The Garden City Telegram
Email this story | Add Your Comment
| Read (0) Comments
Flu deaths may be more than reported
Published 11/19/2009 in Local News
By SHAJIA AHMAD
State health officials are saying that unprecedented flu activity levels in the wake of this year's pandemic flu virus are causing more H1N1-related deaths than are being tracked.
Click to Purchase Photo Reprints!
Laurie Sisk/Telegram A small line of people begins to form on Wednesday morning to receive H1N1 vaccines at the Exhibition Building at the Finney County Fairgrounds. Officials at the health department said they are concerned that people may be getting complacent and not pursuing the vaccinations, which could lead to a second, stronger wave of the flu.
Nearly 8 percent, or 37 of 486, deaths reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment during the first week of November were due to influenza or pneumonia, the most common and severe complication of influenza, according to the latest KDHE flu status report.
While the KDHE is tracking some lab-confirmed cases of H1N1 flu-related deaths -- there have been 18 reported statewide as of this morning -- the number of deaths confirmed to be caused by pandemic virus under represents the true number of deaths, state health officials say. The great majority of all influenza or pneumonia-related deaths that are occurring do not have a confirmatory lab result associated with them, said Mike Heideman, a communications specialist with the KDHE.
"We're confident there are more, but there is a specific lab test to confirm H1N1," Heideman said. "We are keeping track of flu activity, and we know the 2009 (H1N1) strain is the most prevalent based on national data."
The KDHE is no longer accepting specimens from everyone who sees a doctor with symptoms, and in non-hospitalized cases, confirmatory testing does not affect treatment and advice given to patients by health care providers, according to the KDHE.
Heideman said even though not all possible H1N1-related deaths are being tested and tracked, the KDHE announces the ones that are confirmed to remind people how serious the flu can be.
"This is no seasonal virus. We've had deaths in the summer and spring months, too, which is really unusual," he said.
According to state health officials, some people develop serious complications that require hospitalization or may lead to death. Although serious complications are more likely among persons with certain underlying chronic health conditions, the pandemic influenza virus has caused serious complications and deaths among persons without such factors.
And unlike typical seasonal influenza, the 2009 H1N1 virus is causing a greater disease burden among adolescents and young adults. Severe illness from H1N1 virus infection can occur among relatively young, healthy persons.
"Usually at this time of year, about 2 percent of patients seeking care in outpatient clinics around Kansas would be reported as having influenza-like illness," Charlie Hunt, state epidemiologist with the KDHE, said in a release. "Although we've seen a small decline over the past two weeks, 5.6 percent of these patients were reported as presenting with flu-like symptoms during the past week, which is still more than twice the normal level of flu activity."
The largest number of pneumonia and influenza deaths is attributed to persons 65 and older, and since Sept. 26, no deaths have been reported in anyone younger than 25. Nationally, the percentage of all deaths due to pneumonia or influenza reported the week ending Oct. 31 was 7.4 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition, during the first week of November across the state, 16 percent of high schools, 15 percent of middle schools and 11 percent of elementary schools reported to their local health departments that they are experiencing absenteeism rates that are 10 percent or higher. Schools in Kansas normally report a 5 percent absenteeism rate, according to the KDHE.
The Finney County Health Department will continue to distribute limited quantities of H1N1 vaccines but will hold a vaccination clinic next week because of the holidays.
Found 0 comment(s)!
Twitter Updates
