Child flu deaths likely to rise in coming weeks, expert says

Greene County Memorial Hospital pharmacist, Jennifer Johnson gets her H1N1 flu shot Thursday, Oct. 22, at Greene County fairground. Medical first responders were given the shot. Another clinic will be offered Thursday, Oct. 29.

Jim Noelker/Staff photographer Greene County Memorial Hospital pharmacist, Jennifer Johnson gets her H1N1 flu shot Thursday, Oct. 22, at Greene County fairground. Medical first responders were given the shot. Another clinic will be offered Thursday, Oct. 29.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Photos: H1N1 vaccinations given

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By Lawrence Budd, Staff Writer Updated 12:16 AM Friday, October 23, 2009

DAYTON — The pediatric death toll in the U.S. linked to the H1N1 virus is expected to top 100 today, Oct. 23 and continue to grow for at least six weeks, according to the ranking expert at the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.

In the wake of the death of Springboro boy, Dr. Thomas Murphy said Thursday. “We’re going to see that number continue grow until this particular epidemic begins to wind down.”

Currently, the hospital is seeing 150 to 200 new cases a day, Murphy said. He estimated the rash of cases would persist for six to eight weeks.

Murphy pointed out that 35,000 Americans a year die from seasonal flu.

The Springboro boy, 5-year-old Joseph J. Marotta, died Sunday after nine days at the Dayton hospital. He tested positive for H1N1 and was diagnosed with pneumonia, but the official cause of death has yet to be determined.

Murphy said the Centers for Disease Control updates each Friday the numbers of deaths — as of Oct. 9, the number of children’s deaths linked to H1N1 was 86.

H1N1, after disappearing from the U.S. in the spring, began showing up again in early September — about a month before the vaccine. Murphy said production of the vaccine, after testing, was the fastest he’d seen in 35 years in infectious disease prevention.

Meanwhile, the virus was spreading, primarily through coughing and sneezing from those infected.

“This isn’t something you’re going to be able to control,” Murphy said.

Murphy, who’s been inoculated, emphasized the vaccine is “safe and effective.”

“The best protection is to immunize as many people as possible,” he said. “Beyond that, you can’t really do much to stop the spread of the infection.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2261 or

lbudd@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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