BY MARK SCHEER and Rick Forgione
Local officials have confirmed that the second Niagara County resident to die from complications related to the H1N1 flu virus was a 10th grade student from the Niagara-Wheatfield School District.
The Niagara County Health Department on Wednesday confirmed the death of the teenager has been linked to a laboratory positive case of the so-called swine flu. To protect the privacy of the family, the health department and the school district are not releasing any additional information about the teen.
“Obviously, it’s a very tragic loss to the Niagara-Wheatfield school family,” said district Superintendent Carl Militello. “We need to take some time to grieve this loss.”
According to the health department, the teen succumbed to complications related to the H1N1 virus. The health department said the individual did not have any underlying medical conditions.
“Every death is a tragedy and our sincere condolences are extended to the family at this difficult time,” said county Public Health Director Dan Stapleton in a statement released Wednesday morning.
Militello asked for a moment of silence to kick off the evening’s Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education meeting. School Board members also expressed their grief and condolences for the victim’s family and friends.
“As a parent, I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” said board President Michele Hoerner.
Militello said information on the death was delivered to parents via the district’s automated telephone calling system. It was also posted on the N-W Web site. He noted student attendance was slightly higher than the district’s average Wednesday.
“Today was a very challenging day,” he said during the school board meeting.
The district is making available four school counselors to help students cope with the tragedy. Militello said the district also intends to provide transportation for classmates who are interested in attending memorial services. He said the county has agreed to schedule an H1N1 flu vaccination clinic in the district over two days the week of Feb. 15.
For now, he said the district is following recommendations from the county health department and continues to take all the necessary precautions to make sure school equipment and buildings are being cleaned thoroughly in an effort to prevent the spread of illnesses of all types.
“We’ve been proactive about all of the suggestions from the health department regarding cleaning,” Militello said.
County health officials confirmed last week the county’s first H1N1-related death involving an eastern county resident who did have an underlying medical condition. Stapleton stressed that the deaths do not mean the virus has changed to cause more severe illness, but encouraged residents to take the same preventive measures that have been recommended since the pandemic began.
“Most people with the flu continue to have mild to moderate symptoms and recover at home without medical treatment,” Stapleton said. “Sadly, as with ordinary seasonal flu, the H1N1 flu can, and occasionally does, cause serious illness and death, usually to individuals with underlying medical risk factors.”
Contact reporter Mark Scheer at 282-2311, ext. 2250.
