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Westsider Enriqueta Miranda says she likes to stay healthy, which is why she decided to get her seasonal flu and H1N1 shots on Tuesday.
"I haven't gotten sick, thank God, and I've been pretty healthy," Miranda, 61, said after getting her shot at the Tillman Health Center in Downtown El Paso. "I'm so thankful I got my vaccinations."

She was especially thankful after learning that El Paso has had a record-high rate of pneumonia and influenza deaths this month.

"Of course it worries me. I don't want to die," Miranda said, laughing.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, El Paso had 24 pneumonia- and influenza-related deaths during the week of April 11, and 19 such deaths the week before. Most of the people who died of pneumonia and influenza were 65 or older.

During the same weeks last year, El Paso had 11 deaths and then one death. The last time El Paso logged a record-high number of pneumonia- and influenza-related deaths was in February 2000.

So far this year, there have been 121 flu- and pneumonia-related deaths, more than double the 57 deaths recorded during the same period last year.

However, city health officials said the number of reported cases has declined during the past several weeks. There had been 19 confirmed flu cases in El Paso in April as of Tuesday, compared with 357 in January, 302 in February and 136 in March.

"There is no indication about any outbreak or any emergency situation regarding influenza of any type," said Fernando Gonzalez, the lead epidemiologist for the city Department of Public Health.

The recent high number of deaths may be attributed to an increase in influenza testing, case detection and reporting by local physicians to city health officials. The additional reporting was spurred by the H1N1 pandemic last year, said officials of the city Department of Public Health.

"During these first four months in El Paso, we have seen a big number of influenza cases, which means the number of deaths has increased as well," Gonzalez said.

The flu seasons usually lasts from October to March, but Gonzalez said it's never to late to get flu shots.

Officials said the increase in flu cases has nothing to do with an apparent H1N1 flu outbreak in Juárez.

So far, seven people infected with H1N1 have died in Juárez since March 20. Overall, 83 people have been infected with the virus so far since March 22, when the H1N1 virus outbreak was discovered in Juárez and Chihuahua, officials said in a statement.

In El Paso, health officials said, 300 people received seasonal flu shots during a vaccination clinic at Bassett Place during the weekend.

Miranda's son, Roberto Miranda Jr., 30, said he believes people need to go beyond getting an annual shot to boost their immune system.

"If you eat well and take vitamins, that's going to affect your immune system," Roberto Miranda said. "It's how you lead your lifestyle. I hardly ever get sick, but I take the shot."

Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at achavez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6117.

For more information: www.cdc.gov

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www.twitter.com/hniman

Really. News of this possible magtitude. Please, I'm as cynical as the next person but this is beyond reality if its half as bad as you say.

I gave the reporter some Recombinomics links, which led to the story, and of course the officials attributed the spike to testing (but P&I requires no testing and teh spike is for weeks 14 and 15, when testing shows an influenza decline.

I will put up another commentary to clarify, and give the reporter an update.

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www.twitter.com/hniman

What most don't realize is that reporters in general have VERY little science background (even science writers because science is VERY specialized and loaded with jargon which is understood only by those in the sub-specialty). Reporters are employed because of their ability to write and communicate at a level that will reach the readership. Without spoon feeding they are either lost, or not confident enough to analyze the reports, which are really coded and loaded.

In the alert, whenever H1N1 is mentioned, the alert shuld say "novel sub-clade with D225N", and when they say cases are sporadic, they should say that cases WERE sporadic a couple of weeks ago when data was collected.

The media reaction to the alert is definitely beyond belief, but that is how news is disseminated worldwide (and the "news" in reality is tightly controled propaganda in every sense of the word).

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www.twitter.com/hniman

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_17935531
Flu, pneumonia deaths in city crest to record
By Adriana M. Chávez \ EL PASO TIMES
Posted: 04/27/2011 12:00:00 AM MDT
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, El Paso had 24 pneumonia- and influenza-related deaths during the week of April 11, and 19 such deaths the week before. Most of the people who died of pneumonia and influenza were 65 or older.

During the same weeks last year, El Paso had 11 deaths and then one death. The last time El Paso logged a record-high number of pneumonia- and influenza-related deaths was in February 2000.

So far this year, there have been 121 flu- and pneumonia-related deaths, more than double the 57 deaths recorded during the same period last year.

However, city health officials said the number of reported cases has declined during the past several weeks. There had been 19 confirmed flu cases in El Paso in April as of Tuesday, compared with 357 in January, 302 in February and 136 in March.

"There is no indication about any outbreak or any emergency situation regarding influenza of any type," said Fernando Gonzalez, the lead epidemiologist for the city Department of Public Health.
The recent high number of deaths may be attributed to an increase in influenza testing, case detection and reporting by local physicians to city health officials. The additional reporting was spurred by the H1N1 pandemic last year, said officials of the city Department of Public Health.



Enriqueta Miranda of El Paso received a combination H1N1 and seasonal inflenza vaccine from nurse Gloria Alba at the Mexican Consulate Tuesday. The city of El Paso's Department of Public Health provided free vaccines as part of a monthly health fair at the consulate.

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www.twitter.com/hniman

so mere coincidence ?
how likely is it ... someone(me ?) should calculate
assuming normal weekly distribution of P+I deaths

or some other reason, like weather,changed method
to write death certificates, other doctors that write
death certificates, other method to measure
P+I, new hospital, more critical P+I patients from outside
El Paso choosing their hospitals,
increased air pollution

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no patents on genes, publish the GISAID sequences !

How about traveling salesmen?

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www.twitter.com/hniman

Please go away. Your wacko comments have hit the satuartion level. This is NOT a coincidence. There were 43 DEAD with peumonia or influenza. There is an OBVIOUS infection killing these people. Just because the interviewed official doesn't have a clue doesn't mean the deaths were not due to untested or false negative H1N1.
You REMAIN clueless beyond belief.

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www.twitter.com/hniman

Texas is having a near-record year for wildfires. There has been a huge fire, over 200,000 acres, burning in far west Texas for a couple of weeks. The combined acreage burning across the state has an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

My father-in-law lives near the hill country in central Texas and has said that he can't see the hills for the haze.
Most of Texas is under extreme drought/ fire ban conditions.

There would be a lot of airborne particles since everything is so dry.

Re: fires
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/wednesday-wildfire-update-3

I don't know how many cases of pneumonia started as viral illnesses, but it may well be an exceptional year so far for bad air conditions in El Paso exacerbating lung conditions.

The earlier quote from the same official:

"We want to make sure the community realizes how serious we are taking this investigation, but we also want to make sure there is no unnecessary alarm throughout the region," said Fernando Gonzalez, epidemiologist for the city's Department of Public Health.
It is also worth noting that the VAST majoity of influenza infections and deaths are NOT tested (and this applies to the entire world). There is NO mandatory testing or reportng for influenza in adults (and the index case, 26M, in Chihuahua DIED and tested NEGATIVE).

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www.twitter.com/hniman