CDC Links Infections With Swine Flu Deaths

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Bacterial co-infections are common among people who have died of H1N1 swine flu in the United States and probably contributed to their deaths, according to a new federal government study. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed lung tissue samples from 77 people who died of H1N1 flu between May and August this year and found bacterial co-infections in 22 of them (29 percent), including 10 caused by common bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus. Multiple pathogens were a factor in four of the cases, the CDC said. The findings were published Sept. 30 in an early release of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The study highlights how important it is for people to get vaccinated against pneumococcus, the researchers said. (From: Healthfinder 1/10/09)