Miami University student did not die of H1N1

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By Lindsey Hilty, Staff Writer Updated 11:31 AM Friday, October 9, 2009

OXFORD — The Miami University freshman who died Sept. 26 tested negative for the H1N1 virus, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Matt Healey, 18, of Boston, Mass., died at University Hospital in Cincinnati, according to Miami officials.

Butler County Health Department officials said Thursday, Oct. 8, they spoke with both Miami and state officials to confirm the results.

Healey’s death initially was linked to the swine flu, according to a Boston area newspaper. Hamilton County Coroner Dr. O’Dell M. Owens said the death was not a coroner’s case and there would be no autopsy.

According to his death certificate issued by the Ohio Department of Health, Healey died of acute respiratory ditress syndrome complicated by multiple organ failure, including kidney failure. Healey, who died 24 days after becoming ill, had been infected with Type A influenza, according to the death certificate, a Cincinnati newspaper reported.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are four main types of influenza Type A. Only one, H1N1, is called the swine flu and is the most recently isolated influenza virus from pigs.

Healey was enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences at Miami but had not declared a major.

Miami officials posted a notice on Sept. 24 urging students who showed signs of the swine flu to see a doctor or go to the student health center.

“If a roommate or friend exhibits any of these signs, please encourage them not to wait to seek help,” the notice stated. “If you become ill and have a history of asthma or any other chronic respiratory disease, you should seek medical care right away. We also recommend that you contact your family and your medical specialist.”

A 2008 Miami graduate who lived in Oxford last month who died was suspected of having contracted the H1N1 virus. The family of Kimberly Young has said, however, that her death was due to complications from viral pneumonia, according to a Toledo newspaper.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067

or lhilty@coxohio.com

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