| 11/16/2009 5:39:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | UPDATE: Jefferson County records first death linked to H1N1 influenza
JEFFERSON - The Jefferson County Health Department has announced the first H1N1 influenza-related death of a Jefferson County resident.
"The loss of a loved one is heartbreaking," said Jefferson County Health Director Gail Scott. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends during this difficult time."
Scott was unable to reveal the deceased person's identity, age or place of residence due to federal privacy laws and the request of the family.
Traditionally, she said, the classifications for age designations are pre-school age, young adult, adult and senior citizen.
Scott said, the decedent is an adult (age 18-64) with underlying health conditions that put that person at risk of complications from influenza. She received the diagnosis of it being an H1N1 influenza-related death on Monday.
According to the Center for Disease Control and state Department of Health Services, to date, there have been approximately 29 deaths attributed to H1N1 influenza in Wisconsin and as many as 4,000 nationally.
H1N1 cases are not required to be reported to health officials, so it is not known how prevalent it is. With no universal test being utilized for H1N1, the exact number of cases is not available, Scott said.
Among patients being tested - including those in the at-risk groups, those who are hospitalized and those who have died - all have exhibited Influenza A, of which 99.9 percent of the cases are H1N1.
Those being tested tend to fall into the at-risk target groups, persons who are hospitalized or those who go to the emergency room or the doctor's office.
In Jefferson County, according to records from the state, there have been 59 H1N1 cases either confirmed or listed as probable from April 15 to Nov. 10.
Among those, Scott said, the state records indicate that there has been one hospitalization and now the one death.
"People who develop significant influenza symptoms or those with flu symptoms who are at risk for severe influenza or influenza complications should promptly contact their healthcare provider," Scott said. "Treatment with antiviral medication could be very important for these individuals."
She said that this flu season, antiviral drugs are being used mainly to treat people who are very sick, such as people who need to be hospitalized, and to treat sick people who are more likely to get serious flu complications.
Scott also noted that most people with H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs, and the same is true of those with the seasonal flu.
Because of the limited supply of vaccine available nationally, the Jefferson County Health Department is following recommendations from the state Department of Health Services that local health departments and health professionals target H1N1 vaccine for those individuals most-at-risk. They are, in no particular order:
• 18- to 64-year-old individuals with chronic medical conditions that place them at a higher risk for complications related to "influenza-like-illness."
• Household contacts of women who are at least 8 months pregnant also can receive H1N1 vaccine.
• Pregnant women.
• Persons who live with or provide care for infants younger than 6 months of age (examples: parents, siblings, daycare providers.)
• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious materials.
• Children age 6 months to 4 years.
• Children and adolescents age 5 to 18 years who have chronic medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza complications. In addition, the health department now has seasonal influenza vaccine available for children ages 6 months through 18 years.
"For most people, the 2009 H1N1 flu is not severe," Scott said. "The risk of hospitalization or death is higher in young children, pregnant women, individuals with compromised immune systems and those with other chronic illnesses."
The Jefferson County Health Department is holding H1N1 vaccine clinics on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 3 to 6 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A clinic also will be held in Palmyra on Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Palmyra United Methodist Church, 122 N. Fifth St., Palmyra.
Approximately 2,500 individuals have received the vaccine through the Jefferson County Health Department so far.
Health officials expect that eventually there will be enough H1N1 vaccine available for anyone who wants to be vaccinated.
"We have been working closely with Fort HealthCare and all other area medical providers and assuring those in the CDC identified target groups have access to the H1N1 vaccine," Scott said.
"More H1N1 vaccine will be available in the coming weeks," she said. "We recommend that those individuals who are at high risk for severe disease from H1N1 influenza get vaccinated to protect themselves against H1N1 when vaccine becomes available."
Seasonal influenza vaccine, as well as routine childhood vaccines, are available at the Health Department clinic in Jefferson on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
All of the above vaccines are free of charge.
Scott pointed out that while vaccination is the best protection against influenza, until more people are vaccinated, it is important for everyone to continue the basic protection and prevention measures: Stay home if you are ill; cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or with your sleeve, not with your hands; and wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
Most of all, she encouraged people to stay healthy by getting plenty of rest, eating healthy foods and exercising.
Meanwhile, Fort HealthCare-affiliated clinics continue to receive limited numbers of the H1N1 vaccine from DHS. DHS places orders with the federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) based on
Wisconsin's assigned allotment. There is a lag time between the state receiving its allocation and providers receiving those doses.
Since the vaccine production has been slower than
expected, the allotments have fluctuated significantly.
Currently, Wisconsin has been allotted a total of 786,800 doses of H1N1 vaccine.
For more information about H1N1 influenza, visit www.pandemic.wisconsin.gov, contact the Jefferson County Health Department at (920) 674-7275 or www.co.jefferson.wi.us, or contact your health care provider. The Health Department website is updated daily with vaccine availability, and clinics times and locations.
In addition, people may call 2-1-1 to find out an H1N1 or seasonal influenza vaccine clinic nearest them. A "clinic finder" also is available online at www.pandemic.wisconsin.gov or www.wisconsinfluclinic.info. Information is also available at www.FortHealthCare.com/flu.
The hospital and clinics' website contains links to other sites specific to the H1N1 flu outbreak including the CDC.
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