Pasco baby with swine flu dies

DALINA CASTELLANOS AND MICHELLE DUPLER HERALD STAFF WRITERS

A 5-month-old Pasco boy is the first child in the state to die of swine flu.

Aaron Lopez died Monday at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane two weeks after he came down with flu symptoms.

Health officials confirmed Saturday that he was suffering from H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu.

Although Aaron was in and out of hospitals for most of his short life, his parents, Elizabeth and Benito Lopez, said Wednesday that they were surprised swine flu ultimately caused his death.

Aaron was born in May with two holes in his heart and had surgery on his heart when he was 6 weeks old. Complications from that procedure affected his kidneys and brain, his mother said. Other illnesses followed.

"There were serious underlying health conditions, but that does not make the loss any easier for the family or the child's loved ones," said Dr. Larry Jecha, Benton-Franklin Health District officer.

Aaron was first brought home to Pasco on Aug. 17, more than three months after his birth in Spokane.

"He loved being here (at home), away from the tubes and tests," Elizabeth Lopez said in Spanish.

When his older siblings, Benito Jr., 10, and Yesenia, 9, got sick earlier this month, Elizabeth knew it was inevitable that Aaron would be infected.

"It was impossible for him to avoid it," she said.

The family also includes 5-year-old Jonathan.

Elizabeth Lopez said it was never confirmed if the older children had the flu because they were not tested. "They told me their labs were full," she said.

Jecha said during a Benton-Franklin Health District board meeting Wednesday that 44 people have been hospitalized in Benton and Franklin counties since swine flu first appeared in April -- with 37 hospitalized in the last month.

Aaron Lopez is the first Tri-City resident to die from the virus, Jecha said.

Elizabeth Lopez said she took the baby to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland on Oct. 5 when he began vomiting and got a fever.

He was flown to Spokane three days later when he developed a cough and respiratory problems, she said. At Sacred Heart he was sedated and intubated.

Gov. Chris Gregoire offered her condolences to the Lopez family in a written statement Wednesday.

"My heart goes out to the family of this baby," Gregoire said. "The last thing we want to hear is about is the death of any of our residents, but it is especially hard when it is a child. I encourage all Washingtonians to take precautions to keep themselves and their children healthy during the coming months."

Swine flu has been different than the flu strains that strike each season in that it has afflicted mainly younger people under 25. Seasonal flu typically strikes the elderly hardest, Jecha said.

Small quantities of a swine flu vaccine are trickling into the Tri-Cities, but the vaccine won't be available for widespread immunizations until mid-November.

Until the general public can be vaccinated, the health district continues to emphasize preventive measures such as frequent handwashing, covering a cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve, and, most importantly, staying home from work or school if sick.

Benito Lopez said he asked his children's teachers at Virgie Robinson Elementary School on Tuesday if they could stay home from school for a couple of days to help deal with their grief.

"It helps to keep the family together at home," he said.

Benito, a supervisor at Flat Top Ranch, said he wanted to allow his kids a couple of days to stay home while facing the initial trauma of losing a sibling.

"Only God knows why he took him so soon," Elizabeth said. "But now he doesn't have to suffer through any more tests and he can be at peace."

The Lopezes are receiving $500 for Aaron's funeral from the TEARS Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists parents with final arrangement costs. No accounts have been set up so far to help the family.

-- Dalina Castellanos: 582-1542; dcastellanos@tricityherald.com

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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009

Pasco baby with swine flu dies

DALINA CASTELLANOS AND MICHELLE DUPLER HERALD STAFF WRITERS