NIOSH seeks info on worker deaths from H1N1
Media reports reveal at least four nurse fatalities
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) wants to know about cases of serious illness or fatality related to novel H1N1 among health care workers.
NIOSH issued a statement asking for information from the public and noting that H1N1 surveillance systems do not provide occupational data. People can e-mail information to [email protected]; NIOSH is asking for contact information so the agency can follow up.
"Once we get that information, we can make decisions about whether we want to do a more thorough investigation, whether it is a Health Hazard Evaluation or another kind of study," says Christina Spring, health communications specialist with NIOSH in Washington, DC.
According to media reports, at least four nurses have died of complications related to H1N1:
Oncology nurse Karen Ann Hays, RN, 51, of Sacramento, a previously healthy triathlete, marathon runner and skydiver, died of pneumonia and a severe respiratory infection related to H1N1. The death certificate also noted methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection as a contributing factor.
Michael Bloomfield, RN, 51, an emergency department nurse at St. Mary's Medical Center in Huntington, WV, had an underlying medical condition that put him at risk of complications.
Tina Vick, RN, 43, a previously healthy nurse who worked at Select Specialty Hospital at St. Mary's in Knoxville, TN, developed pneumonia and died 15 days after her first flu symptoms.
Amy Michelle Scott, 37, worked for a home health agency in Huntington, WV, had diabetes and high blood pressure, underlying medical conditions that could have contributed to her complications.
NIOSH noted that health care personnel are at increased risk of occupational exposure to 2009 H1N1, and that the health care work force includes many people who have risk factors that make them at greater risk of complications from the virus.
NIOSH also offered recommendations to reduce the risk to health care workers:
Health care facilities should follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interim guidance for 2009 H1N1 influenza infection control for health care personnel.
Health care personnel should be encouraged to receive both the seasonal influenza vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 vaccine when available.
Health care personnel should be informed about and aware of the types of underlying conditions that may put them at higher risk of complications. In addition to pregnant women, those at higher risk for complications of 2009 H1N1 influenza include the following: those with a variety of chronic medical conditions (examples include asthma, sickle cell disease, and diabetes mellitus); people with immunosuppression caused by medications or disease; those with disorders, such as neuromuscular disease, that compromise respiratory function or handling of respiratory secretions or increase the risk of aspiration; those younger than 19 years of age who are on chronic aspirin therapy; and those 65 years of age or older.
(Editor's note: The NIOSH statement is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/h1n1flu/healthcare-risk.html.)
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) wants to know about cases of serious illness or fatality related to novel H1N1 among health care workers.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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