3 months ago
2 On Your Side has confirmed that a student in Niagara County has died from complications from the H1N1 virus.
Sources tell us the male student was a sophomore at Niagara Wheatfield High School. The boy also did not have any underlying medical conditions. We're also told the family of the boy does not wish to release any further information. This brings to two the number of deaths in Niagara County related to the H1N1 flu. In Erie County, there have been seven H1N1 related deaths. No deaths have been reported elsewhere in Western New York. Widespread illness is well known throughout the region. Due to the predominant strain of H1N1 circulating, most cases are being treated as H1N1 Swine Flu. What remains a mystery is why a healthy young person receiving medical treatment can die from H1N1 complications. "I don't think anyone really knows the answer to that question. In general we believe you stand a better chance, but is that true with H1N1? We're not sure if anyone knows the answer to that yet," says Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Anthony Billittier. Currently the only H1N1 testing being done is for tracking purposes to see if there are any changes in the virus. The Erie County Health Department reports they've received 121,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine out of 600,000 requests. Health officials expect to continue vaccinating into the spring.
