Monday, May 18, 2009

New York Assistant Principal Died of Swine Flu

Update: Swine Flu still predominant

Hey folks,

Just because H1N1, AKA Swine Flu, is not front page news anymore, does not mean it is not STILL out there and STILL killing people. Hence the reason I continue to watch this VERY closely and continue to update you.

According to the Boston Globe - NYC school official's death tied to swine flu

NEW YORK - An assistant principal died yesterday, the city's first fatality linked to the swine flu virus.

Mitchell Wiener, 55, who worked at Susan B. Anthony middle school in Queens, had been sick for nearly a week before his school was closed Thursday. He had been hospitalized and on a ventilator.

He had been overwhelmed by the illness despite treatment with an experimental drug, said Ole Pedersen, a spokesman for Flushing Hospital Medical Center, where Wiener had been a patient since Wednesday.

His death was the sixth linked to swine flu in the United States. Most of the other victims were suffering from other health problems. The New York Times reported that Wiener suffered from gout, but it was unclear whether that complicated his condition.

The city's first outbreak of swine flu occurred three weeks ago, when about 700 students and 300 other people associated with a Catholic high school in Queens became ill after the return of several students from vacations in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Five more city schools will close today because of concern for swine flu, bringing the total to 11. Those schools in Queens - four public and one Catholic - would close for up to five school days, city officials said. Three of the public schools are in the same building.

Each school had students with flu-like illness last week. There were no documented cases of swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, at any of those schools, said Jessica Scaperotti, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Besides Wiener, no one else in New York City has become seriously ill from the virus.


CDC Update: Last update was 11 am May 15, 2009. So I'm not sure who is in charge over there, no new updates. According to this piece, Now 6 deaths. Closing of schools in New York. More cases daily. Yet, NOTHING from the CDC. I will update you as soon as they update us.

Just because this is not being discussed in depth, please do not think that this is over. As this case in New York proves. Be careful, be well, and I will try to get an official CDC update tomorrow.
Peter

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