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12-Year-Old Texas Girl Dies Of Swine Flu
A 12-year-old Texas girl has died after swine flu caused her brain to swell.
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25 Comments 
CORPUS CHRISTI (September 30, 2009)--A 12-year-old south Texas girl has died after the swine flu caused her brain to swell, health officials said.
Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District officials said the sixth-grader died Tuesday after she was declared brain dead on Monday.
District officials said the girl, whose identity was withheld, had no underlying medical issues.
Officials say she was hospitalized Saturday after staying home from school Friday.
An initial brain scan Saturday was normal, but within hours her brain swelled and she placed on a ventilator, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported.
On Sunday, two Texas children diagnosed with swine flu died.
One was a 14-year-old Fort Worth eighth-grader.
Chloe Lindsey’s father Tom Osborne said his daughter, who had no underlying health problems.
"She was so healthy. And it got her and got her so fast," Osborne said.
The other was a 6-year-old Texarkana boy who died Sunday at a Little Rock hospital.
Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper says Diamauri Hobbs died at Arkansas Children's Hospital about 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Camper said Hobbs had other health problems that included a compromised respiratory system.
Camper said the boy had tested positive for the virus after arriving at the hospital on Sept. 18.
The current virus is described as a new subtype of swine flu or A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or humans. The virus combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before.
How Is It Transmitted?
People cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Most influenza viruses, including the swine flu virus, are not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe. No food safety issues have been identified, related to the flu. Preliminary investigations have determined that none of the people infected with the flu had contact with hogs. The virus is spreading by human-to-human transmission.
Swine Flu Symptoms
Symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of seasonal flu and include:
Fever
Fatigue
Lack of appetite
Coughing
Runny nose
Sore throat
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
What To Do If You Get Sick
If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others. If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.
In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash
In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting
(CDC)
Steps You Can Take To 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 hands cleaners are also effective
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them
(CDC)
Links And Other Resources
The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has a toll-free information line to answer any questions you may have about the swine flu. The number is 1-888-777-5320
Federal Flu Information Web Site
World Health Organization Human Swine Influenza Site
World Health Organization Human Swine Influenza Site
Latest Comments
This was in the headlines today. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,559062,00.html It seems that no matter how you try to portray it, people are dying from getting sick whether it's the flu itself or complications from the flu or symptoms masked by the flu. So if you get sick, stay home, keep your kids home and think about others. If you find that you are not getting better, then go to your doctor and be treated, if it's an emergency, by all means go to the ER. Use some common sense and make good judgements. The life you save might be your own or somebody close to you. For the mom in Teague that says kids can't miss school. If your principal is forcing kids to come to school sick, then call the superintendant. If that doesn't work, then alert the school board. Most schools will accept a doctor's note for excessive absences so if yours will not, make that phone call. Anon.....you crack me up. lol.
Anonymous in Temple, I agree that more needs to be said; both about treatment and prevention (other than the obvious hygiene and avoidance issues.) Oregano oil, for example is both an effective natural antibiotic and an immune booster. Supplementing vitamin D and/or zinc can also help prevent viral infection. There are many other naturally-derived, over-the-counter options for both immune support and to lessen the duration of an already present illness. Going to the doctor (or emergency room) for every sign or symptom is both ridiculous and costly (and people wonder why there's all the talk of inflated insurance costs and healthcare reform? Not that I care for the current reform bill, but that's beside the point.) Most colds and flus do not require medical attention, unless complications arise from them. Anonymous in "Waco", it's called 'research', you should try it sometime. :)
Here is a diagnosis...It is my "medical opinion" that jennica has "know it all syndrome"!
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