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Montezuma County: 2 H1N1 deaths
One man dies at Mercy Regional, one in hospital in Grand Junction
Herald Staff Writer
Two Montezuma County deaths related to H1N1 were confirmed Monday by the Montezuma County Public Health Department. One resident, 51-year old Timothy Philo of Mancos, died at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango on Wednesday, and the other, also described as middle-aged but whose name was not provided, died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.
At least one of the men had underlying health issues, said Infection Control Specialist Marc Meyer of Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, but he declined to specify further.
Lynn Westberg, executive director of the San Juan Basin Health Department, said La Plata County has had no confirmed H1N1 deaths, and the two from Montezuma County were the first cases she’s heard of in the five-county Southwest Colorado region.
The San Juan Basin Health Department is offering H1N1 vaccination clinics, but because of a limited supply of the vaccine coming from the federal government, they have been offered only sporadically, when it’s available. The government has been sending shipments to state governments, which then sends them along to the county level.
Every year the flu vaccine is tweaked to provide better immunity, and sent out by the government. But with a relatively new condition like H1N1, researchers have been backlogged, causing the shortage.
Westberg said her department learns at the end of every week how much of the vaccine it will receive for the next week, and plans vaccination clinics accordingly.
She said she just hasn’t been given enough to satisfy demand in the area.
Lori Cooper of the Montezuma County Health Department, said fears of H1N1 have to be balanced against seasonal flu, which still kills people annually. Most seasonal flu patients heal quickly after maybe missing a few days of work, but every year, 36,000 people a year still die of seasonal flu.
“This death reminds us all that flu – H1N1 or seasonal – is a serious disease,” Cooper said. “And this flu can be avoided just like seasonal flu.”
About 90 percent of seasonal flu deaths involve elderly patients, but H1N1 is unique, Westberg said, because it has been afflicting more youths, pregnant women and people with chronic underlying health conditions.
She said residents should guard against H1N1 just as they would any other.
“It’s important to protect against the spread of H1N1,” she said. “Wash your hands, cough into your sleeve, stay home when you’re sick and get vaccinated. And don’t panic.”
gandrews@durangoherald.com
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