Boston announces state's first H1N1 flu-related death.

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health today announced the state's first death linked to H1N1 flu (swine flu).  A statement released by BPHC said that the 30 year-old Boston resident passed away yesterday. (Download 2009 06-15 First H1N1 death in Boston)

As of June 11, there were 1,153 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in the Commonwealth, and 80 people in the state have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  While most cases of the H1N1 flu in Massachusetts have been less severe, this is a tragic reminder of how serious influenza can be for some people. 

Certain groups are at higher risk of complications from the flu.  These groups include children under the age of 2, adults over 65, pregnant women, and people with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.  These people should call their doctor immediately to discuss appropriate treatment if they develop a fever with a cough, sore throat, or runny nose.

Massachusetts residents are reminded to take the following steps to reduce their risk of illness:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, or cough into your inner elbow and not into your hands.
• If you are sick stay home from work, and if your child is sick keep them home from school for 7 days, or 24 hours after symptoms resolve -- whichever is longer.
• Stay informed about the latest developments on the H1N1 flu by visiting www.mass.gov/dph.

Comments

[Mary]

I am currently a type 2 diabetes 45 years old. I have been unable to obtain the H1N1 despite calling my physician every week. I was told they do not have the vaccine, but they are able to distribute to pregnant and health care workers. What does someone that is in this situation do in this case? I am now so frustrated that I would like to look for another physician.

[D. Heidi Hample]

A friend of mine got the flu about a month ago.

After a couple of weeks she was getting better, then had a fever again.

She says she is not contagious. Is this so, even if she has a fever again?

Also, can you catch the flu again after you've had it once? Many thanks for your help.

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Dr. Lauren Smith responds: Hi Heidi- Your questions are good ones. Generally, once you have been sick with a specific flu virus, you are not likely to get sick from that same virus again. However, you can become ill from another different type of virus. So, it is likely that your friend got one virus, recovered and then was exposed to a different virus.

When and for how long a person is contagious varies with different illnesses. It is a good rule of thumb that when people with respiratory viral syndromes have fever, they can be contagious. Again, depending on the illness, people can also be contagious for a short period before they show symptoms.

In general, it is best for people with fevers to stay home and rest, drink plenty of fluids to give their bodies time to recover. I hope this helps.

[Kathy]

I'm so frustrated with the lack of information. My son was coughing and had a runny nose for three days last week. If I had known that the Donovan School in Randolph was closed due to H1N1, I would have been more vigilant and taken his temperature right away rather than assume it was allergies. The rest of the parents in Randolph were not informed that the Donovan school had closed until two days AFTER the fact. The day I got that phone call was the day my son came home with a temp of 102. If I had received the information about the Donovan school closing the day the decision was made, I could have kept my son home from school as a precautionary measure. But unfortunately, because I didn't have the information, my son went to school and after-care for three days (probably being contagious). If you don't let people know that there are confirmed cases of flu in their TOWN (as opposed to their county) how can we take the appropriate action to prevent the spread? I am so frustrated. I'd like to know what the rate of abscence is at my son's elementary school. Being that none of the teachers are assigning homework this week, I'm betting the absence is high. Why not tell people?

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Tom Lyons Responds: Hi Kathy, first I want to say I am sorry that you are so frustrated. We know this outbreak has been difficult for parents, schools and communities. We have tried to share a great deal of information about H1N1 flu in as timely a manner as possible. We update our school closure list as soon as we find out about those closures. I also know that the Donovan School closing was publicized in the Boston Globe. It sounds from your comment that the school also notified parents about the closure. We have also tried to give very clear guidance to parents on what to look for in terms of signs and symptoms of Influenza-Like-Illness, and steps that can be taken to lower the risk of infection.

We are experiencing flu activity in our state that is much higher than levels that we normally see this time of year. Our prevention guidance is not town specific -- we believe that everyone should be taking simple precautions to lower their risk of getting the flu. Again those steps are practicing good hand hygiene, covering coughs or sneezes with a tissue, or into one's sleeve or inner elbow and staying home from school or work if ill. The period of time that people should stay home if ill is 7 days, or 24 hours after symptoms resolve -- which ever is longer.

Again, I am sorry you are frustrated and I hope you son is feeling better. Thanks for your comment.

[Allison]

Is there any where to find out which towns/cities have confirmed Swine Flu cases?

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Suzanne Crowther responds: Because we recommend doctors only test pregnant women, children under the age of 2, people over the age of 65, and people underlying health conditions like heart disease, asthma and diabetes, the number of confirmed H1N1 cases is just a small fraction of the total number of cases in the community. At this point, there are confirmed cases in every county, so you should assume there is flu where you live, and take proper precautions.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water (or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer), keep your hands away from your face, and avoid close contact with people who are coughing or sneezing.

[Kathy]

Can we get an update on school closings please.

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Tom Lyons responds: Hi, Kathy - you can see the updated list on our H1N1 page at www.mass.gov/dph/swineflu.