State verifies Mahoning Co. death as first attributed to flu this year

By William K. Alcorn

YOUNGSTOWN — A 50-year-old woman is the first laboratory- confirmed confirmed death in Mahoning County this year attributed to influenza and pneumonia by the Ohio Department of Health.

To date, ODH has confirmed 30 deaths statewide due to flu and pneumonia, said Kristopher Weiss, state health department spokesman, who said the state has an average of 3,000 deaths a year caused by flu and pneumonia.

Weiss said his department would not release any additional information about the Mahoning County woman. No flu and pneumonia deaths have been confirmed in Columbiana and Trumbull counties.

Matthew Stefanak, health commissioner for the Mahoning County District Board of Health, said that usually between 4 percent and 6 percent of the deaths in the county during flu season are caused by flu and pneumonia.

For instance, for the week ending Nov. 7, three of the county’s 67 deaths, or about 4 1‚Ñ2 percent, were caused by flu and pneumonia, according to the weekly mortality and morbidity report compiled by the county health department. The national average for that week was 7.8 percent, Stefanak said.

The only people lab-tested for H1N1 are those hospitalized with flulike symptoms who test negative on the rapid-flu test, he said.

“Lab confirmation of H1N1 doesn’t mean there haven’t been other deaths. The H1N1 virus is present in the community, and there are deaths here all the time,” Stefanak said.

Traditionally, the peak periods for the flu are April/May, October/November and February, said Dr. John Venglarcik, county health department medical director.

So far, the county health department has received 14,600 doses of H1N1 vaccine, and the Youngstown City Health Department a similar number.

Stefanak said his department will continue running H1N1 flu vaccine clinics in schools this week, but does not plan to schedule open clinics until it amasses a sufficient number of doses to serve all qualified persons who want the vaccine.

The city health department has scheduled an H1N1 vaccine clinic from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 30 at Oak Hill Renaissance Building, 345 Oak Hill Ave.

The state health department last week ordered an additional 182,700 doses of H1N1 vaccine from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be shipped directly to 467 local health departments, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists in all of Ohio’s 88 counties.

The order of 10,200 doses of nasal-spray vaccine and 172,500 shots of H1N1 vaccine were scheduled to arrive at provider offices and clinics Tuesday.

The vaccine is intended for high-risk individuals, including health-care workers and emergency medical service workers who provide direct patient care; pregnant women; people who live with or care for children less than 6 months; all people age 6 months to 24 years; and people age 25 to 64 with chronic medical conditions, the state health department said.

Local providers may vaccinate some subset of the above group depending on vaccine supply and the demographic makeup of the patients they serve, the state health department said.

alcorn@vindy.com

H1N1

Vaccine update

An additional 182,700 doses of H1N1 vaccine were to begin arriving Tuesday at local health departments, pediatricians, and obstetricians and gynecologists in all 88 Ohio counties.

Mahoning County District Board of Health will continue to run scheduled H1N1 vaccine clinics in schools this week but does not plan to schedule open clinics until it amasses a sufficient number of doses to serve all qualified people who want the vaccine.

The Youngstown Health Department has scheduled an H1N1 vaccine clinic on from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 30 at Oak Hill Renaissance Building, 345 Oak Hill Ave.

The Greenville, Pa., UPMC Medical Center, 90 Shenango St., is offering a seasonal-flu vaccination clinic for its adult patients, 18 and older, on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. The vaccine is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments are not required. If insurance does not cover the vaccine, the cost is $39. For more information, call Greenville Medical Center at (724) 588-4240.

Sources: Mahoning County District Board of Health, Youngstown City Health District, UPMC Greenville Medical Center