Swine flu: sick of it yet?
Well too bad, because it’s not going away.
Matthew Healey, 18, a freshman at Miami University in Ohio became ill with the H1N1 virus three weeks ago. His roommates, who also caught the bug, recovered quickly. But Healey, who was hospitalized on Sept. 5, died earlier this week from the new swine flu.
John Guilfoil of the Boston Globe reports:
Healey and his three roommates came down with swine flu, or H1N1 virus, around the same time, Healey’s mother said. The roommates recovered quickly but Healey got sicker. He was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati Sept. 5 and his parents were notified that doctors didn’t expect him to survive the night. Beth and Bob Healey boarded the first flight out of Logan International Airport to be with their son, and remained in Ohio while he held on for three weeks.
“He just held on as long as he could,’’ said Beth Healey in a phone interview yesterday. “His lungs were just ravaged by this disease, but we were hoping for a miracle.’’
And this pandemic isn’t coming cheap, according to the Associated Press:
In the month since classes began, many schools have closed. As of Monday, there had been at least 187 school dismissals across the country affecting at least 79,678 students, the Education Department said.
Because closing schools and day cares due to the virus could cost between $10 billion and $47 billion, according to a report by the Brookings Institution think tank, the government is encouraging schools to shut down “only as a last resort” — sorry, kiddos. Looks like turning your pj’s inside out and praying for a swine-flu day won’t cut it.
Locally, the highly-contagious virus has claimed the life of 14-year-old Destinee Alicia Parker, Meredith Cohn and Liz Bowie of The Baltimore Sun report.
Parker is the first young person with no pre-existing medical condition to succumb to the virus.
Quick Hits:
- It’s never too late to say “I’m sorry” — President Barack Obama expressed regret over advice he gave to a gay classmate about sex 21 years ago, according to The Washington Post.
- Bad news for our generation: multitasking might be bad for your health, says a Chronicle of Higher Education blogger.
- A slew of new laws are taking effect in Maryland today. Among them are a ban on texting while driving, a climate-change measure and an increase in unemployment benefits. Check out this Baltimore Sun article for more info.
- A researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine died earlier this week after using too much “bupe,” according to the Baltimore Sun.