Officials: Seven more swine flu deaths in NYC
BY MICHAEL FRAZIER | michael.frazier@newsday.com
5:43 PM EDT, June 16, 2009
The number of swine flu-related deaths in New York City continues to rise, with seven more victims reported Tuesday by health officials, bringing to 23 the total deaths in the city attributed to the virus.
Most of the latest deaths involved people who were hospitalized in late May, the city Health Department said.
The agency declined further comment. The names of the victims were not released, with department officials saying that to do so would violate patient privacy laws.
On Friday, the Health Department reported 16 deaths, with 14 of those involving victims younger than 65. The agency said 12 of the dead had an established underlying condition, while four others had been obese.
Underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or high blood pressure make contracting swine flu more dangerous.
"People with these [pre-existing] risk factors ... have trouble breathing, managing their blood pressure and it may cloud their senses," said Dr. Don Weiss, the director of surveillance of the department's Bureau of Communicable Diseases.
It was unclear if any of the seven deaths reported Tuesday involved people with underlying medical conditions.
The most common risk factor detected among confirmed swine flu cases in the city has been asthma, health officials said.
Last week, the agency also reported 567 swine flu hospitalizations occurring in the city's five boroughs.
Citywide, at least 79 percent of the swine flu patients have been younger than 50 and nearly 46 percent have been younger than 18, health officials said. Typically, the very young and the elderly are hardest hit by influenza.
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the H1N1 viral strain a pandemic.
Scientists don't know how long the virus will persist or how far it will spread. Despite the increasing death toll, health officials said most of the swine flu cases have been mild and those sickened recovered within a few days.
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York City is leading the country in swine flu deaths. The outbreak in the city began in April in Queens.
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