Child's death confirmed case of H1N1

Posted by Howard Owens on November 3, 2009 - 12:52pm
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A boy whose death Oct. 22 shocked the communities of Pembroke and Corfu is a confirmed case of H1N1, according to Randy Garney, interim director of the County Health Department.

In a news release this morning, the health department said it would not identify the boy, but when we spoke to Garney, he said the death was the same one as a boy who died in Erie County.

That boy has been previously identified as Jared Peters, child of Timothy and Linda Peters.

Meanwhile, the county has begun receiving supplies of the H1N1 vaccine and is scheduling clinics as doses become available.

The priority group for vaccination include pregnant women, caregivers for infants 6-months and younger, health care and emergency medical personnel, people from 6-months to 24-years of age, and people over 25 with health conditions associated with a higher risk of complications from the flu.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Randy Garney asks that we clarify that he did not explicity provide the name Jared Peters.

Posted by Jaime Caci on November 3, 2009 - 1:24pm
Why was the Pembroke School system so quick to send this notification informing parents that tests for influenza came back negative and that the Genesee County Health Department determined it was safe for children to attend school???????
Posted by Thomas Schneider on November 3, 2009 - 1:47pm
Because they probably didn't want to lose all that state funding if parents decided to keep their kids home for a week.
Posted by George Richardson on November 3, 2009 - 1:56pm
They were probably thinking of all the working parents who would have to find daycare or have their little angels running around like the monsters they really are, when left unsupervised.
Posted by Howard Owens on November 3, 2009 - 1:57pm
I'm guessing somewhere along the line the superintendent was given that information. I don't think there was any intent to mislead.
Posted by Lori Ann Santini on November 3, 2009 - 2:17pm
There is a high rate of false negatives that can arise with the Influenza test. Don't be quick to judge the school district because of the limited information that they were given initially. They too had to honour all HIPPA regulations. We (the parents) did receive a retraction from the school the day after we were notified that there was a chance it could be the flu. Unfortunately, the big picture is that a young promising child has passed. There is nothing that we could have done before or after the fact. I am sure that we would all have wished it was different. Remember that we are all human and this was a difficult situation.
Posted by Jason Murray on November 4, 2009 - 4:42pm
hey george whats more important finding daycare or a funeral home for there children. no job is worth losing a child so i dont care what they were thinking we should of been informed properly