A Midlands child with serious health issues has become South Carolina’s first swine flu fatality, health officials said Monday while cautioning residents not to panic.
“This was a child with a very serious underlying health condition that left them susceptible to opportunistic infections,” said Thom Berry, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. “It’s not something that people should panic about but a tragic example of how this particular strain of influenza can be deadly.”
Most deaths from Novel H1N1, also called swine flu, around the country have involved people with other health conditions. Though most cases in the state have been mild, some have been more severe and some have required hospitalization, Berry said. But that happens with seasonal flu as well, he said.
“CDC scientists estimate that every year, 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu. Each year, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 people die from flu. In 2004, South Carolina had 767 flu and pneumonia deaths.”
Source: http://www.handsonhealth-sc.org/page.php?id=909
Kinda puts things in perspective…