# 17 year old thought to have died from Gripe A (swine flu)



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Muere un joven de 17 años en Xàbia por un posible caso de gripe A | La Marina Plaza. Noticias. Diario de la Marina Alta y Baixa.

A 17 year old boy is thought to have died from Gripe A (swine flu) in Jávea - the results of the autopsy will take a few days.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> Muere un joven de 17 años en Xàbia por un posible caso de gripe A | La Marina Plaza. Noticias. Diario de la Marina Alta y Baixa.
> 
> A 17 year old boy is thought to have died from Gripe A (swine flu) in Jávea - the results of the autopsy will take a few days.


That's really awful.
There doesn't seem to be too much of it around here thank goodness!


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Two people have died in Malaga from Gripe A. A doctor died first week in January and I believe a 28 year old man died within the past three days.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Aron said:


> Two people have died in Malaga from Gripe A. A doctor died first week in January and I believe a 28 year old man died within the past three days.


if this is indeed gripe A in Jávea it's apparently the first death outside Andalucía


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> if this is indeed gripe A in Jávea it's apparently the first death outside Andalucía


That's not true. At least 2 have died up here.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

elenetxu said:


> That's not true. At least 2 have died up here.


maybe it's the first in Valencia then - that's just what I was told (hence the 'apparently'  ) - either way - very very sad


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

elenetxu said:


> That's not true. At least 2 have died up here.


With respect to everyone, Spain has the worst flu epidemic for three years. I pray no one else dies, but I fear the worst for a lot of people who are vulnerable. I have had the flu injection, it won't stop me getting flu, but it could lessen the illness.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Aron said:


> With respect to everyone, Spain has the worst flu epidemic for three years. I pray no one else dies, but I fear the worst for a lot of people who are vulnerable. I have had the flu injection, it won't stop me getting flu, but it could lessen the illness.


there has been a big flu vaccine drive in Jávea this year - & there has also been a huge number of people - almost everyone I know including me & my daughters - who have suffered a 3 day flu-type illness

we haven't in fact been vaccinated, but I'm certainly considering it now


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> there has been a big flu vaccine drive in Jávea this year - & there has also been a huge number of people - almost everyone I know including me & my daughters - who have suffered a 3 day flu-type illness
> 
> we haven't in fact been vaccinated, but I'm certainly considering it now


There is a flu like virus going around Spain. I have had it too. I walk between 5 - 8 kilometres every day, but I lost all my energy. It took about 5 weeks to get it back. It wasn't flu. Over half our street have had it.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

My daughter had gripe A when it first did the rounds a couple of years ago. Does that make her immune?


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> My daughter had gripe A when it first did the rounds a couple of years ago. Does that make her immune?


I wonder the same thing. Both my kids had it the first time round.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> maybe it's the first in Valencia then - that's just what I was told (hence the 'apparently'  ) - either way - very very sad


yes, the first in Valencia & the 5th in Spain in this current epidemic

Sanidad aplica medidas contra la gripe A en el instituto de Xàbia tras morir un joven - Levante-EMV


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

kalohi said:


> I wonder the same thing. Both my kids had it the first time round.


yes - so did my elder daughter

could be good news - this is an old article from the last epidemic

BBC News - Swine flu offers 'extraordinary super immunity'


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I find incidents like this quite unsettling & wonder how the parent's can possibly cope? I can't believe that you can ever come to terms with the loss of a child


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Had to take our boy to Urgencias last night - it was packed with people suffering flu like symptoms. OH also has it. My parents both had the flu jab and both have the flu. I have never had the jab and have never had flu (well not for the last 20 years). The flu virus mutates so frequently I don't see how the jab can be really effective apart from protecting from the previous mutation. But of course, many people who think they have flu just have a bad cold.

Very sad about the 17 year old. I have to say, until I read this I had no idea Gripe A was still in this region.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

thrax said:


> Had to take our boy to Urgencias last night - it was packed with people suffering flu like symptoms. OH also has it. My parents both had the flu jab and both have the flu. I have never had the jab and have never had flu (well not for the last 20 years). The flu virus mutates so frequently I don't see how the jab can be really effective apart from protecting from the previous mutation. But of course, many people who think they have flu just have a bad cold.
> 
> Very sad about the 17 year old. I have to say, until I read this I had no idea Gripe A was still in this region.


My Spanish doctor is the best doctor I have ever had, told me that a flu injection is not a guarantee against flu, but it can lessen the effect if you get it. I haven't had flu since 1974, but Since turning 65 my doctor recommended that I should take the vaccination. There are different types of flu and getting an old strain could still be serious, so I took the medical advice offered. It is a personal choice.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Just seen this:

The head of the Andalucian health service has quit as his department recognises that hospitals across Andalucia are unable to deal with the flu epidemic.

José Luis Gutiérrez, head of the SAS (Servicio Andaluz de Salud) handed in his notice with immediate effect this morning. He’s been running the show since April 2008.

The Health Ministry of Andalucia have said that the resignation has nothing to do with the flu epidemic, but refused to speculate on the reason for his resignation.

Meanwhile, in Almeria province 4 people are in intensive care as the flu epidemic increases. Doctors have warned that the flu, which is the AH1N1 variant known as “swine flu” appears to be infecting more people than normal this year and say the next few weeks will be “hectic”.

Across Andalucia, 168 people have been hospitalised, of which 75 are in Intensive Care, and 16 people have died.

Patient organisations have denounced that this years flu campaign has been chaotic, with not enough trained staff to properly distribute the seasonal flu vaccine (leaving people unprotected), and a lack of coordination in hospitals meaning some doctors are turning patients away untreated. SATSE, the nurses union, have lodged an official complaint after Cordoba’s Infanta Margarita de Cabra hospital became so saturated that 28 patients with severe respiratory problems were sent home, and doctors were attending to primary care patients in the waiting room.

The SAS have authorised the hiring of a further 200 nurses in order to help distribute flu shots and improve local services until the flu epidemic abates.

Patients are now being asked not to go to their hospital unless the infection is serious.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

thrax said:


> José Luis Gutiérrez, head of the SAS (Servicio Andaluz de Salud) handed in his notice with immediate effect this morning. He’s been running the show since April 2008.
> 
> The Health Ministry of Andalucia have said that the resignation has nothing to do with the flu epidemic, but refused to speculate on the reason for his resignation.


More on this here if you're interested. The nurses' union say he's not up to the job - though with all the cuts the SAS is having to implement, I don't envy his successor.

La Junta cesa a José Luis Gutiérrez como gerente del SAS - SevillaActualidad.com


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> yes, the first in Valencia & the 5th in Spain in this current epidemic
> 
> Sanidad aplica medidas contra la gripe A en el instituto de Xàbia tras morir un joven - Levante-EMV


There has to be more deaths than that. I know of 6 and there have been 3 deaths alone in Andalucia. There will be some we don't know!


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

According to the article I posted (above) 16 people have died.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Aron said:


> There has to be more deaths than that. I know of 6 and there have been 3 deaths alone in Andalucia. There will be some we don't know!


that's just what the report said was confirmed

maybe the figures in the article Thrax posted are more up to date

maybe some of those, like the one here, are as yet unconfirmed as gripe A

either way - it's worrying


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Every year throughout Europe,thousands of people die from flu. Some are old, yet some are young including children. Some years are worse than others. When it is worse, hospitals can't cope because people invariably go to hospital when they don't need to. I have recently had a flu like virus, but I knew it wasn't flu. However, the more this epidemic is publicised, the more people worry and some will panic. The death rate is being published, but what we don't know is, what is the death rate on a normal year.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Aron said:


> Every year throughout Europe,thousands of people die from flu. Some are old, yet some are young including children. Some years are worse than others. When it is worse, hospitals can't cope because people invariably go to hospital when they don't need to. I have recently had a flu like virus, but I knew it wasn't flu. However, the more this epidemic is publicised, the more people worry and some will panic. The death rate is being published, but what we don't know is, what is the death rate on a normal year.


You're right about the panic message.

Someone on TV last night said the death rate is about average, but the difference is that this particular strain is hitting young fit people, not just those normally considered vulnerable.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Interesting stats on here:
http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/public...fluenza-surveillance-overview-17-jan-2014.pdf

OH's parents have said there is no flu outbreak as it wasn't reported in Sur in English. What can you do??


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