Mystery illness kills 4 patients in Montgomery County (Texas)

[Atomic Cow]

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A mystery illness is going around in Montgomery County, and health officials are trying to figure out what it is, and why four people have died.

 Eight people were treated at Conroe Regional Medical Center for flu-like symptoms in a two to three week period. Four of them died, and the other four are still very ill in the hospital. It's this cluster that has Montgomery County health officials worried.

Dr. Mark Escott, Medical Director for the Montgomery County Hospital District, said, "Their symptoms are influenza-like  fever, cough, sore throat ,nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. "

The patients ages were 40-65 and some had underlying health problems. Experts haven't ruled out the flu but are awaiting results of another test. Then it may be other seasonal illnesses.

Dr. Hana El-Sahly, with the Baylor Influenza Center, explained, "There are other viruses that can cause flu-like symptoms during the season, like adenovirus , RSV , and para-influenza can give similar symptoms."

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/health&id=9363452

Other stories say they have ruled out any known strain of the flu, and have absolutely no clue what is making people sick and killing them.  Those who have died have exhibited the symptoms of a cytokine storm, which is what usually kills in pandemics such as the 1918 flu or to a lesser degree, SARS and the 2009 "swine" flu.  There are reports of others dying under similar circumstances in nearby areas.

So far, the local health departments are just blithering.  Calls to ask for help from the CDC have been rejected.

[Atomic Cow]

They've confirmed that it is the flu, the H1N1 "swine flu."  It's the same one from the 2009 epidemic.  It's been hanging around ever since, but clearly decided to cause some serious trouble.  Thankfully the current flu shot covers it.


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HOUSTON – Health officials say there have been six confirmed deaths from H1N1 in the Houston area recently, KHOU 11 News confirmed Thursday afternoon. That includes the four deaths at Conroe Regional Medical Center.

At least 14 people have become critically ill in Harris, Montgomery and Jefferson counties, including the four patients at Conroe Regional Medical Center.

This is the same strain of H1N1 that caused a pandemic in 2009. Doctors have been seeing hundreds of new cases recently in Texas and nationwide. In fact, H1N1 is one of the viruses included in this year’s flu shot.

Health officials from all over the region spent Thursday afternoon in a conference call comparing notes about all the cases. They suspect that all of the cases at the Conroe Regional Medical Center are H1N1, or what used to be called the “swine flu.”

Officials in Montgomery County, which is where this all started, are meeting to formulate further plans.

All the jurisdictions in the region are working together to create a profile of these cases, so doctors know what to look out for. That will be shared with the Centers for Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health.

The CDC has already offered assistance on this cluster of cases. The illnesses started with flu-like symptoms, then progressed to pneumonia and, in some cases, organ failure. All of the patientsl initially tested negative for the flu.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/BREAKING-Houston-area-health-officials-say-6-deaths-linked-to-H1N1-236620791.html