New York principal's death linked to flu virus, hospital says

[47of74]

Source: CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An New York middle school assistant principal who was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, died Sunday apparently from flu complications, a hospital spokesman said.

Mitchell Weiner, 55, assistant principal at Intermediate School 238 in Queens, died at 6:17 p.m. Sunday, Flushing Hospital spokesman Andrew Rubin said.

"We believe he had complications of the swine flu," Rubin told CNN Radio, adding that once Weiner was admitted to the hospital, he was listed in critical condition. However, he wouldn't say whether Rubin had any pre-existing medical conditions.

"It is with great sadness tonight that we learn that New York has lost one of its residents to an illness related to H1N1," New York Gov. David Paterson said.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/17/ny.flu.death/index.html

---

Deepest sympathies to Mr. Weiner's family.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. We are now seeing a rising tide of flu in many parts of New York City,"

Quote from article. :scared:

[aquart]

2. It's spreading like wildfire. But only that one has been serious.

People don't realize how much of the faculty is out sick, too. There's no point in keeping the schools open if everyone needed to run them is sick.

It isn't killing (except for that one) but it does make people feel just awful and then it's done. But we've got no resistance to it.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. One death from Swine Flu,

but one hundred people a day die from seasonal flu in the United States, and not a word is said about that.

Alarmist reporting, anyone?

[Highway61]

5. exactly

Not stating ALL the facts is the same as lying...IMO

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. Yup, and he also had gout, which healthy people don't get

Which, I'm sure, was also a factor in his death.

[47of74]

13. I'm not sure if that's true

It can run in families, I know it does in mine down through both my mom and dad's side of the family.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

21. I've read that,

but that just means there's an unhealthy streak in your family. Sounds awful, but most families have this sort of thing.

Yet, I've also read that there's no familial connection with gout or any other of the arthritic conditions, so who knows?

I sure hope you don't get it. My friend has had a few flareups, and she suffered terribly ....................

[47of74]

23. No, I've been there

Unfortunately I've had a few attacks myself. And oh God does it hurt. It's like having your foot set on fire while it's being run over by an 18 wheeler.

[Hugin]

16. I've had gout and otherwise I'm very healthy.

My gout is due to frostbite I had over 30 years ago.

Gout is not necessarily an indicator of overall health.

[stray cat]

8. 55 year old and reasonably healthy with weeks of care in a hospital

and he still died. Treatment was not effective although it was treated relatively early and aggressively.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

20. He was not "reasonably healthy"

He was morbidly obese, suffered from hypertension, and was being treated for gout.

Those factors made him an easy target for any number of opportunistic infections..............

[SkyDaddy7]

4. I know a lot of people have been making fun of the media coverage of H1N1...

However, I was reading about the 1918 outbreak and had no idea it first appeared in the spring appearing no worse than the regular Flu and came back in fall to kill 50 million worldwide. I guess time will tell as always.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

6. It did a weird "attack loop," but we have drugs available now that they didn't

50 million would not die now.

[stray cat]

9. Drugs didn't help the guy in NY and that virulent of a flu would override healthcare infratructure

but the death toll would likely be less but then it might spread more rapidly with globalization.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. The guy in NY wasn't exactly healthy to begin with

[SkyDaddy7]

12. Right, I just hope...

We do not have to test the limits of our technology should this virus or any other turns extremely deadly. Had this virus been worse we would have been at its Mercy considering it takes a while before science can understand its characteristics. This is why there was such a media blitz in the beginning warning people. I know many think it is simply overblown but the media is and will be a powerful weapon in helping prevent spreading by alerting the public. It is kinda like evacuating millions of people when a hurricane is coming and then the hurricane ends up not being as powerful as advertised...The media and the authorities are then blamed. However, Katrina changed this thinking I just hope we do not end up having to have a "Katrina like" experience with a deadly virus outbreak before the masses learn to respect the early warnings.

Time will tell as it always does in matters like this.

[ecstatic]

15. Even if we want to respect early warnings, what would

that consist of? Locking ourselves away in the house?

[SkyDaddy7]

19. Come on?

Taking the advise of our elected officials...If I had to guess I would say you voted for Obama so I would assume again that you trust him and who he has selected to oversee such things as H1N1.

However, I could be wrong about you because I know there are a growing number of people here on DU who have said they are done with Obama. So, I might be wrong for assuming and if I am I apologize.

[47of74]

17. I feel better knowing that adults are in charge in Washington

Not the dumb shits of the previous administration or those who hold them up as an example to be emulated. With adults in charge our government got out ahead of this.

[SkyDaddy7]

18. Me Too!!!

[mbperrin]

10. "We BELIEVE he had complications of the swine flu"

How scientific...

[ecstatic]

14. Now that the MSM has moved on from the story, the flu

seems to be on the rise. Weird...

[bat country]

22. And yet there is a cluster 24 strong at the

elementary school down the street:

Swine flu has been confirmed in 12 more students who attend a Houston elementary school that closed Friday because of an outbreak of the virus.

The additional cases, announced today by the city’s health department, bring the total at Travis Elementary to 24. The Heights-area school’s outbreak is the state’s largest in a single setting.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6429454.html