EDT

HINGHAM, Mass. - A college freshman from Massachusetts has reportedly died of the H1N1 virus, or the swine flu, at his college in Ohio.

Matt Healey, from Hingham, graduated from Thayer Academy in Braintree in June.

He became ill shortly after arriving at the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Thayer Academy’s headmaster told The Patriot Ledger.

“Matt led his life fully and well and contributed richly to the life of our school. As a student, a peer advisor, a thespian, a choir member, and an athlete, Matt exhibited the very highest personal qualities and standards,” headmaster Ted Koskores said in a statement.

He said the academy will hold a remembrance for Healy this week.

The death of a 22-year-old Miami student last week was also blamed on the swine flu, but the Toledo Blade reported yesterday the test results came back negative.

[sbrooks]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

sad case! My heart goes out to the family.

from the report: "Earlier this week, it was reported that another Miami student had died of the disease, but the Toledo Blade reported on Saturday that the tests were negative for the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu.

Kimi Young, 22, died Tuesday after she became ill with viral pneumonia. Friends and family had said that they were told Young died from complications of swine flu."

There is confusion here about H1N1, apparently coroner listed death as
viral pneumonia, (H1N1 testing weeks away) so the press is saying the
case was NOT h1n1.....It seems two cases here in Ohio at Miami University
H1n1..I ask ftrackers why this small college?

[Rainbow Lake]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

Another healthy young man in the prime of life brought down by this stupid virus. I found these photos of Matt Healey on myspace. He had just started his freshman year in college...........the whole world was ahead of him. I cannot fathom the pain his mother and father and all those mothers and fathers who are losing their children must be feeling. We shed tears for you.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=63124567&albumId=542225

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/21130530/detail.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

Student Death Prompts Extra H1N1 Vigilance At MU
Reported by: Tom McKee

Last Update: 7:55 pm

School officials have already gone to great lengths to communicate with students and parents about swine flu warning signs, how to prevent the illness and when to seek medical help if it lingers.

That's because 400 cases have been reported since the start of classes in August.

Now, they're redoubling those efforts by asking all members of the university community to take care of themselves and each other.

The move comes two days after Matthew Healey, an 18-year-old Miami freshman from the Boston suburb of Hingham, Massachusetts, died at University Hospital in Cincinnati.

He and three roommates living in Morris Hall reportedly came down with the virus around September 6. Everyone but Healey recovered.

He was transferred to University Hospital in Corryville, where he died on Saturday. Ohio health officials have yet to officially confirm if he died from swine flu or complications from it.

"He held on as long as he could," Healey's mother told the Boston Globe. "His lungs were just ravaged by this disease, but we were hoping for a miracle."

Miami's vice-president of Student Affairs, Barbara Jones, said students have put together a fund for flowers and to send cards to the family.

"He made a big impact on the residents in the short time he was there," Jones said. "He was very outgoing and had already made a lot of friends."

Morris Hall resident Tyler Gilligan said it was shocking to hear that Healey died, but added he was impressed how everyone is supporting one another.

"Everybody is upset because you don't expect people our age to pass that suddenly," said another dorm-mate, Kaylyn Cheatham.

Both Gilligan and Cheatham attended grief counseling and medical expert sessions with Miami University officials over the weekend.

"They're definitely giving us all the resources if we do feel sick," Gilligan said.

Cheatham added that people are stepping up and looking after one another.

"If somebody is sick we're making sure they're eating, getting liquids and going to the health center," she stated.

That's exactly the sort of vigilance Jones hopes will continue on campus.

"When we had a lot of students sick they were on top of it and were really thinking about it," Jones said. "However, our numbers have really dwindled in the last couple of weeks, so they're not quite as vigilant as they once were."

At the student health center, a combination of a nagging cough, parental pressure and Healey's death prompted sophomore Jamie Blaugh to see a doctor. She sat in the waiting room with a white mask over her face.

"The girl across the hall from me had swine flu and pneumonia so my mom wanted me to come in and get checked up," Blaugh said between coughs.

Gail Walenga, associate vice-president of Student Health and Wellness, said that's exactly the kind of thinking they want students to do.

"We want to be sure that we're paying attention to the students that we see ? that we're giving them good instructions," she added. "If your symptoms get worse, come on back in. Give us a call. Make an appointment. Go to the emergency room if we're not open."

Parents have been calling the health center as well asking how their sons or daughters can get the care they need.

"We refer them to the Student Health Service website and we tell them that their student can come in and get care at any time," Walenga continued.

Student organizations are ramping up their communication efforts as well.

Olivia Dolan, associated student governor public relations secretary, said Student Senators are spreading the word that students need to eat healthy, get enough sleep, wash hands and cover a cough or sneeze.

"It's more of a word-of-mouth thing," Dolan stated. She indicated that many professors are understanding if students miss classes. They'd prefer that over having an entire class become sick.

Members of the Miami HAWKS ? Health Advocates for Wellness Knowledge & Skills ? have been that focus on illness prevention.

They've even set up an information booth in the student health center complete with the types of foods that are best for students who are not feeling particularly well.

Their work has been underway for weeks, but the Healey death has increased the sense of urgency.

"We have been stepping up a little bit to get especially focused on flu prevention and what others can do to help themselves," said HAWK Joe Scherger. "H1N1 [Swine flu] can be prevented."

Annie Colavincenzo sat at the table with Scherger and said that the Healey case brought the seriousness of the swine flu problem close to home.

"Before that happened, I really felt kind of invincible," she said.

Jones reassured students and parents that most members of the Miami community are not going to get the flu.

There are those who do won't feel well for a couple of days and then get better. And, if they don't get well, they have to take it upon themselves to get help.

"We want the parents to tell the students to be vigilant," Jones said. "We encourage the students to call the parents and let them know how they're doing."

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Student-Death-Prompts-Extra-H1N1-Vigilance-At-MU/OiTWGXzkrUS_bfMQefE_Kg.cspx

[Rainbow Lake]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

sad case! My heart goes out to the family.

from the report: "Earlier this week, it was reported that another Miami student had died of the disease, but the Toledo Blade reported on Saturday that the tests were negative for the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu.

Kimi Young, 22, died Tuesday after she became ill with viral pneumonia. Friends and family had said that they were told Young died from complications of swine flu."

There is confusion here about H1N1, apparently coroner listed death as
viral pneumonia, (H1N1 testing weeks away) so the press is saying the
case was NOT h1n1.....It seems two cases here in Ohio at Miami University
H1n1..I ask ftrackers why this small college?

sbrooks...ignore the quibling in the press about viral pneumonia as pneumonia both viral and bacterial are a consequence of influenza. It is most likely a result of H1N1.

As to "why this small college". The students have just started college. They come from all over the U.S. and sadly, one of those students brought with them more than the usual things one packs for college. This scenario will likely repeat itself many times at many different colleges.

[Shiloh]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaind...630.xml&coll=2

Hospital disputes report student died of swine flu
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Patrick O'Donnell
Plain Dealer Reporter

Hospital and state health officials Monday disputed a newspaper report of a Miami University student dying of swine flu over the weekend.

Freshman Matthew Healey, 18, of Hingham, Mass., died Saturday at University Hospital in Cincinnati, and The Boston Globe reported that his parents said he had been admitted Sept. 5 and diagnosed with swine flu.

Health officials all declined to discuss the specific case, citing medical privacy laws.

But a University Hospital spokesman said the hospital has had no recent swine flu deaths. The Ohio Department of Health also reported it has not confirmed any recent swine flu deaths.

Miami University spokeswoman Carole Johnson said the university cannot comment on a swine flu death that has not been confirmed.

Healey's sister Michaela, reached by phone Monday, said doctors told the family her brother had swine flu. But she declined to comment further and said her parents are not talking to reporters.

The Hamilton County Coroner's office, which reports on causes of deaths, was closed Monday because of budget cuts.

No swine flu tests appear to be pending on Healey.

University Hospital spokesman Jonathan Goolsby said his hospital sends samples from suspected swine flu cases to the Ohio Health Department for testing. Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss said state labs have no tests pending for suspected swine flu fatalities.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

paodonnell@plaind.com, 216-999-4818

[Chuck]

Re: Another Miami U student has died

Even with quick medical attention, healthy Hingham student succumbed to flu
Loading multimedia...


By John P. Kelly
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:29 AM
Last update Sep 29, 2009 @ 11:53 AM
HINGHAM ?

Beth Healey said her 18-year-old son, Matt, was ?perfectly healthy? when he packed for his freshman year of college in Ohio. Being a mother who paid attention to the news about swine flu, Healey made sure her son had flu-treatment medicine ? just in case.
STAY FLU-FREE
Be sanitary: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands often, especially after you cough or sneeze. Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

Stay home: If you?re feeling sick, stay home. Going out may not only make you worse off, but you?re more likely to get others ill. And if you?re healthy, try to steer clear of cramped quarters, large crowds and others who appear sick.

Knowledge is power: Check with health authorities, read reputable press reports and generally keep on top of developments related to the H1N1 virus. The more you know, the better off you?ll be.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; South Shore Hospital

Matthew Healey first felt sick on Monday, Aug. 31, and started taking the prescription drug Tamiflu the next day, his mother said. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, a doctor told him he was likely infected with the H1N1 virus and prescribed an antibiotic. Three days later, weak and dehydrated, the Hingham teenager was taken by ambulance to University Hospital in Cincinnati and admitted to intensive care.

Healey died three weeks later. His case is a reminder that young people appear to be at higher risk when it comes to H1N1. And that death is a possibility, even when swift treatment is sought.

?This does tell us that despite our best interventions people can succumb to this,? said Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth.

Still, deaths from H1N1 and related complications have remained relatively few even as the country has been hit with a new wave of the disease.

But the death of an apparently healthy 18-year-old punctuates the need, Ellerin said, for people to get vaccinated when inoculations are made available, likely as early as next month, and to follow common-sense practices such as frequent hand washing and avoiding the workplace or the classroom while sick.

Though no unusual side effects have emerged during clinical trials, he said, people continue to say they?d prefer to ?take their chances? rather than trust a new vaccine.

?Every year 36,000 Americans die of influenza,? he said. ?I certainly don?t hear of 36,000 people dying of flu vaccine.?

After Healey was admitted to the hospital, Beth Healey said she and her husband, Bob, immediately flew to Ohio to be with their son. For 36 hours he was ?awake and alert,? Healey said, but his condition worsened, and he was put on a ventilator and kept sedated.

For friends and family, Healey?s struggle challenged their belief that swine flu?s seriousness was ?over hyped? by the media, Beth Healey said.

?Do I want to cause drama or fear among people? I most certainly do not,? she said Monday. ?But if this happened to our family, it could happen to any family.?

Matthew Healey had been on campus less than two weeks when he got sick. His three roommates soon fell ill, too, but they recovered quickly and without hospitalization, his mother said.

Dr. Ellerin said the onset of H1N1 is similar to other influenzas. It can cause fevers and muscle aches and weakens the immune system.

?In most people it stays in check and doesn?t get in the lungs,? he said.

When it does, the virus can bring on viral pneumonia and leave patients susceptible to bacterial infection. There also have been cases where a patient has died because of irregular clotting in the lungs, Ellerin said.

Matthew Healey was a wrestler and a lacrosse player at Thayer Academy, where he also took part in student theater. The community voted him ?Mr. Thayer? before he graduated this past spring, according to an obituary. In May, he traveled to Peru on a volunteer humanitarian trip, working in an orphanage and on local farms.

?He made such an impression on people. That was his gift,? Healey said. ?You don?t hear about the all-American boy anymore. He was an all-American boy.?

[Shiloh]

Re: Another Miami U student (Healey) has died- NOT A/H1N1

Source: http://www.local12.com/news/local/st...zeFkyAXcg.cspx

H1N1 Virus Did Not Kill Miami Freshman
Last Update: 11:33 am

A Miami freshman - who died last month, reportedly did not have the H1N1 virus. 18 year old Matthew Healey passed away September 26th.

The Butler County Health Department tells our partners at the Hamilton Journal News that Healey did not die from H1N1, also known as the Swine Flu virus. The department also says his actual cause of death is undetermined.

Healey was a native of Boston, Massachusetts. Newspapers there had reported Healey became ill - shortly after arriving in Oxford - and died from the H1N1 flu.

[Heididoe]

Re: Another Miami U student (Healey) has died- NOT A/H1N1

Strange...didn't earlier reports state that he and three other roommates came down with flu the same time and that this young man was diagnosed at the hospital on Sept. 5? Hopefully, the mystery will be cleared up when the cause of death is released...if it is. Miami of OH must be relieved to no longer be the only college in the country with two swine flu deaths. Hmmm.

[Shiloh]

Re: Another Miami U student (Healey) has died- NOT A/H1N1

Source: http://www.patriotledger.com/homepag...-not-have-H1N1

Family disputes county's claim that late Hingham teen didn't have H1N1

By Lane Lambert
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Oct 08, 2009 @ 12:51 PM
Last update Oct 08, 2009 @ 05:44 PM
Ramp graphic SPECIAL REPORT: Swine flu

The Hingham college student who died from flu complications last month didn?t have the H1N1 virus, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Butler County Health Department director Patricia Berg said this afternoon that Matthew Healey, a student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, tested negative for the new flu strain.

Healey fell ill in early September and died in University Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sept. 26. A doctor had told him he was likely infected with the H1N1 virus and had prescribed an antibiotic.

His father, Robert Healey, said he?s not surprised that the latest test came back negative. He said he was told that the flu virus doesn?t necessarily stay in a person?s system after the illness develops. Healey said doctors told him that Matthew tested positive for the related influenza A strain, and that this season 95 percent of those cases would be H1N1.

Berg, however, offered a different view.

?If it was too late to do the (H1N1) test, they (the Ohio Department of Health) wouldn?t have done it,? she said.

At Miami University, spokeswoman Claire Wagner said the conflicting test results don?t change one thing: ?We?re very sad to have lost a student.?

Lane Lambert may be reached at llambert@ledger.com.

[alert]

Re: Another Miami U student (Healey) has died- NOT A/H1N1

It is not clear from that article when the samples tested by the state DOH were taken, but they easily could have been three weeks since the onset of his illness.

Perhaps late samples in fatal cases are causing some false negatives.

[Shiloh]

Re: Another Miami U student (Healey) has died- NOT A/H1N1

Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/hingham/n...ealey-what-did


If H1N1 flu didn?t kill Matthew Healey, what did?

By Lane Lambert
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Oct 09, 2009 @ 09:32 AM
Hingham ?

If Matthew Healey didn?t die from the H1N1 virus, what killed him?
Ramp graphic
SPECIAL REPORT: Swine flu

Ohio medical authorities and the Hingham student?s parents are searching for an answer, now that Ohio?s state health department has determined that the 18-year-old Miami University freshman didn?t have H1N1 virus when he died from flu complications on Sept. 26.

The state?s more precise test ? the third in Healey?s case ? was reported on Thursday by the Butler County Health Department, where the university is located.

Healey?s parents, Robert and Beth Healey, said they expected the negative finding. But Beth Healey said they?re upset that they weren?t informed in advance by Butler County health officials.

The latest report deepens the puzzle of Healey?s fatal condition in two ways: His three campus roommates also got the flu but recovered. At the same time, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that 99 percent of all flu viruses now circulating are H1N1.

While the results of the state test ruled out H1N1, it wasn?t used to determine any other cause of death.

Ohio health department spokesman Bret Atkins told The Patriot Ledger late Thursday that the official cause of death probably won?t be known for several more weeks.

Healey?s parents weren?t surprised by the state report.

By the time that sample was taken a few days before their son?s death, ?they (the doctors) expected it to be negative,? Beth Healey said.

?The influenza (virus) disappears, but the (lung) damage doesn?t,? Robert Healey said.

Butler County health director Patricia Berg disagreed with that view.

?If it was too late to do the test, they (the Ohio Department of Health) wouldn?t have done it,? she said.

Berg noted that Healey?s case is strikingly similar to another student death that occurred just three days earlier.

When Miami University graduate Kimberly Young died on Sept. 23, her family and friends suspected H1N1. Later tests showed she had died from complications from viral pneumonia.

Atkins said the state used a kit from the CDC to test a sample from Healey specifically for H1N1.

?We know this person did not have H1N1,? Atkins said. ?It doesn?t show anything else.?

Matthew Healey started feeling sick on Aug. 31, a couple of weeks after he arrived on the Oxford, Ohio campus.

Healey was given an initial rapid test on Sept. 2. While that test turned out negative, a second culture sent to the CDC tested positive for influenza A. Based on that, doctors said he probably had H1N1, which is a strain of influenza A.

Healey was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati on Sept. 5. He died there three weeks later.

Rapid tests like the first one Healey got frequently give false readings. The CDC says those tests can be anywhere from 70 percent to as low as 10 percent reliable.

The CDC also says that no federally-approved rapid tests can distinguish the H1N1 strain from other flu viruses.

At Miami University, spokeswoman Claire Wagner said the conflicting test results don?t change one thing: ?We?re very sad to have lost a student.?

Lane Lambert may be reached at llambert@ledger.com.