The Kentucky Department for Public Health says the child from Nelson County had a complex medical history.

The Lincoln Trail District Health Department says it continues to work closely with local and state officials to obtain the H1N1 flu vaccine, and to get it out to the target groups health officials are recommending get the vaccine first.

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BELOW IS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT NEWS RELEASE

(November 10, 2009) The Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Lincoln Trail District Health Department are reporting an H1N1 influenza-associated death in a school-aged child from Nelson County. The patient had a complex medical history.

“We are very saddened to hear of the death of this child,” stated Linda Sims, Director of Lincoln Trail District Health Department. “It is a tragedy to everyone when a child is lost due to any reason.”

Lincoln Trail District Health Department continues to work closely with local and state officials to obtain the H1N1 flu (swine flu) vaccine and to get the vaccine out to the target groups that health officials are recommending receive the vaccine first.

Those target groups are:

- Pregnant women

- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old

- Health care and emergency medical services workers

- Children and young adults 6 months to 24 years old, especially those

with chronic health problems

- People 25 to 64 years old with chronic health problems

People over the age of 65 appear to be at lower risk of catching the swine flu, and are encouraged to wait to receive the vaccine until after those in the target groups have received it.

The Lincoln Trail District Health Department continues to receive regular shipments of the H1N1 vaccine in very limited quantities. The county health departments in the Lincoln Trail District are holding daily H1N1 vaccination clinics by appointment only as the vaccine is available. The counties included in the Lincoln Trail District are: Grayson, Hardin, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington.

The most effective treatment for the flu is prevention. You can help prevent the flu by:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for 15-20 seconds or, or as an alternative, use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel hand sanitizers.

Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into your elbow if a tissue is not available.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches an object that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.

Get an annual seasonal flu shot to help the human body develop antibodies to protect against seasonal flu virus infection.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick.

Stay home from work, school and errands if possible when you are sick. This will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Visit http://healthalerts.ky.gov for information on H1N1 and Kentucky, including updated information about H1N1 vaccine clinics, or follow KYHealthAlerts on Twitter. Kentucky's toll-free influenza hotline number is 1(877)843-7727, and operates from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, Eastern time.