Second swine flu death in Kern
| Thursday, Sep 17 2009 04:17 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Sep 17 2009 04:19 PM
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IN PERSPECTIVE
Sure, it's scary. But swine flu is by no means Kern's most potent killer.
Here are some other Kern County fatality figures for 2009 so far:
Swine flu
2
Homicides
16 in the Bakersfield Police Department's jurisdiction
33 for the Kern County Sheriff's Department
Car accidents
76 fatalities counted by California Highway Patrol offices in Bakersfield, Fort Tejon, Mojave and Buttonwillow, including off-roading accidents
16 fatalities counted by Bakersfield police, including four pedestrians and one cyclist hit by vehicles
Drowning
17 so far, including six children, according to the Kern County coroner's office. Eight were in pools, four in the Kern River, three in Isabella Lake, one in a canal and one in the Park at River Walk lake
West Nile virus
Zero, with fewer than 20 reported cases
Sources: Local law enforcement agencies, Kern County Department of Public Health
A 31-year-old man with preexisting medical conditions has died from the H1N1 virus, marking Kern County's second death this year from the so-called swine flu.
The man's identity was not released by county health officials Thursday, nor were details about his existing health problems. He was hospitalized at the time of his death and succumbed to "complications associated with" the flu strain, a release said.
The previous victim also had preexisting medical problems.
Maria Palacios, 37, who died Saturday, had fought for years against a form of hepatitis that damaged her immune system and was causing liver failure, her daughter said. Palacios had pneumonia and other respiratory problems when she entered the hospital, where she died.
Nineteen Kern residents have so far been hospitalized with H1N1. The county tallies only hospitalized cases.
Dr. Claudia Jonah, Kern County's public health officer, said it's likely both victims got the virus the way anyone else would: by touching their eyes, nose or mouth after contacting a soiled surface such as a doorknob or hand rail.
That's why it's so important for residents to take precautions against getting and spreading the flu, she said.
Officials are stressing the "three Cs" of prevention:
* Cover your cough;
* Clean your hands;
* Confine sick people at home.
If you get flu, H1N1 or seasonal, officials recommend you stay home for 24 hours after your fever breaks.
People who've gotten H1N1 can still shed the virus for up to seven days after they feel well, Jonah said. Most people become only mildly or moderately sick.
In mid-August, when local officials stopped announcing every confirmed case, Kern's total had reached 86. The first case was confirmed here in May, a month after the new flu hit the U.S.
Statewide, 167 people have died from the H1N1 pandemic this year. Another 1,845 have been hospitalized, state numbers show. Nationally, nearly 600 have perished, the Associated Press reported.
A vaccine is expected around mid-October, with high-risk groups slated to get it first: pregnant women, people who care for infants 6 months or younger, health care workers, those with underlying medical conditions aged 24-64, and people aged 4-24.
What's unusual, Jonah said, is that groups typically considered high risk for seasonal flu -- younger than 4 or older than 64 -- aren't in the high-risk camp with swine flu.
Local hospitalization and death rates from H1N1 are lower than many other jurisdictions in California, numbers from the state Department of Public Health show.
Kern counts about 2.5 afflicted residents per every 100,000.
In San Benito County, located south of San Jose, that number is more than 12.8. In Contra Costa County, it's more than 12.7. Other double-digit areas include Marin, Sonoma and Merced counties.
Swine flu has received plenty of media attention, but garden-variety seasonal flu is a perennial killer in vulnerable populations. An average 36,000 people die from complications of seasonal influenza each year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Local deaths from seasonal flu aren't tracked, said the health department's Jonah.
For more information, visit the state's Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov or call the county's swine flu hotline at 877-81VIRUS.
