Oct 29, 2009 11:28 pm US/Eastern
2 Families Affected By H1N1 Tell Their Stories
Reporting
Adam May
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
-
-
Unlike any other flu in recent history, swine flu is attacking children at an alarming rate.
WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images
We're only weeks into flu season and already hundreds of Maryland children have been hospitalized, and three have died.
Now with more doses of the flu vaccine on the way to Maryland, parents face what could be a life or death decision.
Adam May takes us inside a local hospital for a rare look at those on the front lines of this battle.
Unlike any other flu in recent history, swine flu is attacking children at an alarming rate.
"I was scared," said JoAnn Underwood. "I was scared."
"They've done almost everything they can do for him," said Walter Brooks Sr.
This is the story of two parents, both of whom had children at the University of Maryland Medical Center being treated for swine flu.
Two-year-old Nicholas Underwood was sick and his lungs filled up with fluid.
"He wasn't able to hold anything down," JoAnn Underwood said.
Walter Brooks, 18, was an active college freshman from Brooklyn Park.
"It's damaging his extremities. If he does make it in this 10% chance, he will have no hands or feet," said Walter Brooks Sr.
Shortly after that interview, doctors performed an emergency amputation, hoping it would rejuvenate Walter's internal organs, but the aspiring actor lost his battle.
"He was just a great kid who loved life," Brooks said.
So far, 95 children have died in the U.S. from H1N1, almost twice as many killed during an entire typical flu season. Between 30 and 40% have no underlying health problems.
"People who are younger, their immune systems have not seen this before and they have no protection," said Dr. Karen Kotloff, a national expert on pediatric infectious disease.
Despite mounting infection rates and a growing death toll among children, recent surveys find that almost half of all parents don't plan on getting the H1N1 vaccine for their children because they're concerned about the vaccine's safety.
Dr. Kotloff blames some talk shows for making the vaccine debate political instead of scientific.
"I think it's a very irresponsible public health message," she said. "We have given hundreds of millions of doses of flu vaccine over the years and it has the best safety record of any vaccine we know."
While Nicholas survived his illness, his mother wouldn't wish this on any parent.
"I would have definitely got the vaccination for my son. It's a lot better than watching him suffer and go through all this," Underwood said.
"Nobody ever thinks this is going to happen. You always think it couldn't happen to you, but it's very much real and I'm living it right here now," Brooks said.
Some good news, two-year-old Nicholas was discharged from the hospital Tuesday.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments