Why parents shouldn't ignore certain H1N1 symptoms

 

• Mary McDermott
• Edited by Hyacinth Williams

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The death of a South Bend girl this week possibly because of the H1N1 virus shows just how serious this illness may be. And it's leading parents to this question: How will I know if this virus is threatening my child's life?

A Fishers doctor 24-Hour News 8 spoke with said there is one very important thing you can focus on; your child's breathing.
"Watch your child's respiratory rate," said Scott Ries, M.D.

Dr. Ries is with the American Health Network practice in Fishers.

"If your child seems to be breathing fast, real labored breathing, that's the biggest thing we're seeing probably in some of these cases - a higher incidence of pneumonia or a bacterial infection on top of influenza virus. For some reason that seems to be happening a little more frequently with this strain of influenza than the typical seasonal influenza,” said Dr. Ries.

A sixth-grader in South Bend, Mercedes Lewis, died Tuesday after being admitted to the hospital Monday morning.

Her symptoms included a sore throat.

The girl reportedly was healthy before Monday, without any other medical complications.

"She was loved greatly by not only me, her uncles, her grandparents; I mean she was greatly loved by everyone," said the girl's aunt.
The Indiana Department of Health reported Tuesday that it was investigating a suspected death from flu-related complications in St. Joseph County.

The health department has not identified the victim.

Dr. Ries told 24-Hour News 8 said he is seeing a lot of cases he suspects are H1N1.

"Probably just in our office about 12 to 15 cases a day; there'd probably be more, but we just don't have capacity for those patients on a daily basis. A lot of calls," Dr. Ries said.
He emphasized the difference between flu symptoms a child will likely work through on his own and those that will likely need medical treatment.

"They're going to have coughing either way, they're going to have some coughing spells, but if they seem okay between the coughing spells and do all right, then they're probably going to do okay,” said Dr. Ries. “But if they have a high fever, a lot of cough, again, get them to the doctor. Let's find out because we can put them on some medicine to shorten that course right now, especially for the children."

So far, four people in Indiana have died from the virus.