Testing being done to confirm cause
GLENS FALLS -- A 40-year-old woman from the Glens Falls area died Saturday morning at Glens Falls Hospital after being admitted with flu-like symptoms, a hospital official said Saturday night.
The cause of death is suspected to be associated with the H1N1 flu virus, said Ray Agnew, a hospital spokesman. Agnew emphasized that testing would be done to confirm the exact cause of death, and that would likely take 48 hours.
If confirmed, the death would be the first associated with the H1N1 virus at the hospital, Agnew said.
"This is a tragedy. It highlights the importance of recognizing when you have flu symptoms to give yourself time to heal and not expose other people to the disease," he said.
A Warren County Public Heath Department supervisor was notified by the hospital of the death late Saturday afternoon, and forwarded information to the state Health Department for evaluation, said Patricia Auer, the Warren County Public Health director.
Auer said she had few specifics to give out about the death other than it was caused by a "lung-related situation."
"This is obviously more concerning than at other times," she said, noting that the county has no supply on hand of injectable H1N1 vaccine, though county officials are hopeful a supply will arrive in the next week. County health officials have been offering limited quantities of nasal mist H1N1 vaccine for children, with another nasal vaccine clinic scheduled for Monday.
"For the most part, this is a mild flu," Agnew said, referring to H1N1, also known as swine flu. "For most folks, Tylenol and giving yourself some days off and not exposing other people ... is very important. Surely, get your seasonal flu shots, and H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available."
Agnew said the woman who died, whose name he declined to release, had flu-like symptoms, including fever, prior to entering the hospital. At the hospital, the woman was diagnosed with pneumonia, he said.
A member of the woman's family had similar flu-like symptoms, he said.
Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesman for the state Health Department, said Saturday night that he had "no information" on the case. The state is often asked by counties to conduct tests, but it is up to county officials to release specific information to the public once those tests have been completed, he said.
In recent weeks, Glens Falls Hospital has instituted new procedures to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu, including adding additional hand-sanitization stations, asking visitors with coughs and fever to avoid visiting others in the hospital, and requesting that youths under 12 to refrain from visiting because children are more susceptible to H1N1.
Since April, there have been 34 deaths associated with H1N1 flu reported in New York state, outside of New York City, according to the state Health Department.
Posted in Local, H1n1 on Saturday, October 31, 2009 10:15 pm Updated: 3:00 pm. | Tags: H1n1
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