ODH Confirms Ohio’s 1st H1N1-Related Death

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) confirmed Thursday that a Butler County male in his 40s died after contracting H1N1 influenza.

Click here for NBC 4’s up-to-date H1N1 influenza FAQ page. It has everything you need and should know about the infectious disease, including hotlines, symptoms, related Web sites and much more.

The Butler County man’s death was Ohio’s first death linked to the pandemic strain of influenza. The patient had underlying health problems that may have contributed to his June 29 death.

The H1N1 infection was confirmed at the ODH laboratory Thursday.

ODH was unable to provide further details about the patient to protect confidentially.

Patient contacts were being identified to determine whether public health interventions would be necessary.

There also are five confirmed cases and two probable cases of H1N1 in young campers from Ohio.

It remained unclear whether the children were infected during or after camp.

Delaware County health officials said a 13-year-old boy contracted the virus after attending a camp in Indiana. That was Delaware County’s first confirmed case.

A 37-year-old man from Powell was the county’s second confirmed case of H1N1. The man continued to recover at home after being hospitalized earlier this week. The Delaware General Health District was working with Columbus and Franklin County public health authorities to trace persons who might have been in contact with this individual. No additional cases of H1N1 flu have been linked to the man.

There was no known connection between the two Delaware County cases. 

Vinton County has four confirmed and two probable cases. The young campers were at Canter’s Cave in Jackson County.

All of the children continued to recover at home and were expected to be fine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up guidelines to prevent the spread of H1N1 at camps. Read them here http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/camp.htm

Ohioans should take the following actions to help stay healthy:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Stay home if you get sick to limit contact with others and the spread of disease.

“Common sense is your best defense,” said ODH Director Alvin D. Jackson.

As of Wednesday, ODH was reporting 108 confirmed and six probable H1N1 cases to date; for more information, visit http://www.odh.ohio.gov or call the toll-free H1N1 information line at 866-800-1404 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The the line will not be staffed Friday, July 3.

Click here for Ohio’s latest H1N1 case information.

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