May 25, 2009 3:09 pm US/Central
Chicago Patient Is State's 1st H1N1 Flu Death
Illinois Sees First H1N1 Flu Death
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A woman wears a surgical mask to avoid contagion by the Influenza A (H1N1) (swine flu virus), at the International Airport of Mexico City, on April 30, 2009.
Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images
A Chicago resident has died of complications related to the H1N1 flu virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Monday. The patient is the first Illinois H1N1 flu-related death.
The patient's identity, age and gender was not released, and the state agency cited the family's wish for privacy. The patient, however, had underlying medical conditions, according to IDPH Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold.
"With as many cases of H1N1 influenza that have been reported in Illinois, we have been concerned that there would be fatalities. We know the virus is still circulating in the state and I would like to remind everyone, especially those with chronic medical conditions, to continue taking steps to keep from getting the flu," Arnold said in a statement.
These steps include following the three C's:
• Clean – properly wash your hands frequently
• Cover – cover your cough and sneeze
• Contain – contain your germs by staying home if you are sick
There have been 896 confirmed cases of swine flu in Illinois. Most have been mild. The virus has been blamed for a number of deaths in the United States.
Symptoms of H1N1 flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting as well, the release said.
Chicago epidemiologist Mark Dworkin, who has just released a new book profiling outbreak investigations, said residents should not become increasingly alarmed. He says health officials in Illinois knew from the beginning that H1N1 would kill here.
"This death is not unexpected because as the number of persons infected grows, eventually there's a mortality rate for influenza," the University of Illinois-Chicago faculty member said.
Right now, scientits are watching to see if H1N1 mutates.
"We know from history from the 1918 pandemic that it started off with a milder late spring flu just like we're having," Dworkin said. "And then, in the fall another wave of that flu came through and that was severe, and it had clearly changed in some way. So a lot of people ended up dying."
More Information Online:
* How To Protect Yourself
* How To Choose, Use The Best Hand Sanitzer
* H1N1 Flu: Questions, Answers
* Illinois H1N1 Flu Information
* CDC Emergency Updates Via Twitter
* H1N1 Flu Twitter Live Search Results
* David Burnia's H1N1 Flu Watch On Twitter
* Google Map Of Suspected, Confirmed Cases CBS 2's Pamela Jones and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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