By Tim Mandell
Madison County’s first death from the H1N1 virus was confirmed on Thursday.
The 59-year-old man died on Monday, at the Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center, according to a press release from the Madison County Health Department.
“He was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory illness,” said health department spokesperson Christie Green. “This gentleman was already in very fragile health and had some chronic underlying conditions. He was tested for flu and they sent a sample to the lab. The lab confirmed that H1N1 caused his death.”
This is the 32nd confirmed case of H1N1 in Madison County, the 13th death from H1N1 in Kentucky and the second reported on Thursday. The Lake Cumberland District Health Department reported earlier on Thursday that a McCreary County woman in her mid-50s had died of H1N1 at a hospital out of state.
“It is with great sadness that we make this report and our hearts go out to this man’s family,” said James Rousey, public health director for Madison County Health Department.
The health department asks people to “adopt personal protective actions, such as washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home when sick,” the press release reads.
“We encourage everyone to continue to practice preventive methods and to consider taking the vaccine as it becomes more available,” Green said. “The big thing is that if someone does become sick, that people monitor their loved ones closely and seek care if symptoms occur.”
The symptoms to look for are a sudden onset of illness, a fever of more than 100 degrees, chills, coughing, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, muscle aches and a feeling of weakness, according to the Kentucky Department of Public Health, which also states that diarrhea and vomiting have been reported by some patients.
The Kentucky Department of Public Health strongly recommends getting the H1N1 vaccine if you are pregnant, live with or care for children younger than six months old, work in health care or emergency medical services, are 25 to 64 years old with chronic health problems and are ages 6 to 24, especially those with chronic health problems.
It also recommends that people age 25 to 64 get the vaccine after those most at risk have received it and those 65 and older follow the 25 to 64 age group, based on studies that place these two groups at a lower risk of contracting H1N1.
Tim Mandell can be reached at tmandell@richmondregister.com or 623-1669 ext. 6696.
