50 deaths now linked to H1N1 flu strain

SANTA FE (KRQE) - With the deaths of three adults reported to have underlying medical conditions the deaths of 50 New Mexicans have now been linked to the H1N1 flu by the state Department of Health.

The DOH also has announced that it no longer will publish weekly updates on the H1N1 flu but will instead issues news releases as developments warrant.

NMDOH H1N1 Weekly Update Dec. 23, 2009

Summary of new developments:

• Vaccine: 615,000 doses ordered; Vaccine is available to all New Mexicans.
• Illness: 3.1 percent of people going to health-care providers are for influenza-like illness
• Deaths: New: 3; Total: 50
• Hospitalizations: New: 7; Total: 964

Influenza-Like Illness

Visits to health-care providers for influenza-like illness decreased from 3.3 percent last week to 3.1 percent this week. The Department tracks influenza-like illness, which is defined as fever and either cough and/or sore throat, at 26 clinics throughout the state. Influenza-like illness is the best indicator of flu activity in the state. H1N1 influenza is still the predominant strain of flu in New Mexico at this time.

Deaths

The Department of Health is reporting three new deaths in the last week in New Mexico for a total of 50. All patients had chronic medical conditions that put them at higher risk for flu complications. The cases were a 28-year-old male and a 56-year-old male both from Bernalillo County and a 34-year-old female from San Juan County.

Vaccine Information

The Department of Health has ordered about 615,000 doses of nasal and injectable H1N1 vaccine. Vaccine is arriving in small amounts and is being distributed to providers and public health offices statewide. Due to a change in the way vaccine is circulating in New Mexico, the Department can no longer accurately track how much vaccine each county has received.

The Department of Health is encouraging people to call their primary healthcare providers first to ask if they are providing the novel H1N1 vaccine. People without insurance or a healthcare provider, or whose provider will not offer the H1N1 vaccine, can get the vaccine from a local public health office. Call your local public health office first to check the availability of H1N1 vaccine. Public health offices are listed in the phonebook’s blue pages under state government or online at www.nmhealth.org .

Hospitalizations by County

So far, there have been 964 hospitalizations related to novel H1N1 influenza this year. This week the Department of Health is reporting seven new hospitalizations.

The hospitalizations by county are as follows:

Bernalillo County (248), Catron County (4), Chaves County (16), Cibola County (13), Colfax County (22), Curry County (57), Doña Ana County (118), Eddy County (28), Grant County (19), Guadalupe County (1), Hidalgo County (2), Lea County (30), Lincoln County (5), Los Alamos County (4), Luna County (13), McKinley County (74), Mora County (1), Otero County (28), Quay (7), Rio Arriba County (21), Roosevelt County (9), San Juan County (61), San Miguel County (9), Sandoval County (41), Santa Fe County (48), Sierra County (10), Socorro County (16), Taos County (22), Torrance County (2), Valencia County (31) and 4 cases where residence has not yet been determined.

Resources

New Mexico H1N1 Toll Free Hotline: 1-877-304-4161

Online Information:

Department of Health H1N1 Web site
Statewide Flu Clinics
National H1N1 Information: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention