King County suffers first swine flu death of season
SEATTLE -- A 28-year-old man became the first in King County to die from complications of the swine flu this fall.
John Sullivan died on Wednesday after spending a week in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center, family friends told KOMO News.
According to health officials, Sullivan had underlying health conditions that made it more difficult to fend off the flu.
Three others in Eastern Washington - a man in his 40s, a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 60s - have died from the H1N1 virus in Washington state.
"We are seeing increasing influenza activity," said Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, an epidemiologist. "We are seeing more and more patients come to emergency rooms."
In King County from April 25 to October 2, 2009, there were 82 hospitalizations of patients with the H1N1 influenza. Nearly 1 in 4 required intensive care, and 3 of the 82 patients died.
King County Public Health has 20,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine on hand, an even larger shipment is due next week. The county hopes to broaden access to the vaccine in the coming weeks.
John Sullivan died on Wednesday after spending a week in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center, family friends told KOMO News.
According to health officials, Sullivan had underlying health conditions that made it more difficult to fend off the flu.
Three others in Eastern Washington - a man in his 40s, a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 60s - have died from the H1N1 virus in Washington state.
"We are seeing increasing influenza activity," said Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, an epidemiologist. "We are seeing more and more patients come to emergency rooms."
In King County from April 25 to October 2, 2009, there were 82 hospitalizations of patients with the H1N1 influenza. Nearly 1 in 4 required intensive care, and 3 of the 82 patients died.
King County Public Health has 20,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine on hand, an even larger shipment is due next week. The county hopes to broaden access to the vaccine in the coming weeks.
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