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Md. Reports Tenth H1N1 Death
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CBS
A western Maryland resident has become the state's tenth victim of the H1N1 virus, as more sick people fill up the state's emergency rooms.
Derek Valcourt explains that hospitals are getting creative to deal with the large volume of potential H1N1 patients.
Health officials say the latest H1N1 victim did have underlying medical problems.
Personal details about the case, including age, gender and specific jurisdiction of residence, will not be released to protect the privacy of the resident and the resident's family.
"We cannot emphasize enough that people with serious underlying health conditions should contact their health care providers as soon as they experience flu-like illness, regardless of whether it is H1N1 flu or seasonal flu," said DHMH Secretary John M. Colmers. "As with seasonal flu, we know H1N1 flu is on the rise as we move further into the normal flu season. As a result, we do expect to see more hospitalizations and deaths as the season progresses. We wish to express our condolences to the family and friends of this latest resident to die as a result of illness related to H1N1 flu."
Maryland is one of 37 states reporting geographically widespread influenza activity as virtually every indicator reveals the spread of H1N1 flu is on the rise across the state. Additionally, the presence of regular seasonal flu in Maryland has been confirmed by laboratory tests.
"Every indicator tells us that H1N1 flu continues to spread in the community and remains the dominant factor in flu-like illness statewide," said Frances Phillips, DHMH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services. "We have seen the first few shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine arrive in Maryland and while we are ordering every dose available for our residents, vaccine remains at a trickle at doctor's offices, clinics, hospital and local health departments. Remember, vaccination is the best prevention against the flu, but basic measures like hand washing and covering your cough can help. "
The latest death comes as many hospitals struggle to deal with increased numbers of patients coming in with flu-like symptoms.
At Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, flu traffic hasn't let up in their 37 bed emergency room.
"Our biggest surge was 223 patients we saw in one day. We are using hallways, every crevasse of the ER to see patients, get them in and out," said Nelson Figueroa, Northwest Hospital.
It's a similar story at St. Joseph Medical Center. In fact, they've had to enact their emergency surge plan three times in the last week, with unused space in the main hospital now serving as emergency room overflow.
"We normally see on average about 140 patients a day, and now we're surging. On Monday, we saw 191 patients, so we've been able to use that area on Monday to effectively get patients through the system," said Holly Chattin-Smith.
At Anne Arundel Medical Center, they're preparing for things to get worse. They've signed an agreement with a nearby hotel to provide rooms and beds if the flu cases continue to increase.
At GBMC, they're keeping tents out front to keep flu symptom patients away from the rest of the hospital.
The federal government has begun shipping out the shot version of the H1N1 vaccine. The challenge for many health officials is convincing parents that the vaccine is safe for their children, an issue Governor Martin O'Malley addressed Tuesday.
"I'm a father of four children. I'm going to listen to the public health doctors and the experts, and I'm going to make sure that all four of my children are vaccinated," O'Malley said.
State health officials say they can't stress enough how important it is for people who have underlying medical problems to see a doctor as soon as they notice any flu-like symptoms.
Symptoms of influenza include fever, cough, and sore throat. Additional symptoms may include chills, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea or shortness of breath.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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© MMX, CBS Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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