Last week's death of a York County man from complications involving the H1N1 flu serves as a reminder that the virus is still in Maine while it's spreading around the globe, the state's top health official said Wednesday.
The death was reported Tuesday. The state will hold an H1N1 preparedness summit in Augusta next week.
Doctors, nurses and other health officials are being encouraged to attend the summit, which will include an update on the flu and discussions of regional approaches to handling the virus and distributing vaccines, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, about 1,100 people have signed up, Mills said.
The Maine CDC said the York County man died from an underlying medical complication that worsened after he contracted the flu. The death was the first in Maine to be linked to complications from the flu, Mills said.
Mills declined to identify the man but said he was in his 50s. She also would not offer detailed information on his medical condition. She said he had been in the hospital for three weeks and, while the flu was not the direct cause of his death, "he probably wouldn't have died at this time if he hadn't contracted H1N1."
Mills said the man could have had any of a wide variety of medical issues – such as lung disease, asthma, kidney disease, heart disease or immune disorders – that have been linked to H1N1-related deaths. She said pregnant women also have been disproportionately affected by the flu.
Mills said the death reinforces advice that people who get the flu should stay at home and limit their contact with others. Even though the flu's symptoms are relatively mild in otherwise healthy people, it could cause serious problems for those with other illnesses, she said.
"You may not be that sick, but the person you may be infecting may have underlying conditions or be pregnant and get very ill," she said.
In its latest report, issued Wednesday, the Maine CDC said it has confirmed 335 cases of H1N1 flu, up 12 from a week ago. Of those cases, 187 have involved Maine residents, 14 of whom have been hospitalized. The other 148 cases have been out-of-state residents tested in Maine, five of whom have been hospitalized in the state.
The report said 90 percent of the confirmed cases were in people younger than 50. Cumberland County has had the most confirmed cases, 128, followed by York County, 56, and Kennebec County, 53.
Mills said the flu is worst right now in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is winter – the time when flu spreads readily because people tend to be indoors more. She said health officials in the U.S. expect H1N1 to spread more quickly here this fall.
Mills said the state hopes to have most schools give a seasonal flu vaccine to children starting in September. Getting a seasonal flu makes a person more vulnerable to the H1N1 virus, she said.
The state hasn't done mass flu vaccinations through the schools before, she said, but it has contacted other states for tips on how to handle such a program. Mills said about half of the schools in Maine have expressed interest in the vaccination program.
The state plans to follow up the seasonal flu vaccinations with H1N1 shots. That vaccine is being developed and is expected to be available in October, she said.
Mills said some health care providers hope that schools will take care of the vaccinations because the demand for shots could be overwhelming. But one of the state's largest providers said it's ready to provide shots and hopes that its patients will see their own doctors and nurses.
Lisa Labay, a spokeswoman for Intermed, said the practice has set up a procedure to identify those who might need vaccinations for a seasonal flu. It is suggesting shots when those patients schedule physicals or other appointments.
Intermed also will have clinics to provide...
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