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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonto ... flu-death-h1n1.html$ F( m9 _ ]: u t+ {
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A young woman with no pre-existing health issues has been confirmed as Calgary's first death linked to the H1N1 flu.% Q) m7 {" }0 S/ z: ]% [
9 L7 K! i* l$ s2 ^) b9 E- z$ q% ]The 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.) Y! `. L7 E' u) ? e7 R: B
4 o9 y3 i* q. y6 j7 `Tests confirmed she had swine flu on June 30, and she died Wednesday night, he said.
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"That's our assumption, that swine flu was a major contribution to her death," Musto told reporters.
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"We're not exactly sure where she contracted it, but there's no travel history that's relevant."; Z* b& u9 L- z
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Musto 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."
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0 r$ y, T) v8 D- J- s' `# DThe 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., {2 b: k5 B7 r/ u
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Alberta has registered more than 1,100 cases of swine flu since the influenza outbreak began in Mexico in March.9 F" R$ j: h% W. i: l& R
( S$ t" k* s H"This is a global epidemic; most people will only have mild illness," he said.2 U! B- q T G+ H+ g, `: l
' {# l6 u& t2 h, O) rThe majority of people who contract the virus — which comes with flu-like symptoms including fever, lethargy and coughing — recover, said Musto.6 r$ ?! E& n, Z8 w
& |& O/ ^) ~& ] ?( a"Generally, the complication that occurs is pneumonia and respiratory failure," he said.* j! @/ z$ K) F& k! L
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6 N, z1 u5 |/ y; ^$ pNot 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.
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4 x$ R2 B) T; G# w, O M1 ?6 WThe 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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Ted 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.7 j6 Z* c; H* z% ?! U( o1 u
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Every 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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