Elmwood grad reportedly dies from H1N1

CINCINNATI, Ohio - A 22-year-old Wood County native living in Southwest Ohio has reportedly died from complications of the H1N1 virus, FOX Toledo News has learned.

Kimberly Young, who was to turn 23 this weekend, died early Wednesday morning at a Cincinnati area hospital.

Young was air-lifted to a Cincinnati hospital from her current home in Oxford, Ohio, Monday night. The recent Miami University of Ohio graduate was suffering from respiratory problems, stemming from pneumonia.

She was the daughter of Bryan and Cathy Young of Wayne.

The death has left her grandmother, Maxine Miller, of Bowling Green, heartbroken.

I always thought she was precious," Miller said Wednesday morning of the granddaughter who went by "Kimi."

Funeral arrangements have been set. Visitation will be Friday from 2-8 p.m. at the Barndt Funeral Home, 121 W South St., in Wayne.

Her funeral is Saturday at 11 a.m. at Mt. Zion United Brethren Church in Wayne. Mt. Zion is located at 7481 Bays Rd.
 

Dr. Jeffrey Gold, medical director and executive director at the University of Toledo Medical Center, said because of the H1N1 outbreak in the 1970s, older people have developed a level of immunity to the virus.

"Young men and women at her age are at higher risk," Dr. Gold said. "The (Centers for Disease Control) says when we begin to immunize for H1N1 flu, children and young adults less than 24-26 years old - they are going to fall into that high risk group."

Though the Ohio Department of Health has no confirmation that Young had swine flu, Miller said the family had been told that Kim had the disease, also called H1N1 flu.

"It was very fast," Miller said. "She said she wasn't feeling well," and went to an Oxford area hospital last week, where she was treated and released.

She then called her parents to tell them she felt even worse. She reportedly returned to the hospital and was taken by air ambulance to the Cincinnati hospital.

"The big problem was the viral pneumonia," Miller said. "Then her kidneys shut down."

Young died at around 3 a.m.

"They took her off the life support," Miller added.

Young had graduated from Elmwood High School, with honors, her grandmother said.

She then went to Miami University where she graduated last December with a double major in international studies and art, and a double minor of French and Spanish. Since then she stayed in Oxford, working a couple different jobs, Miller said.

Though other Wood County residents have been diagnosed with the H1N1 flu, none have died. The flu mimics the symptoms of the seasonal flu.

"The only difference is H1N1 is targeting younger people," said Pat Snyder, public information officer with the Wood County Health Department.

Since the treatment is the same for either flu, many people are not being tested specifically for the swine flu. And so far in the U.S. the seasonal flu is much more deadly, killing approximately 36,000 a year.

Even though the vaccination for the H1N1 Swine flu isn't available yet, Dr. Gold said it's important for people to get one when they can.

"I think it would be unfair to say this is totally under control," he said. "We don't understand all of the ramifications. The numbers are rising rapidly, and it's unquestionable that this is a severe variant of flu."

"Right now prevention is our best and only defense," Snyder added. 

Those defenses are:

• Thorough hand washing.
• Cover coughs and sneezes.
• Stay home if sick.
• Stay away from sick people.

As for Young's case, health officials have yet to find out if she had died from the H1N1 virus. 

(FOX Toledo's Allison Brown and Jan Larson of the Sentinel-Tribune newspaper, a FOX Toledo News media partner, contributed to this report)