Fairbanks boy dead from swine flu likely had second infection
By MARY PEMBERTON
The Associated Press
Published: September 9th, 2009 01:52 PM
Last Modified: September 9th, 2009 10:56 PM
A 10-year-old Fairbanks boy who died after contracting swine flu likely was overwhelmed by a secondary bacterial infection, a state epidemiologist said Wednesday.
The boy died Friday at an Anchorage hospital.
Lung tissue samples taken during an autopsy showed a heavy infection consistent with bacterial pneumonia, said Dr. Beth Funk of the Alaska Division of Public Health.
The boy's death was consistent with
a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that said at least 40 children have died of swine flu.
While two-thirds in the study already had high-risk health problems, the study said other germs working with swine flu were also a big danger.
A bacterial infection on top of the flu virus played a role in most of the deaths of otherwise healthy children, the study said.
The Fairbanks boy's case was "highly unusual" in that his condition deteriorated so fast, said Dr. Dick Mandsager, head of Providence Alaska Medical Center, the Anchorage hospital where the boy died.
The boy felt fine when he arrived at Hunter Elementary School last Thursday morning, Mandsager said. The school nurse sent him home later that day when he became sick. The boy was later taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, then flown by helicopter to Providence.
The child appeared to be healthy, with no long-term, underlying medical condition, Mandsager said. The CDC study found that almost two-thirds of the children who died with swine flu had epilepsy, cerebral palsy or other neurodevelopmental conditions.
"This story, tragic, is highly unusual," Mandsager said. "The vast majority of kids are getting reasonably mild illnesses and are recovering uneventfully."
The boy's parents did everything right, Funk said. Even if doctors had known about the secondary bacterial infection, the outcome might have been the same, she said.
Swine flu was first identified in April in the United States. The CDC says it has caused more than 1 million illnesses so far, though most have been mild and gone unreported. More than 550 lab-confirmed deaths and 8,800 hospitalizations have been reported. The study found that it was taking the highest toll on school-age children.
There have been three swine flu deaths of Alaskans: a Fairbanks woman with underlying health problems, a middle-aged woman from Seward with multiple pre-existing conditions and the 10-year-old Fairbanks boy.
Funk said it's more common that a person with influenza is getting better when they're hit with a secondary infection. But in this case, the boy was hit with two serious conditions simultaneously, she said.
"I think most of us didn't realize a secondary bacterial infection can come on so quickly at the same time," Funk said.
If doctors are presented with a case of suspected swine flu and the patient is sicker than normal, they should consider prescribing an antibiotic as well as an anti-influenza drug, Funk said.
http://www.swineflunews.org/news/wire/unitedstates/www.adn.com/life/health/story/928606.html
