Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

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www.twitter.com/hniman

I have news and observations from Houston I will post shortly. Basically, I think we have a lot more flu going around here than any of the general public are aware of.

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I am not a doctor, virologist, or any of type of medical/life sciences professional.

I am a layman with a background in the physical sciences.

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=14175371

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) – A suspected case of H1N1 lands another Ark-La-Tex child in the hospital.

"She was going through fever, not eating, fatigue, not drinking of sleeping. She was very restless," said Brenda McCowen about he 5-year-old daughter Ashlyn.

She brought her to the emergency room in Marshall, TX where she says doctors told her Ashlyn had H1N1. When she hadn't gotten better a few days later, they brought her to Christus Shumpert in Shreveport.

"It's very horrifying as far as seeing her that sick," said McCowen.

Almost a week later, she says her daughter is now doing well. She had some lung damage, but should make a full recovery. The hospital says they can not confirm if the virus was H1N1, but the girl is now in good condition.
.......

http://www.cbs19.tv/Global/story.asp?S=14172368

MARSHALL (KYTX) -- A Marshall ISD student has been released from the hospital after catching the H1N1 virus.

On Thursday, February 24, 5-year-old Ashlyn Craver was diagnosed with H1N1 and sent to Sutton Children's Hospital in Shreveport, where she is received oxygen.

According to Sutton Children's, Craver was released at about 4:50 Wednesday afternoon.

Craver is a student at Washington Early Childhood Center in Marshall.

http://www.ksat.com/news/27326434/detail.html

Seguin, TX is near San Antonio.

Report: Seguin Choir Teacher Dies Of H1N1 Flu
Sheila Siobhan Mourned by Students, Friends, Family

The choir teacher at Seguin High School was taken to a hospital emergency room March 10 and died last Wednesday, said Melissa Matthews-Woolard, the district's spokeswoman.

Siobhan's family has been quoted as saying she had been ill for two weeks.

Even if she died from the same virus that was so alarming during its initial outbreak in 2009, Guerra said now H1N1 is "just another strain of flu."


Lucas said Siobhan, who sang in three languages, had taught at the university level with students worldwide, many of them now famous in the world of opera. She said Siobhan gave that up could have been to teach choir at Seguin High School so she could be near her family and friends in the area.

Dr. Sheila Siobhan died Wednesday. She has served as the director of the choir programs at Seguin High School for the past two years.

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- Seguin High School is mourning the loss of one of its own. Seguin ISD Superintendent Irene Garza says that Seguin High School choir teacher Sheila Siobhan died Wednesday night due to health complications.

"A little after 9 p.m., the Seguin ISD received word that Sheila Siobhan, who was our Seguin High School choir teacher, had passed away. Today we are obviously dealing with the situation on our campus at Seguin High School. We're very saddened by the tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers certainly go out to the family during this very difficult time. We have counselors that have been available and will continue to be available throughout the day and the week to help support the students and our staff at Seguin High School," said Garza.

Sophomore Appresha Williams says the loss of Siobhan definitely came as a shock to the student body.

"I was just shocked. I was like, 'I just saw her less than three weeks ago, so how is she gone?' It's so shocking. Last year at the end of the year, we were like, 'Oh a new teacher,' but after that, it was great," said Williams.

Williams says the Seguin High School choir students all wore their choir shirts Thursday to honor the memory of their late teacher.

"She was a very caring person, a sweetheart (and) someone that when you met them, you automatically love them and you just wanted to be around them - someone you could go to for anything. She was an amazing teacher and just made choir fun or music theory or whatever she taught," said Williams.

District officials says Dr. Siobhan was admitted into an area hospital just before Spring Break -- with her health apparently deteriorating over the last few days.
http://www.kwed1580.com/kwed/display/

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Video at link

SEGUIN, Texas -- Due to privacy rules, Dr. Sandra Guerra, the medical director of the Texas Department of Health Services, said she was unable to confirm whether 55-year-old Sheila Siobhan died from H1N1 flu.

Watch Jessie Degollado's Report
The choir teacher at Seguin High School was taken to a hospital emergency room March 10 and died last Wednesday, said Melissa Matthews-Woolard, the district's spokeswoman.

Siobhan's family has been quoted as saying she had been ill for two weeks.

Even if she died from the same virus that was so alarming during its initial outbreak in 2009, Guerra said now H1N1 is "just another strain of flu."

"Any flu-related death is concerning," Guerra said. She said H1N1 precautions are no different than regular flu.

"People still need to wash their hands or cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing," Guerra said. "Above all, there's the seasonal flu shot that protects against H1N1."

Guerra said the only H1N1 deaths reported to the state are those of children.

"In the past year, there have been 10 cases statewide," she said.

Otherwise, the Region 8 medical director said, "Every year we have flu deaths."

However, many students, teachers and staff are mourning a teacher who was considered "a treasure," said Sheila Lucas, the theater teacher at Seguin High School.

Although Siobhan had a doctorate, she needed a teaching certificate before she was hired two years ago.

"She's a doctorate and I'm mentoring her?" Lucas said with a laugh.

Lucas said Siobhan, who sang in three languages, had taught at the university level with students worldwide, many of them now famous in the world of opera. She said Siobhan gave that up could have been to teach choir at Seguin High School so she could be near her family and friends in the area.

"She always thought of others above herself," Lucas said, especially her own students.

Their grief and their tears were "immediate, then the smiles would come," Lucas said.

Siobhan's students were aware their teacher's daughter had died in an accident a few years ago, she said.

"So if she had to go, they knew she was going to go a better place and be where she wanted to be with her daughter," she said.

http://www.ksat.com/news/27326434/detail.html

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More cases of H1N1 in Austin
Seton using ECMO to save patients lives
Updated: Monday, 28 Mar 2011, 5:29 AM CDT
Published : Monday, 28 Mar 2011, 5:29 AM CDT

Kate Weidaw
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Concerns over H1N1 haven't been talked about in the news lately.

But at Seton they are still seeing cases come in and in some instances it's so severe it's life threatening.

"I was sick - I was so sick," said Cynthia Short.

When Cynthia Short was 35 weeks pregnant she became very sick.

"I was tried and drained and I couldn't get out of bed it was awful," said Short.

She knew this sickness wasn't baby related.

Her doctor said it was allergies but when she went into the emergency room she was admitted immediately.

"We were terrified," said Bill Short, Cynthia's husband.

Cynthia's heart rate was elevated and doctors couldn't figure out why she couldn't breathe.

After an emergency c-section her condition didn't improve so she was transferred to Seton.

Doctors gave a grim outlook.

"She is really in critical condition and there is only one other alternative to what we tried thus far," said Bill Short.

That was a new machine called ECMO.

"We enabled her lungs to rest and get through the disease process," said Dennis Biggan, Perusionist at Seton.

For 17 days Cynthia was mostly unconscious as the machine took her blood out of her body before it reached her heart, pumped it with oxygen, and put it back in so she was able to survive.

"Her lungs were so sick they couldn't transfer that oxygen into the blood or take that carbon dioxide out of the blood," said Biggan.

That sickness turned out to be H1N1.

"H1N1 is still a problem so we know we've heard of a rise of it in the past and it's still present today," said Erin August, Adult ECMO Coordinator.

This year alone three adults between the ages of 29 and 49 have spent weeks on ECMO in order to live.

"It's not the population we would think would be most at risk," said August.

Turns out Cynthia never got her flu shot.

"I've always had a very strong immune system and I never realized that by getting pregnant would compromise it so much," said Cynthia Short. "But I'll be first in line next year."

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/health/more-cas ... -in-austin

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http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... 2F22700%2F

http://nortedigital.mx/noticias/local/22700/

Health officials in El Paso, Texas, reported the existence of 29 verified cases of citizens affected by the H1N1 influenza virus, so far this year through February, a figure that exceeded those that occurred during 2009 in the same period where it was classified as a pandemic spread of the disease.

According to an official part of the press, the Department of Health in nearby reported the presence of human influenza virus in 357 people during January and 302 in February, including the confirmed H1N1 cases mentioned above.

The data indicate that in January there were three cases of H1N1 in February and became aware of 26 cases of the same, adding 29 and not yet confirmed the month of March.

There have been no deaths from this concept, the report said, where both returns the call to El Pasoans citizens to take precautions necessary hygiene and vaccines to counteract the effect of the number of people affected.

The U.S. unit is supporting medical providers in the city to report cases of influenza confirmatory effect of maintaining communication and surveillance better and cope with public health threats.

"Right now, there is no indication that the flu virus circulating in our city more aggressive or a new type that we have seen in the past and there are no reports of death as a result of this disease," quoted Dr. Hector Ocaranza, health authority in El Paso, considering that the number of cases today is high on extending health recommendations.

Health officials offer the respective vaccination to children by appointment at tel. 771–58–22 and in the case of adults are recommended to visit the page flu.gov

It further recommends that those infected by a viral bacteria, they see doctors and stay home during his recovery to avoid mass contamination.

Health officials in El Paso, maintain constant communication with their counterparts in Juarez, in order to take steps to control the resurgence of the problem of influenza A/H1N1, quoted the newsletter.