San Juan County man dies from H1N1 flu

SANTA FE (KRQE) - Nearly 1,000 New Mexicans have been admitted to hospitals this year for treatment related to the H1N1 flu, according to the New Mexico Department of Health which recorded one flu-related death during the last week.

The man who died was 50 and did not have any underlying medical conditions that might have contributed to the death. Swine flu has now been cited in 43 deaths in the state this year.

Nearly 70 percent of those who died had chronic health issues that put them at higher risk for fatal complications.

NM DOH H1N1 Weekly Update: December 9, 2009

Influenza-Like Illness

Visits to healthcare providers for influenza-like illness decreased from 5.4 percent last week to 4.6 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. All positive flu tests are presumed to be novel H1N1 influenza. The severity of illness due to novel H1N1 influenza has not changed nationally or in New Mexico from the spring.

Deaths

The Department of Health is reporting one H1N1-related death in the last week in New Mexico. The latest death is a 50-year-old male from San Juan County with no chronic medical conditions.

Disease investigation

There have been 43 laboratory confirmed influenza-related deaths in New Mexico from April 15 to December 9, 2009. Of these deaths, 67 percent have been among those at high risk for complications due to influenza based on CDC defined categories.

About a third of high-risk New Mexicans who died of H1N1 had asthma or other chronic lung conditions. Diabetes and chronic cardiovascular disease were also leading risk factors in H1N1 deaths in New Mexico. No pregnant women have died of H1N1 in New Mexico.

A total of 29 people who contract H1N1 and died were either in high-risk groups or had underlying issues:

• Age 2 or younger: 2 deaths
• Age 65 or older: 6 deaths
• Asthma and other chronic lung disease: 13 deaths
• Diabetes: 11 deaths
• Chronic cardiovascular disease: 9 deaths
• Neurologic disease: 7 deaths
• Liver disorder: 6 deaths
• Cancer in past 12 months: 3 deaths
• Renal disease: 2 deaths
• Immunosuppressed: 1 death
• Pregnancy: 0 deaths

Vaccine Information

The Department of Health has ordered about 478,000 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 in the following current H1N1 vaccination priority groups to get vaccinated as soon as possible:

• pregnant women, household members/caretakers of infants younger than 6 months old
• children 6 to 59 months of age
• children and adults 5 to 64 years of age with certain chronic health conditions that increase their risk of complications from influenza
• health-care workers and emergency medical service personnel with direct patient care.

The Department of Health is encouraging people in the current priority group to call their primary healthcare providers first to ask if they are providing the novel H1N1 vaccine. People in the priority groups 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 955 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 (239), Catron County (2), Chaves County (15), Cibola County (12), Colfax County (22), Curry County (57), Doña Ana County (117), Eddy County (28), Grant County (14), Guadalupe County (1), Lea County (28), Lincoln County (6), Los Alamos County (4), Luna County (13), McKinley County (68), Mora County (1), Otero County (28), Quay (6), Rio Arriba County (21), Roosevelt County (9), San Juan County (59), San Miguel County (9), Sandoval County (41), Santa Fe County (45), Sierra County (10), Socorro County (15), Taos County (22), Torrance County (2), Union County (1), Valencia County (31) and 29 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