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H1N1 virus claims first Mohave life
County cites HIPAA for lack of details
By JACKIE LEATHERMAN
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 10:10 PM MST
Mohave County lost its first resident to the H1N1 influenza virus, according to county health officials.
An adult woman, who had underlying medical conditions, from the Kingman area died last week, according to a Mohave County Department of Public Health press release.
It is unclear if the local death has been counted in the most recent statewide H1N1 death toll available Tuesday ? 27 deaths this flu season as of Sept. 30. Of the H1N1 cases reported statewide this season, roughly 1.4 percent has resulted in death.
In Mohave County, there have been 61 confirmed H1N1 cases ranking it seventh out of Arizona?s 15 counties for number of confirmed cases of the virus formerly known as swine flu.
County health officials cited federal medical privacy laws and declined to provide more details on the death late Tuesday afternoon including the woman?s city of residence, the city of death, and details surrounding if the woman had been hospitalized due to the virus.
Today?s News-Herald was also unable to confirm late Tuesday evening if those details of deceased patients can be released to the public.
Chris Tapia, county office specialist and assistant public information officer, said the death is ?a very unfortunate event, but it?s not unexpected.?
?H1N1 has been targeting that age group with underlying health conditions,? she said. ?This isn?t unusual and it?s not unexpected.?
Tapia said the county is currently not waiting for confirmation on H1N1 links to any other recent deaths in Mohave County.
There have been a total of 813 deaths in Arizona related to other strains of flu and pneumonia during the same season.
The H1N1 strain first appeared in Mexico and the United States in the spring, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In June, the World Health Organization declared worldwide pandemic because of the severity of how the virus was spreading at that time.
The U.S. reports the highest number of cases worldwide, according to the CDC, adding on its Web site that ?most people who have become ill have recovered without requiring medical treatment.?
You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com