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Posted: Friday, December 21, 2012 10:30 am | Updated: 2:16 pm, Wed Dec 26, 2012.

By JESSICA BIES jbies@stpeterherald.com | 0 comments




More than 80 students called in sick to Cleveland School District Tuesday morning, starting this year’s cold and flu season with several empty chairs and desks.

“We had quite a few absences,” Principal Dawn Brown said. “We have some students with strep throat, some with the flu and some with stomach problems. “

Brown said that for a school district with only 455 students, such a large amount of absences doesn’t go unnoticed. While efforts to keep the school germ-free are always in full-swing, efforts have ramped up during the past week and parents are being advised to keep sick children at home.

“They need to be fever-free, without medication, for 24 hours,” Brown said.

At the school, staff are trying to help healthy children stay that way. Brown said there is hand sanitizer in almost every room of the building, teachers clean desks with sanitizing wipes and children are encouraged to cough or sneeze into their elbow. And of course ... children are asked to wash their hands.

“Hand washing, hand washing, hand washing,” Brown said. “It’s some of the most basic things that help.”

School Nurse Kellie Venzke is new to the district this year, but is an expert at cold and flu prevention. Formerly an administrator at Keystone Communities in Mankato, Venzke has been a registered nurse for 27 years.

Venzke said that one of the reasons children often get each other sick, is because they are in such close proximity to each other. Venzke advises students not to share food and drinks with each other and to maintain their personal space.

She also recommended getting enough sleep, eating well-balanced needs and drinking water.

“Hydration is very important to healthy immune systems,” Venzke said.

Kristin Schultz, Director of Infection Control at River’s Edge Clinic said she has seen an uptick in influenza-like illnesses during over the past several weeks.

“This is a typical time of the year, when families are traveling and getting together, that we see a lot of illnesses like this,” Schultz said. “And I think people run themselves ragged a bit, which hurts their immune systems.

Schultz said that while sometimes getting sick is unavoidable, getting a flu shot can go a long way.

“The main benefit is the protection,” Schultz said. “You have the added protection against acquiring the disease and especially for the very young and very old, I think it’s essential to get the vaccine. Remember, influenza can lead to death. That mild illness, for patients with asthma, diabetes or other similar health conditions, can lead to a severe illness which could lead to death. “

Schultz said that often patients think they have the flu when they do not. It is characterized by a sudden onset, a high fever and upper-respiratory symptoms, Schultz said. In children, it can be accompanied by gastrointestinal complaints.

While Schultz said that hand washing, sleep and staying hydrated can help keep the flu at bay, she still recommended the flu shot as an added precaution.

“A typical concern is that after getting the vaccine is that you’ll still get sick,” Schultz said. “People need to know that it takes about two weeks to develop full immunity or protection. You could potentially get it in the waiting room. There’s a timing issue with this and that’s why the Department of Health recommends getting the vaccine early.”

But Schultz said, even if patients having been putting it off, they can still come into the clinic and get the shot or have any questions answered.

“We just ordered more flu vaccine today,” Schultz said.

Reach reporter Jessica Bies at 507-931-8568 or follow her on Twitter.com @sphjessicabies

http://www.southernminn.com/st_peter_he ... 88c2b.html

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ROGERS

Alexandrea "Allie" M.



Alexandrea "Allie" M. Rogers, 17, of Point Place, unexpectedly died from apparent complications from the Flu, on Friday, December 7, 2012.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/toledo ... bLoggedOut

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Dorothy Jean Ward, 84, died at 1:30 a.m. on December 1, 2012, at the Willowbrook retirement complex, Delaware Ohio, from complications of flu and Alzheimer’s disease

http://starkmemorial.com/?pagetype=obit ... _id=835880

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First flu-related death of the season

Updated: Wednesday, 02 Jan 2013, 5:53 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 02 Jan 2013, 5:53 PM EST



WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) - The Dayton area is reporting it's first flu-related death of the year.

Warren County Health officials confirmed to 2 NEWS that over the weekend a senior citizen, who tested positive for influenza, passed away. Officials said the person had several other health complications and death was still under investigation.

On Wednesday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention called the 2012-2013 the worst flu season in ten years.

"If it's not at it's peak, we are probably getting close," said Bill Wharton, the spokesperson for Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County.

Wharton said it's difficult to determine how many people are infected, because most people don't report it. However, Wharton said hospitalizations from influenza jumped from 7 to 14 over the last week. While it's still a small number, Wharton said "statistically it's a significant jump".

To avoid getting the flu experts recommend frequent hand washing and getting a vaccination.

Flu shots are still available at Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County in the Riebold Building on Main Street in Dayton. Vaccines costs $21, but are always based on ability to pay.

http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/local/mont ... the-season

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The worst flu season in a decade nationwide is gripping the region – especially Northern Kentucky – with reported flu cases climbing daily and the medical community anticipating things will get worse.

“Our epidemiologist tells me we haven’t gone two hours without a report of a flu case,” Louise Kent, spokeswoman for the Northern Kentucky Independent Health District, said Monday afternoon.

• Poll: Are you getting a flu shot?

As fever and chills, sneezing and coughing, body aches and headaches afflict flu victims around you, physicians’ and public health officials repeat this advice: Wash your hands. A lot. And get a flu shot.

Is flu hitting our region hard?

Yes. Numbers of flu cases are rising daily. Northern Kentucky seems to be taking the biggest hit so far, with the NKY Independent Health District tallying 700 reported flu cases as of Monday – up from 550 reported cases Friday. There were 284 cases total last flu season, 2011-12, which was considered a mild season.

When was it this bad before?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that this flu season appears to be the worst since 2003, and the Tristate is no exception.

Has anyone died from the flu?

A Campbell County man died Friday of complications from the flu.

The Northern Kentucky health department reported the man’s death, noting he had underlying medical conditions. It was the first flu-related death of the season in Northern Kentucky.

In Indiana, seven people have died so far this flu season, including two last week. Two of the seven deaths were people under 18 years old. The state is reporting widespread flu activity, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

Have the five St. Elizabeth hospitals in Northern Kentucky seen an increase this season?

Yes, a huge increase. So far this season (Oct. 1 through Monday), St. E reported 306 cases of influenza to the health department. For that time period last year, the hospital group had reported eight, said Patricia Burns, a registered nurse and , the infection control coordinator for St. E.

How has Ohio been hit this season?

In Ohio, flu cases are not required to be reported to the health department.

Flu-related hospitalizations are the best benchmarks for the severity and circulation of flu viruses in Ohio.

Such hospitalizations have almost tripled this season, and there are outbreaks in at least half the state’s regions, according to the Ohio Department of Health. It reported 1,230 hospitalizations between October and December this season compared to only 71 last season.

Are Southwest Ohio counties also feeling the flu outbreak?

Health departments in Hamilton and Clermont counties say they’re seeing more cases than last season.

From October through Monday, 86 Hamilton County residents had been hospitalized for the flu. Of those cases, 39 occurred in December and 44 have occurred this month. Last year there were no hospitalizations during that time period.

Clermont County General Health District reported six hospitalizations in December. That’s more than this time last year, said Deputy Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit, but she didn’t have December 2011’s numbers readily available.

Butler County Health Department also is seeing more flu cases this season. Jenny Bailer, director of nursing, said, “It certainly looks like it’s on the increase.”

Cincinnati hasn’t seen a large increase yet, said spokesman Rocky Merz.

What is University of Cincinnati Medical Center reporting?

Dr. Madhuri Sopirala, director of Infections Control at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, said the hospital began to see an increase in flu cases in December, and by mid-December had tallied 25. In January alone – one week – the hospital had 18 flu cases, she said, noting about half of the patients were admitted.

Is the flu hitting children hard this season?

It appears that there are no major flu outbreaks among children here.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is seeing its numbers rise; however, influenza cases are not out of the ordinary for a flu season, said Jim Feurer, spokesman for the hospital.

“Flu numbers have gradually gone up each week,” Feurer said. “Flu is here. There’s nothing unusual about the trends we’re seeing.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2013 ... -about-flu

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DAYTON, Ohio —
Health officials investigating the death of a western Ohio college student hospitalized with the flu say the young woman appeared otherwise healthy.

Greene County health officials tell the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/VS91Hx ) the 22-year-old Wright State University student had the Influenza A virus and was hospitalized for four days before she died Tuesday. Officials are trying to determine whether she had any other medical condition that was a factor.

A spokeswoman for the health department in Greene County says officials typically would expect a contributing condition such as diabetes or asthma in such a death, but the student appeared to be healthy.

Across the country, flu season has struck early and, in many places, hard. State and federal health officials have said the flu has been "widespread" in Ohio.

http://www.ajc.com/news/ap/health/ohio- ... ies/nTsQW/

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A 14-year-old Miamisburg boy who died Thursday due to complications from influenza is the third person in the area to die from the flu in the last few weeks.

Tyler Sensenbrenner, an eighth-grader at Miamisburg Middle School, was described by his family as a “very healthy child.” He came down with the flu Jan. 23 and his condition evolved into sepsis, which is the presence of bacteria in the blood. He died at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

“He had multiple medical issues because of the flu-associated illness,” said Bill Wharton of Public Health — Dayton and Montgomery County.

Wharton said this was the first flu-related Montgomery County death this year, and the first pediatric-related death attributed to the flu in the county since those records became reportable in 2009.

Amelia Catherine Perry, 22, of Fairborn died Jan. 8 after being hospitalized with the flu at Kettering Medical Center. An elderly Warren County man, who suffered from several chronic conditions that could have contributed to his death, died of the flu in late December.

Health officials said there have been reports of a handful of Ohio adult deaths linked to the flu this season, but the state does not tally adult deaths due to the underlying health conditions often involved.

Chris House, a family friend speaking on behalf of the Sensenbrenners on Friday, said Tyler Sensenbrenner had not been sick prior to last week’s illness.

“He was running around on Wednesday of last week,” House said. “He was a very active young man. He was proud that he had won the Kreiger Video Award this year. He was a jokester, who liked to dance and have a good time.”

Counselor Tammy Bicknell said the video award was a schoolwide honor voted on by students, staff and teachers.

“Tyler was a very, very nice young man, who always had a smile for everybody,” Bicknell said.

Miamisburg Superintendent David Vail said students observed a moment of silence Friday, and the district had counselors, central office personnel and clergy on hand.

“It was very apparent that Tyler was well-liked,” Vail said. “He has an older brother (Aaron) at the high school, and at lunch the kids collected money for the family to help pay for services. … It puts everything else into perspective.”

Vail said the school has not had a marked increase in students missing school due to illness, and Wharton said the number of flu cases are on the decline in the county as a whole.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, flu-related hospitalizations were down 57 percent last week compared to the previous week, indicating that the flu season may have peaked

Wharton stressed the vital importance of hand-washing, maintaining a strong immune system and getting a flu shot.

“People complain that the flu shot is not 100 percent effective, but it is the best option we have,” he said.

Tyler is survived by his parents, Jeff and Christina, and his 17-year-old brother, Aaron. Services for Tyler were pending at Tobias Funeral Home.

Staff writer Randy Tucker contributed to this report.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/new ... flu/nWC5d/

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