Kimberly Young did not die from H1N1

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The 2004 Elmwood graduate whose family had been told she had swine flu died of complications from viral pneumonia, but did not have the H1N1 flu, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Kimberly Young, who would have turned 23 this past weekend, died early Wednesday morning in a Cincinnati area hospital. She was the daughter of Bryan and Cathy Young of Wayne.

Maxine Miller, Young's grandmother who lives in Bowling Green, said the family had been told that Kim had swine flu, also called the H1N1 flu.  However, the Ohio Department of Health has since reported that test results showed Young did not have the H1N1 flu.

Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for ODH, said this morning there was a suspected H1N1 flu death last week from Butler County, where Young lived. However, tests revealed that not to be the case. Weiss said he could not confirm that Young's death was the suspected case, but he did say that there were no H1N1 deaths last week of anyone residing in Butler County.

"Sadly, we have had three deaths related to H1N1 this year," in Ohio, Weiss said. Those have been in Franklin, Cuyahoga and Butler counties.

The flu deaths are recorded in the county of the patient's residence, not the hospital where treatment was received.

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

She was initially hospitalized in the Oxford area with flu-like symptoms, but was released and returned to her home in Oxford. However, Young's condition worsened and she was taken by air ambulance to a Cincinnati area hospital. She had developed pneumonia and had kidney failure, according to Miller. She was taken off life support and died early Wednesday.

Her funeral was Saturday at Mount Zion United Brethren Church near the village of Wayne.

(Information from the Sentinel-Tribune, a FOX Toledo News media partner)