H1N1 Death in Altoona
By: David Kaplar
Updated: November 24, 2009
ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY - A 22-year old is the first person in Blair County to die from H1N1, better known as the swine flu.
The patient is not being identified because of privacy concerns, but Altoona Regional Health System says he or she suffered from "multiple other medical problems".
The hospital is warning the public not to be overly concerned, but Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Cowger says it "should serve as a reminder to people to take the recommended precautions against infection."
Those precautions include:
Good respiratory / cough etiquette: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw your tissue in the trash. Perform hand hygiene afterward.
Good hand hygiene: Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Flu-like symptoms can include fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. If you are ill with these symptoms, and you have recently traveled to areas where influenza A-H1N1, or swine flu, has been identified, you may want to contact your health care provider so he or she can determine if you need testing or treatment.
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, you should seek medical care:
In children:
Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improved but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash
In adults:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting
The patient is not being identified because of privacy concerns, but Altoona Regional Health System says he or she suffered from "multiple other medical problems".
The hospital is warning the public not to be overly concerned, but Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Cowger says it "should serve as a reminder to people to take the recommended precautions against infection."
Those precautions include:
Good respiratory / cough etiquette: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw your tissue in the trash. Perform hand hygiene afterward.
Good hand hygiene: Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Flu-like symptoms can include fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. If you are ill with these symptoms, and you have recently traveled to areas where influenza A-H1N1, or swine flu, has been identified, you may want to contact your health care provider so he or she can determine if you need testing or treatment.
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, you should seek medical care:
In children:
Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improved but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash
In adults:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting
