Bay State woman dies from H1N1 flu virus complications…(Mass.)
Unionleader.com
February 08. 2014
WEST YARMOUTH, Mass. (MCT) – A 49-year-old West Yarmouth woman has died of complications from the H1N1 flu virus, family members say.5he family included the cause of death in the obituary for Methot, which ran in the Cape Cod Times.
“People need to know this,” Giusti said.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that H1N1, also known as swine flu, is the prevailing seasonal virus circulating at this time, and it is striking young and middle-aged adults particularly hard.
Sixty percent of flu hospitalizations tracked by the CDC this season are for individuals between 18 and 64, said Dr. Sandra Chaves, an epidemiologist with the CDC.
Neither antiviral medication nor vaccination was able to save Patty Methot’s life, Giusti said.
“That’s the kicker of the whole thing. She had the flu shot – we all did,” Giusti said.
Massachusetts health officials do not know how many adults have died of flu this winter because the state keeps track only of pediatric deaths, state Department of Public Health spokeswoman Anne Roach said.
