New H1N1 deaths in Kane, Lake counties

An Elgin woman and a Buffalo Grove boy are the Northwest suburbs' latest victims of the H1N1 flu, health officials said Friday.

The virus claimed the life of the 41-year-old Elgin woman, making her the second person in Kane County to have died from H1N1 related causes. And Lake County health authorities said Friday that the death of a 12-year-old boy from Buffalo Grove was from probable H1N1 influenza, making him the county's fifth death from the virus.

Both of the latest victims had underlying health conditions, officials said.

Kane County Health Department officials reported the Elgin woman's death Friday along with news that a second shipment of vaccines is now available to the public.

Health department officials said the woman had underlying medical conditions that contributed to the death. The county's first H1N1 death was a 42-year-old man in May.

The Buffalo Grove boy was hospitalized and died on Thursday.

"Children with underlying health conditions are especially vulnerable to this illness, and thus they are among our highest priority groups to receive the vaccine," said Irene Pierce, executive director of the Kane County Health Department. "We continue to remind everyone to take steps to prevent the flu, such as covering your cough, washing your hands frequently and staying home if you are sick."

The Lake County Health Department reported 61 hospitalizations and five deaths since April associated with H1N1. In addition to the boy from Buffalo Grove, a 15-year-old female resident of the Barrington area, a 74-year-old male from Gurnee, a 41-year-old female from Gurnee, and an 80-year-old female from Long Grove have died.

As of Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 36 deaths and 1,003 hospitalizations related to this strain of the flu statewide.

Meanwhile, Kane County received 5,000 more doses of the H1N1 vaccine. The department will now resume taking appointments to receive the vaccine again.

Health department spokesman Tom Schlueter said the mass public clinics will not be revived. Instead, residents should call the health department to set up an appointment for one of the regularly-scheduled vaccination clinics on Monday and Thursdays.

Schlueter said the health department is contemplating adding a Saturday clinic to increase convenience. Health department officials expect the 5,000 new doses should satisfy all the appointment slots available from now through December.

Residents who have already requested vaccinations through the health department's hotline will be contacted to schedule an appointment. Residents already on the waiting list for a vaccine will also be contacted. Schlueter said there will still be vaccinations available after all those people receive appointments so residents still wanting the vaccine shouldn't hesitate to call.

"The wait list was not 5,000 people," Schlueter said. "It was large, but it wasn't anywhere near that."

Schlueter said the health department also hopes to receive additional vaccinations before the end of the year. Those vaccinations will be key to any child younger than 10 who only received the first shot and need a booster.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises all children younger than 10 to receive a booster of the vaccine about 28 days after the first dose of either the nasal spray or injection. However, CDC officials advise that the 28-day mark is a minimum number of days to wait before getting the booster shot and one shot dose of the vaccine is better than none. Kane County officials said the availability of booster shots shouldn't be an issue.

"It would be unheard of if we don't get any more vaccinations," Schlueter said. "Less than a quarter of the vaccine that's been manufactured has been shipped out."

Additional shipments of the vaccine will allow the health department to allocate some doses to private health care providers.

To schedule an appointment, Kane County residents can call (630) 723-5414.

In Lake County, the health department received its first shipment of H1N1 vaccine on Oct. 26, which it distributed through five walk-in clinics. For updates on vaccine supply in Lake County, please visit lakecountyil.gov/health, or call (847) 377-8350.