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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonto ... flu-death-h1n1.html0 U1 x7 o8 N% t" k. M2 }
G; _3 l% z% }- ^0 d5 U qA young woman with no pre-existing health issues has been confirmed as Calgary's first death linked to the H1N1 flu.
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. G4 v- _0 f( Z U) W ]# N% C5 H# JThe victim, who was not named, had been sick for about two weeks before she was admitted to a Calgary hospital on June 29, said Dr. Richard Musto, medical officer of health for Calgary and area, on Thursday.9 T, R) E( }9 H$ D
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Tests confirmed she had swine flu on June 30, and she died Wednesday night, he said.
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& M. F7 ]: ]; ~0 b"That's our assumption, that swine flu was a major contribution to her death," Musto told reporters.- y$ M4 f3 u8 d6 H6 M
6 d' i9 D1 ?! n. J2 U- W: c"We're not exactly sure where she contracted it, but there's no travel history that's relevant."
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' K3 k3 W) s8 {7 {# D& z( I/ r: xMusto did not name the hospital to which the woman was admitted but said that regular procedures were followed to "effectively protect other patients and staff."9 g5 ?" B& e3 m
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The death is the third in Alberta that's been linked to swine flu. Two women with pre-existing medical conditions — one in the Edmonton area and one in northern Alberta — were the other cases.
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Alberta has registered more than 1,100 cases of swine flu since the influenza outbreak began in Mexico in March.
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"This is a global epidemic; most people will only have mild illness," he said.
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The majority of people who contract the virus — which comes with flu-like symptoms including fever, lethargy and coughing — recover, said Musto.0 f, S4 e# @, A3 R4 v
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"Generally, the complication that occurs is pneumonia and respiratory failure," he said.5 R4 [' J$ P$ I5 X2 j* O* ?( u
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Not connected to children's hospital cases
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Officials said the death is not connected to an outbreak this week at the Alberta Children's Hospital, when two patients and a staff member were diagnosed with the H1N1 flu. A unit on the hospital's third floor was isolated to prevent the flu's spread.% l( j" y" d, I- v n; j
$ e/ I* }, Y- M- ~% ]The patients were isolated in their private rooms on the weekend when they became symptomatic, and the staff member stayed at home upon becoming ill, said Musto.
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5 S0 M1 E5 s. F( i+ [7 u9 d$ qTed Woynillowicz of Friends of Medicare in Calgary questioned why officials publicized the children's hospital while the facility where the woman was treated was not named.
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"I think there's kind of a lack of consistency. And I think it should be publicized if it affects the public in some way," he said.
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U1 ?/ A' A: S0 d1 vEvery year 4,000 Canadians die from the flu and a high percentage of them have underlying conditions that play a large part in making them susceptible to serious consequences when they get the flu, he said. |
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